It might seem like a great way to make a lot of money to learn how to start a chicken farm, but a lot of people still have trouble because they don’t have the right business sense or skills.
Imagine if you could find out how to start a chicken farm that doesn’t require a lot of money but makes a lot of money? Well, we’re here to help you!
Each piece of information below sheds light on the estimated costs of starting a business and the amazing factors that determine its success. This blog smartly talks about exactly how much does it cost to start a poultry farm.
How Much Profit Does a Poultry Farm Make in the Philippines?
The poultry industry is a major contributor to the Philippine economy In fact, the Philippines is one of the top 10 poultry producers in the world With a growing population and increasing demand for poultry products, running a poultry farm in the Philippines can be a profitable business venture. But how much profit can you really make? Let’s take a closer look.
Profit Potential of Poultry Farming in the Philippines
Poultry farming presents excellent profit potential in the Philippines for several reasons
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High demand – Filipinos consume a lot of poultry. Chicken is the most widely eaten meat, and eggs are a dietary staple. This steady demand ensures a ready market for your products.
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Underconsumption – Current production levels are unable to meet local demand, so the country depends on imports. This supply-demand imbalance allows poultry farmers to fetch good prices.
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Supportive government – The government provides incentives to boost local production and reduce imports. The Poultry Development Program helps new and existing poultry farms access funding, technology, and training.
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Cost efficiency – Economies of scale allow larger poultry farms to keep production costs low. Smaller farms can also maintain efficient operations. Local feed ingredients like corn and rice bran are abundant and inexpensive.
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Value addition – Further processed products like dressed chicken, eggs trays, salted eggs, balut, and chilled or frozen chicken have higher profit margins.
Expected Returns on Investment in Poultry Farming
On average, a well-run poultry farm in the Philippines can generate a return on investment (ROI) of 15-20% per year.
For broiler farms, profits are realized quicker, as marketable size is reached within 6-8 weeks. However, broiler farming requires more intensive management.
Layer farms take longer to generate returns, as egg production starts only after 16-20 weeks. But egg sales then continue daily for the 1-2 year production cycle.
Let’s look at two examples to understand the profit potential:
Broiler Farm Profitability
For a small broiler farm with 2,000 bird capacity, producing 4 batches annually:
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Revenue per batch of 2,000 birds = Php 280,000 (Php 140 farm gate price per bird)
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Cost of production per batch = Php 210,000 (Day old chicks, feed, labor, utilities)
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Gross profit per batch = Php 70,000
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Annual gross profit for 4 batches = Php 280,000
For a capital investment of around Php 500,000 on housing and equipment, this represents a 56% return on investment.
Layer Farm Profitability
For a small layer farm with 1,000 bird capacity:
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Annual revenue from egg sales = Php 2,100,000 (1,000 birds x 300 eggs/year x Php 7 farm gate price per egg)
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Annual cost of production = Php 1,750,000 (Day old chicks, feed, labor, utilities)
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Gross profit = Php 350,000
With a capital investment of around Php 800,000 on housing and equipment, this represents a 44% return on investment.
As you scale up production, product specialization, integration, contract growing, and value addition can help improve profits further.
Key Factors that Determine Profit Levels
While the profit potential is certainly excellent, your actual returns will depend on how well you execute the following aspects:
Site Selection – Choose a location with good access to input supplies and target markets. This will help minimize transport costs.
Housing and Infrastructure – Invest in quality housing, equipment, power, and water supply suited to your target production volumes. Poor infrastructure can compromise bird performance.
Breed Selection – Choose breeds that are productive, disease resilient and suited to local conditions. This affects output efficiency.
Flock Health – Maintain high standards of biosecurity and hygiene. Preventive health care lowers mortality rates.
Feed Management – Ensure adequate quantity and quality of feed. It accounts for 60-70% of production cost.
Labor Management – Hire and train responsible farm hands. Pay market wages to retain them.
Market Linkages – Develop relationships with suppliers and buyers. This gives you purchasing and sales leverage.
Record Keeping – Maintain updated farm production data. Use it to control costs and fine-tune operations.
With excellent management in these areas, you can maximize returns from your poultry farm in the Philippines.
Returns on Investment Over Time
Profit levels are not static. As your experience grows, you can improve productivity and efficiency.
For example, with layer birds, the feeding and health protocols you establish with your first flock can help boost egg production in subsequent flocks.
Upgrading housing and equipment also helps enhance production volumes and quality over time.
By reinvesting profits into expansion, integrating operations, and adding value through processing, profits can be multiplied year after year.
Starting small, focusing on quality management, and reinvesting profits smartly is key to growing a highly profitable poultry farming business in the Philippines.
Summing It Up
With proper planning, efficient management, and smart reinvestment, profits from a poultry business can steadily increase year after year.
While global feed price volatility poses some risk, astute farm managers can mitigate that by negotiations, inventory management, and timely selling of output.
Poultry farming offers motivated entrepreneurs a stable and rewarding livelihood opportunity. By providing a valuable service of food production, your farm can play a role in empowering your local community and economy.
So if you have the passion and commitment required, a profitable poultry farming business in the Philippines can help your money cluck happily along!
Top 10 Factors That Determine How Much It Will Cost to Start a Poultry Farm
“The cash flows in the farms affect the decision-making policies.”
The following elements affect how much it will cost to start a poultry farm:
You must first purchase a suitable livestock-friendly plot of land before you can start farming. The price of farmer lands is sometimes lower than the price of land in residential areas, so if you’re lucky, you might be able to buy a big plot for a reasonable price.
For instance, you could get a perfect plot of farmland for roughly $3,500. Because of this, you should be able to find a good piece of land for your chicken farm for $3,500 to $5,000, or even less, depending on where you choose to put your production facility.
Following the land acquisition, construction takes place. To keep the birds inside, you would need to construct a cage. Cages come in a variety of varieties and price points.
Once you know which one is best for you, you can get a quote from professionals. Some facilities may need to be built, such as housing for agricultural workers under surveillance and warehouses to store tools and other goods.
Of course, if you were starting from scratch, you probably wouldn’t have all the tools you need to build a successful chicken farm. As a result, you could need to pay someone to help you and hire them. You can set aside at least $1,000 for this reason, but the total amount will change the costs of production in the country where your chicken farm will be located.
The next expense would be purchasing chicks to begin your farm with. Since you wouldn’t have any chicks yet, you would have to buy them from other chicken farmers. How many chicks you need will depend on the size of your farm and the size of the chicken coop you built.
The size of the chicks would also affect the price. Typically, day-old chicks are relatively affordable. Even though day-old chicks may be much cheaper, you should be very careful when handling them because they often have a high chance of dying.
This will cost you about as much as your biggest expense for this business. The amount and quality of food you give your birds will affect how they grow and produce, so they have to eat it. For use at various stages of the bird’s life, a wide variety of poultry feeds are available.
The chance for the best possible development and resilience is greatest when they are still little chicks. For the best growth and upkeep whenever they are getting close to the market phase, there are growers.
Getting 200 chicks is going to cost around $700. If you want to save money on food, you could make your own chicken feed. Even though it might cost a lot at first, it will save you a lot of money in the long run.
Large Scale Poultry Farm Business
A large-scale poultry operation should take into account the costs of
- operating a commercial incubator,
- raising different chicken breeds, and
- the ability to sell finished goods in both domestic and international markets
Given these challenges, estimating a cost of close to $2 million or more is feasible.
How much does it cost to build a poultry farm in 2022 (36k – 40k birds)
FAQ
How much does it cost to start a poultry farm in the Philippines?
Do chicken farms make a lot of money?
Which type of poultry farming is most profitable?
Is poultry farming profitable in the Philippines?
So, I say it again – poultry farming is indeed profitable in the Philippines right now. The analysis above gives you estimated earnings for both egg production farms and meat birds too. Are you currently planning your poultry business? Are you farming already and want to compare poultry earnings to your other farm income?
What are the different types of poultry farming in the Philippines?
There are different types of poultry farming in the Philippines that you can start. Here are a few: Free-range farming refers to raising birds in natural environments where they can roam freely and look for food on their own.
Why is poultry production so high in the Philippines?
A lot of Filipino poultry producers are now leaders in technological excellence, marketing, food safety and innovation when it comes to poultry production, especially broiler farming. While it is possible to maintain this high level of production throughout the year, there are times of peak demand when the prices can shoot up a little bit.
How to start a poultry business in the Philippines?
Starting a poultry business in the Philippines can be highly profitable if done right. As noted in this beginner’s guide, there are various key considerations when starting a poultry farm, including attending training and seminars, obtaining necessary licenses and permits and identifying target markets and customers.