You don’t need to have a PHD in economics to know(or feel) that the Kenyan Economy is slowly deteriorating and that comes at the cost of the common mwananchi. We can debate all year as to why and how we came to this but the bitter truth is that these debates will not aid our constantly empty pockets and bank accounts. Instead, we can share ideas on how to improve our lives and those around us with the little that the economy enables us to make. On today’s edition, we focus on how you can start a Kienyeji chicken rearing business with just less than 2000 Kenyan shillings.
First, you will need some space to build a shelter for your chicken and since you are only starting with two chicken(one male one female) you will only need the type of space that is equivalent of a Nairobi bedsitter room or even a little less.
The chicken should be between four to five months thus should not cost you more than 1200. You will then buy them chicken feed which goes for 40 shillings per kilogram (layers mash). Both should not feed on more than 2 kilograms a week meaning that in a month you will only have bought about 5 kilos which is 200 shillings.
Two months down the line, the female should stat laying eggs but you are advised to not eat or sell them but rather keep them for they will come in handy three weeks later when she wants to lie on them. 20 egg laying days later, she will lie on the eggs for a period of three weeks and produce chicks which she will take care off for a period of two months then start laying once more!
By then you will need make different rooms for the young ones to give the mother ample space to lay more eggs and produce more chicks. By the time she is done taking care of her second bunch of chicks, the first bunch is already mature, laying eggs while the males are old enough to be used as stew for your favorite meal. You can even sell them and use the proceeds to buy food for the others. Within a year, your two chicken will have multiplied into more than 40!
By now you can start selling the eggs too and some of the chicken to ease the financial burden of buying them food. The best part of this business is that it is very less time consuming. All you need to ensure is that there is continuous flow of food and water for your chicken and they will never disappoint you! Do this consistently for two years and you will rarely go broke,or hungry!