MAKING YOUR POULTRY BUSINESS A SUCCESS

The African poultry industry is dynamic with change the only constant factor. Using an experienced poultry consultant in your poultry business can accelerate your growth path to success.

As a poultry consultant with 30+ years experience in South Africa, I often get enquiries about poultry and related matters. Many potential new clients say they would like to start a poultry business and I also get enquiries from clients who have been in the poultry industry for many years requesting help because of a number of issues - productions are lower than standard or egg quality is poor or mortalities are high and we think we have a disease, or the profit margins are so thin our business is not making money or our staff require training and mentoring or we need to be more competitive in this very competitive market. As consultants we need to add value to your business over time - we can give all the information in one day but the farmer will only utilise a fraction of it if that as they will have what we call "information over load".

For the new clients starting out a number of questions need to be answered themselves before contacting a consultant. Here is a check list which may help:

1) Firstly how many chickens / birds would you like to start with - 500 or 5000 or 10000 or 15000 or 20000 or more? This question has a big impact on the size of the house/s you require as well as will the house be of a conventional type - manual operated and very basic or environmental controlled and automated. Cost also becomes a factor as poultry farming is capital intensive.

2) What type of chicken / bird would you like to farm with - Broilers for live or slaughtered meat or layers for eggs or are you wanting to do rearing - day old to point of lay? With this question one can then determine what type of equipment is needed such as cages, feeding and watering systems, heating systems, ventilation systems etc. Management is also critical to which type of chicken business you would like to do.

3) Do I have the right size ground for a chicken house or two or three? Is it level? Does it have enough water to give the birds at all times throughout the year especially in summer when temperatures rise to 35+ degrees Celsius and is this water of a good quality? Is it relatively close to a good growing market?

4) Where will I get my chickens / birds from - which supplier? Is there a feed mill close by to supply me in either bags or in bulk?

5) Am I going to manage this business myself or will I have a manager and do they have the skills and experience?

Answering these basic questions yourself can help a consultant to improve and expand on all those factors and so much more.

As a consultant we prefer to "partner" with our clients and to help their business's grow and be successful over a period of time. A good consultant should help you to develop, guide, troubleshoot and add constant value. I often get asked do existing poultry farms use a consultant and the answer is yes we are able to not only help trouble shoot problems and solve them but give the business a competitive edge within the market.

The cost factor of a quality consultant is negligible to what value they may continually add over a period of time. There are many benefits to having a consultant - some clients say it is like having a specialist in your business but they are not permanently employed but they are their when you need them. Seeing our clients on a regular basis ensures them that the skill, knowledge and experience is always at hand, to add value to their business and ensure that their poultry business is a success now and into the future.

For further details regarding the use and cost of a poultry consultant:

Email: shepwoud@gmail.com or Mobile: +27 72 150 7063

- See more at: http://agriprofocus.com/post/55e5f2ada93f256306bf02b6#sthash.PnyKJbab.dpuf