How to start a layer poultry farm in Ethiopia
Updated · DoroSync / Kennaa Tech
Plan the market first, then the house, then the birds. Build or rent a clean, ventilated house (about 4–5 birds per square metre on the floor), buy healthy chicks or point-of-lay pullets from a known supplier, budget feed for at least three months, follow a vaccination schedule, and record every day from the start. Feed is about two-thirds of the cost of an egg, so your feed price and laying rate decide your profit.
1. Know who will buy your eggs
Before the first bird arrives, know who buys: shops, hotels, bakeries, traders or a union. Ask the price they pay per egg or tray and how they pay — many pay later, and credit is where small farms run out of money.
2. House and equipment
A layer house needs good ventilation, protection from rain and predators, light, clean water and space. On a deep-litter floor allow about 4–5 laying birds per square metre; in cages follow the cage maker's figure.
- Feeders and drinkers for every bird
- Laying nests (about one per 4–5 hens) on deep litter
- A store for feed that is dry and closed to rats
3. Day-old chicks or point-of-lay pullets?
Day-old chicks are cheaper to buy but need about 18–20 weeks of feed, heat and vaccinations before the first egg. Point-of-lay pullets cost more but lay within weeks. Buy from a supplier with a vaccination record.
4. Feed and water
Plan feed for at least three months ahead. A laying hen eats about 110–120 g a day: 1,000 hens need about 35 quintals a month. Clean water must never run out; birds drink about twice what they eat.
5. Vaccination and biosecurity
Follow a vaccination schedule from day one (Marek, Newcastle, Gumboro, fowl pox, fowl typhoid), keep visitors out of the house, and remove dead birds at once.
6. Records from the first day
Record eggs, deaths, feed and money every day. Without records you cannot tell if lay is falling, what an egg costs you or who owes you. A phone app such as DoroSync does the arithmetic for you.
7. Know your break-even
Add up a month's costs and divide by the month's eggs: that is your cost per egg. Never sell below it for long. Use the egg cost and profit calculator to test your plan before you buy the birds.
These figures are a guide, not advice. Feed, prices and diseases differ from farm to farm: check with your veterinarian and use your own records.