Poultry Farm Case

Project Poultry Farm

Introduction

Our project is a poultry farm of the livestock sector in which the day old chicks are raised by giving a high protein feed for approximately six weeks. This chicken is the cheapest source of animal protein available in Pakistan. As the usage of chicken is increasing day by day so is the demand of it increasing in the masses. Poultry farm is a very profitable business nowadays due to the increasing consumption of chicken in the market. Annually, three flocks (1,666 birds per flock) will be raised in the farm. These birds are then sold to the whole sellers and shopkeepers in the market.

Total Project Cost:

A poultry farm with a population of 5,000 birds are raised in a specifically rationale built shed which needs an investment of approximately Rs 1.75 million for the construction and purchasing of the farm machinery & equipment. We also require a working capital of approximately Rs. 400,000 which would be used for the buying of the day old chicks and raw material such as their feed and vaccines.

Pre-Proposed Capacity:

In this report all the calculations have been based on a flock size of 5,000 birds, with raising three flocks per year. The lag time will be of one week in which the cleaning and fumigation of the farm will take place.

Present Industry:

The production line of the broilers (chicken specifically for the production of chicken) is imported. They produce the grandparents for the parent stocks and they finally produce the end product. We would buy the day old broiler (chicken) from the hatcheries which are preserved in their farms. The breeding farms mainly depend on the production of parent stock.

The poultry feed contains a specific formula mix which has protein elements like grains, gluten, blood meal, fishmeal & soya beans. The business of poultry farm contributes largely towards the Pakistan economy by the investments of approximately 70 billion and is now the second largest industry after textile. This sector has 140 feed mills, 280 hatcheries & about 20,000 layer, broiler and breeding farms. Annually the farms are importing about 100,000 grandparent chicks from Holland, USA & Germany.

Construction

The broiler houses are built with wood or steel trusses. There structures are side wall to side wall. The binds are made to support the roof without posts which makes it harder to catch birds and clean the houses. The floor of the broiler houses are covered with wood shavings, peanut hulls, rice hulls and sand. The house size would be 20-30 ft wide, 200-300 ft long with 3 ft high sidewalls.

Ceiling:

Most poultry farm houses now have dropped ceilings for the improved ventilation systems and to reduce the heating costs. The ceilings act as a vapor barrier for the insulation. These types of ceilings reduce the heat gained during the summer and also prevent heat loss during the cold weather. Our ceilings would be insulated with fiber glass insulation.

Side Walls:

Our poultry farm would have side walls as they reduce air leaks, provide better and improved insulation, enhanced light control and in winters it allows the house to be more heated. This system improves the speed of air during the tunnel ventilation which increases the cooling of birds.

Heat System:

The key to a more profitable growth is the maintenance of the temperature of the house. The young chicks are not able to maintain their body temperature until at least 15 days of age. That's why it is very important for the floor temperature to be 90 degrees F without any variations. Heating systems that we would be using include radiant brooders, air furnaces, pancake brooders and radiant tube heaters. The tube heaters and brooders are used for heating the floor and the furnace heats the air. We will also install some special paddle fans available because the hot air rises to the surface quickly as it is very light.

Ventilation systems:

This system is very useful as it gives off fresh air and ventilates the excess heat and unwanted gases from the broiler houses. Our system would consist of fans, cooling machines, thermostats and also air inlets.

In winters, the negative force ventilation is used for the fresh air and reduces the heat loss. The fans send the air out creating a negative impact in the house, and then new fresh air is sent in the house which enters through the installed air inlets in the ceiling. These creeks are specially prepared to mix the air with the heated air before the birds are touched. Computer systems can also be installed and used here but we prefer the traditional system.

In summers, the tunnel ventilation system in used for the birds from overheating. This system has fans at one side of the broiler house and big air creeks at the exact opposite end. These tunnels remove heat and create a wind chill for cooling.

House Atmosphere:

Nowadays every poultry house farm has electric controllers. With the use of these controllers it is now possible to keep the temperature according to our desire. This helps the birds not to divert their energy from growth to stay warm or cold. The electric machine keeps the temperatures constant. All the systems in the broiler house can be controlled with this machine and a constant eye watch is not needed as it will turn on or off the systems according to the requirements and temperatures that are stored in it.

Safety & Generators:

The alarm system is also important so that if the electric machine goes wrong the alarm can activate a siren to alert us. As Pakistan suffers from load-shedding then it is also important to have a generator. The generators are used for automatic power switch-over and also for the systems to be working.

Marketing:

The chicken is sold off to the whole sellers and sometimes to shop keepers directly. When a new poultry farm is made then a middleman intervenes for the selling of broilers the first few times until the farm makes its position. The middleman identifies the farm and negotiates the pricing. The broilers are sold off on live-weight basis. The chicken is sold off to two places, i.e. the customer and the processing plants. In the processing plants the birds are slaughtered (halal) and cleaned.