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| Zubairi Mukaya Laliyo |
My name is Zubairi Mukaya Laliyo, a resident of Kamuli District. I am 48
years old and I have been involved in farming since the age of 12. I am
a mixed farmer who grows bananas and coffee, carries out fish farming
and, to a less extent, dairying.
As regards the latter, there are five cows which provide milk for home consumption with the surplus sold. However, I consider poultry as my main source of livelihood.
All the farming is carried out on four acres of land; two acres were purchased with proceeds from poultry while the others were inherited from my father.
My poultry farm is known as Bakusekamajja Poultry Farm. It contains 400 layers and 100 cocks, which do the fertilisation of the eggs before they are taken to the hatchery. They are of the Kuroiler breed.
Potential
I started in 2007 when I received 100 layers from Naads. Initially, the idea was to develop my own breed; fast maturing but disease resistant. So, I bought 10 cocks to mate with the layers.
This yielded 700 eggs, which I took a hatchery in Buwenge where I was charged Shs400 for each hatched egg.
Eventually, under this arrangement, I accumulated 1,500 chicks. After five months, I sold them off to acquire another breed from India called Kuroiler.
I had been convinced by a friend to rear this breed as they have the same qualities I was looking for. In 2008, a Naads assessment was carried out and I was selected to receive a hatchery. It was to help the farmers in the area bring their eggs for hatching and they would pay me a fee.
Advantages
The target is to hatch 6,800 chicks a week though the current number is 2,500 a week. The full potential is not yet realised because I have only 400 layers yet there are supposed to be 1,000 of them to fill all chambers in the hatchery.
To date, from the 2,500 chicks hatched weekly, I am assured of Shs500,000 when taken as day old chicks. Each goes for Shs200.
But when they are not bought as day old chicks, I put them in the brooder for a month and they are vaccinated. I sell them at Shs5,000 each, which amounts to Shs1.25m.
The other advantage from poultry farming is that I use the chicken droppings as feed in the fish pond. When I harvest, I sell the fish in Jinja Town and on average I get Shs500,000 a month.
Chicken droppings are also a source of manure, which is applied in the coffee and banana plantation. In turn, I use the banana male bud as poultry feed and, at the same time, it is medicinal. I have 9,000 banana plants on two acres. In addition to the bunches, I also sell the corms.
Future plans include boosting the hatchery to its full potential and make Bakusekamajja Poultry Farm a study centre for poultry-related activities.
Listening to advice
However, much as I have pointed out success stories, there are a few challenges.
One of them is water shortage as these birds need a lot of water. To overcome this, I am harvesting rainwater from the roofs of the structures on the farm.
There is also the challenge of feeds. There are poor quality or adulterated feeds on the market; some of the traders pack wood ash, sand and other impurities alongside maize meal and mark them as chicken feed. To avoid this problem, I am in the process of getting a feed mixer.
I urge all youth to engage in poultry and other agriculture-related activities as the saying goes “sitting and wishing does not make a man”.
I believe I have become successful at poultry farming because I adhere to expertise from veterinary doctors
As regards the latter, there are five cows which provide milk for home consumption with the surplus sold. However, I consider poultry as my main source of livelihood.
All the farming is carried out on four acres of land; two acres were purchased with proceeds from poultry while the others were inherited from my father.
My poultry farm is known as Bakusekamajja Poultry Farm. It contains 400 layers and 100 cocks, which do the fertilisation of the eggs before they are taken to the hatchery. They are of the Kuroiler breed.
Potential
I started in 2007 when I received 100 layers from Naads. Initially, the idea was to develop my own breed; fast maturing but disease resistant. So, I bought 10 cocks to mate with the layers.
This yielded 700 eggs, which I took a hatchery in Buwenge where I was charged Shs400 for each hatched egg.
Eventually, under this arrangement, I accumulated 1,500 chicks. After five months, I sold them off to acquire another breed from India called Kuroiler.
I had been convinced by a friend to rear this breed as they have the same qualities I was looking for. In 2008, a Naads assessment was carried out and I was selected to receive a hatchery. It was to help the farmers in the area bring their eggs for hatching and they would pay me a fee.
Advantages
The target is to hatch 6,800 chicks a week though the current number is 2,500 a week. The full potential is not yet realised because I have only 400 layers yet there are supposed to be 1,000 of them to fill all chambers in the hatchery.
To date, from the 2,500 chicks hatched weekly, I am assured of Shs500,000 when taken as day old chicks. Each goes for Shs200.
But when they are not bought as day old chicks, I put them in the brooder for a month and they are vaccinated. I sell them at Shs5,000 each, which amounts to Shs1.25m.
The other advantage from poultry farming is that I use the chicken droppings as feed in the fish pond. When I harvest, I sell the fish in Jinja Town and on average I get Shs500,000 a month.
Chicken droppings are also a source of manure, which is applied in the coffee and banana plantation. In turn, I use the banana male bud as poultry feed and, at the same time, it is medicinal. I have 9,000 banana plants on two acres. In addition to the bunches, I also sell the corms.
Future plans include boosting the hatchery to its full potential and make Bakusekamajja Poultry Farm a study centre for poultry-related activities.
Listening to advice
However, much as I have pointed out success stories, there are a few challenges.
One of them is water shortage as these birds need a lot of water. To overcome this, I am harvesting rainwater from the roofs of the structures on the farm.
There is also the challenge of feeds. There are poor quality or adulterated feeds on the market; some of the traders pack wood ash, sand and other impurities alongside maize meal and mark them as chicken feed. To avoid this problem, I am in the process of getting a feed mixer.
I urge all youth to engage in poultry and other agriculture-related activities as the saying goes “sitting and wishing does not make a man”.
I believe I have become successful at poultry farming because I adhere to expertise from veterinary doctors
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