Choosing a Focus, Breed, and Location
Choose an egg-laying farm if you want to work with egg production. Chicken farms usually fall in 1 of 2 categories: egg-laying or meat production. If you want to focus on selling farm-fresh eggs and working with hens rather than selling meat, this may be the best type of farm for you. Many consumers prefer farm-fresh eggs to store-bought, so this can be a selling point for your business. Although less common, some chicken farms handle both meat production and egg-laying. If you choose this option, it may require twice as much equipment and physical labor. Studies show that eggs from chickens raised in good environments have double or triple the omega-3 fatty acid content and a third of the cholesterol as other eggs. By creating an egg-laying farm, you can assure your customers that they weren’t fed or exposed to unhealthy chemicals.
Create a meat production farm if you're interested in processing meat. These farms are also called broiler farms. Meat production is a lucrative farming business if you're comfortable butchering and processing chickens for meat. Meat production farms can also utilize every part of the chicken when selling their products, including the bones, which have the potential for higher revenue. Broiler farms typically grow between 4 and 8 flocks a year, depending on the size of the chickens. Large chickens are typically processed into value-added products like chicken patties and chicken fingers. Medium-sized chickens are often packaged as boneless breasts or whole rotisserie chickens. Small chickens are often sold as fast food products.
Choose a specialty niche for your business, if desired. Some chicken farms have a specialization that sets them apart from their competitors. After deciding on a meat production or egg-laying farm, you can also pick a niche within that sector like one of the following: Egg or meat processing: Processing poultry products for taste, quality, and safety Marketing poultry products: Promoting poultry products through advertisements to increase revenue Chicken breeding: Raising, breeding, and selling chickens for pet owners or other farmers
Pick a chicken breed that matches your farming goals. Not all chicken breeds are the same. Some (broilers) are best for meat production and others (layers) are best for egg production. Once you've chosen a niche, select a chicken breed that is best for your specific niche. If you want to start an egg-laying farm, for example, you may want to choose a layer breed like Rhode Island Red, Hamburg, or Sussex chickens. Some good broiler breeds include the Cornish Cross, Bréese, Buckeye, and Delaware chickens. You can find a list of popular chicken breeds and their specialties at https://chickenbreedslist.com/.
Find a location close to your city's limits. While you can't always start a farm in your backyard, staying near a city is useful for transportation. Buy land outside of your town or city's limits, but close enough that you can drive to or from it on a daily basis. This will help you save on labor and transportation costs. The further you move from your city or town, the cheaper the land will be. If you can't find land near the city limits, look for land in the countryside where you'll have plenty of space to farm. Poultry expert Alexandra Doss recommends that you “have at least an acre or so” of land for a chicken farm, but “a quarter of an acre is fine for a few chickens, too.”
Establishing Your Chicken Farm
Pursue a Bachelor's degree in agriculture or business. While not required, most aspirational farm owners complete an undergraduate degree first. To better prepare for a career in chicken farming, choose a Bachelor's degree in agriculture, business, or a niche major like farm administration or poultry science if your college offers it. If you choose agriculture or poultry science, add a business minor (or vice-versa) to take classes on marketing, leadership, and other relevant topics. Get your degree online if you don't have time for a traditional four-year degree. Other ways to learn about poultry farming include taking a training course or consulting an established farmer for advice and mentorship.
Learn and follow all poultry farm regulations. The specific rules and regulations for poultry farming vary depending on your area. Visit your local government agencies to get detailed legal information and make sure you can check every single box before starting your farm—you don’t want to run into legal trouble down the line. If you’re starting a farm in the United States, consider applying for an LLC, which has many benefits for startups.
Create a business plan for your chicken farm. Write an outline for how you plan to run your chicken farm, as well as your long-term goals for the next 3-5 years. Include information like your history, structure, objectives, vision, products, target demographic, and marketing strategy in the plan. Once you've created the plan, review it with an established farmer or business advisor, and revise your plan based on their suggestion. If you're running a meat productions farm, for example, you could include your plans for raising and butchering chickens, revenue goals or the first year, and plans for marketing your poultry products in stores. Business plans are useful for attracting investors or business partners down the road.
Apply for a loan to fund your chicken farm if necessary. To start a poultry farm, you’ll likely need to spend anywhere from $5000 to $25,000. If you don't have enough money for your supplies, schedule an appointment with your local bank. Discuss your financial history, business goals, and monetary needs with the loan advisor to apply for and secure a loan. Bring a business outline, evidence of your credit history, pay stubs, and anything else requested by the bank to your meeting. Start with a loan for the minimum amount of equipment and chickens for your farm. You can always get a larger loan as your business grows.
Purchase all of the necessary equipment for your chicken farm. The type of equipment you need will depend on whether you're running an egg-laying or meat-production farm. Consider visiting other farms to inspect the equipment and determine what you need. Head to an agricultural supply store to purchase the necessary equipment, which may include: Brooders Cages Coops Crates Egg trays Feeders Incubator Lighting instruments Nests Perches Waterers or heaters Waste disposal system
Determine whether to hire laborers for your farm. How much manpower you'll need depends on the size of your farm. If you have fewer than 200-500 birds, you should be able to run the farm by yourself. Otherwise, especially if you want to grow your farm, you may need additional help. Start with a small farm so you don't have to pay workers until your chicken farm business is successful. If you need to hire more workers, try to hire those with years of experience in poultry farming for better stability. You’ll also likely need an administrative manager to keep an eye on daily business.
Raising and Caring for Chickens
Set up coops or cages for your chickens. Chickens need shelter from the outdoor weather and predators. Buy or build a chicken coop or cage on your farm with dimensions based on how many chickens you're housing. Here are some poultry housing systems to consider: Extensive: A cost-effective system in which your chickens roam freely on the ground and just have a shelter. Semi-intensive: In this system, you’ll breed half your chickens in cages and the other half will roam freely on the ground. This system protects the chickens from predators and bad weather. Deep-litter: This system is best for broilers. The chickens can move freely on the ground made of straw, sawdust, and leaves. This system allows you to easily feed them and reach their eggs without unnecessary hurdles. Slatted or wired: This system includes creating small houses with wooden slats or wired mesh flooring. The slats are 4 feet above the ground and you can easily feed the chickens and collect eggs. This is ideal for adult birds as the houses have a low temperature. Battery-caged: In this system, you’ll place the birds in metal cages and separate them into groups. Each cage has its own food and water containers and provides nests for the chickens to lay eggs in. This is the most effective system for egg production, but it may be too expensive for a new business. Build the chicken coop or cage at about 4 sq ft (0.37 m) per chicken. Clean the chicken coop or cage regularly to prevent the chickens from spreading diseases.
Raise chicks for your farm. After setting up your equipment, buy chicks from a breeder or agricultural supply store. If you're new to raising chickens, buy no more than 500 while you're establishing your farm before adding more to your business. When buying chicks, always do some research beforehand to make sure the breeder is dependable. You don’t want to invest a ton of money on chicks just to discover they’re sick or malnourished. Make sure you have the brooder ready before buying and stocking the chicks.
Feed your chickens daily. Buy chicken feed from a pet or agricultural supply store and feed your chickens once a day. Give each chicken about 3.5 ounces (99 g) of chicken feed a day to keep your chickens healthy and prevent malnourishment. Ensure they have access to fresh, clean water, as well. You can also give chickens corn, halved grapes, or cabbage as a treat, but avoid feeding them these treats more than several times a week as it's less healthy than chicken feed. Nearly 70% of your production cost comes from supplying poultry feed. As you become more experienced, consider learning how to prepare your own feed. Until then, buying it from the market is fine. If your chickens aren’t fed properly, they’ll produce fewer eggs and become susceptible to various diseases. If you use ingredients like maize, ensure the moisture content is never above 10-11%, as this may lead to fungus. To prevent this, purchase your feed from a reliable company.
Make sure your chickens get enough light. In general, chickens need about 16 hours of light. For broiler breeds, yellow, red, or orange light is best. Consult a lighting expert before buying your chickens to make sure you have the correct arrangements.
Bring sick or infested chickens to a veterinarian. Diseases spread quickly between chickens, so inspect them regularly for illnesses or pest infestation. If you notice any abnormalities in your chickens' appearances or behaviors, hire a vet to diagnose and treat your chickens. As there is currently no effective treatment for poultry diseases, vaccinate your chickens to keep the diseases from spreading. Some common vaccines include RDV, Fowl Pox, Cholera, and Mycoplasma. Consult with your vet to get your chickens vaccinated. Not all vets have experience working with chickens, so locate a poultry vet ahead of time.
Growing Your Poultry Farm
Write down your farming sales and production records for future reference. To make sure that your business is creating a profit, keep a log of your sales, business growth, and financial losses on a spreadsheet. Determine whether you are gaining or losing money, and make goals to cut back on costs and earn more money. If you notice that you're spending too much on chicken feed, for example, shop around with different suppliers to find cheaper feed. You can also hire an accountant or financial advisor to keep your records organized for you.
Market your poultry farm to spread the word. Marketing your business, especially during the first few years, is crucial for securing more customers and earning a larger revenue. To raise visibility, create ads, make business cards, create a website, and make newsletters (print or online) to promote your business. If you're new to marketing and want to improve your tactics, hire a marketing consultant to choose the best tactics for business promotion. Creating a logo for your business can also provide visibility for your brand. Make sure it aligns with your business (for example, you could never go wrong with incorporating a chicken into your logo) and put it on your website and business cards. If you don’t have a large budget, however, don’t splurge on a logo when you can invest your money into your actual business. Make use of social media, as well. Consider making a Facebook, Instagram, and even a TikTok account to spread the word about your business. Be sure to post regularly!
Connect with other farming businesses. Meeting other farmers can help spread the word about your farm and attract investors. Attend agricultural conferences and reach out to other farming companies (especially poultry farms) in your area to make positive, lasting connections. Connect with your friends and neighbors, too. Even if they’re not farmers themselves, they may know people who are interested in buying from you or investing in your business.
Apply for more loans or investments to grow your business. Once you've established your farm, analyze your costs and apply for bigger loans if needed. If you want to pursue alternative ways to finance your business, you can also try applying to business lenders or investors known for financing agricultural businesses. If you're running a chicken breeding farm, for example, you may want a loan to buy better egg incubators.
Consider raising other types of poultry. Once you feel comfortable with your chicken business, you may want to branch out and raise other birds like turkeys, geese, or even peacocks. Always do your research beforehand to make sure you and your farm are capable of taking on more responsibilities.
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