NewStats: 3,263,881 , 8,181,734 topics. Date: Sunday, 08 June 2025 at 02:35 PM r1o59

Greetings all.
So for the past few weeks I've been searching the Agriculture section to see if there is any thread dedicated to Layers Poultry Farmers, but I found none. So I'm opening this thread for the purpose.
Please this thread is strictly for Layers Poultry discussion. Please nobody should derail the thread. Thanks and God bless you.

The main stuff I will like to discuss are:

1. Your personal experience as a poultry farmer. How long have you been into actual practice.

2. Percentage production you're able to achieve and how you are able to achieve it.

3. The brand of feed you're currently using, and if you have changed feed brands before, why did you make the change.

4. What type of housing system are you using, Battery cage, Deep litter or any other.

5. Any other important information.

Thanks again.

I will go first.

1. I've been in the actual practice for just a year. So far so good, all glory be to God.
I look forward to learning from other experienced farmers.

2. So far highest was 90%, the average has been 84%

3. Hybrid layer mash, and we have not changed brand yet, but we're open to a better recommendation.

4. The Pen was built for battery cage, but due to the high cost of the cages and financial constraints, we're using the pen for deep litter system.

I look forward to an impactful discussion.

Thanks.

Hello guys I’m Jeffrey and I’m looking to go into poultry farming but I want to rent a farm. See as it goes. Dm me with location ‪+61 411 964 663‬

Jeffrey1k:
Hello guys I’m Jeffrey and I’m looking to go into poultry farming but I want to rent a farm. See as it goes. Dm me with location ‪+61 411 964 663‬

I don't have a pen to lease, but others may have.

Why are battery cages so expensive? I saw one A-Type on Afrimash and they said 400k. It was 180k when I asked a local fabricator.

Bodex2000:
Why are battery cages so expensive? I saw one A-Type on Afrimash and they said 400k. It was 180k when I asked a local fabricator.

They're very expensive, particularly the imported ones. I do deep litter system and it's odourless.

SoftHeart:

They're very expensive, particularly the imported ones. I do deep litter system and it's odourless.

Yes. Much better for the welfare of the birds sef

Nice thread

1. Have been a poultry farmer for about 4 years now
2. Highest have achieved was 99% and average was 90%
3. Feed am using is hipro
4. They're on battery cage but last year when I expanded I tried semi caged just like deep litter, they run around but inside wooden cage and it was disaster just like deep litter, I kept having lots of cracked eggs despite building nest, mortality was high too during heat period and highest production was 85%. Nothing beats battery cage in layers production.

aliadi2:
Nice thread

1. Have been a poultry farmer for about 4 years now
2. Highest have achieved was 99% and average was 90%
3. Feed am using is hipro
4. They're on battery cage but last year when I expanded I tried semi caged just like deep litter, they run around but inside wooden cage and it was disaster just like deep litter, I kept having lots of cracked eggs despite building nest, mortality was high too during heat period and highest production was 85%. Nothing beats battery cage in layers production.

Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
99% Wow! Even 90% is a very good result.
Battery cage system should definitely gives better results to the farmer than deep litter. 85% is a great result in deep litter system in my opinion, since detecting and culling of poor layers may be difficult, but it's very easy to detect and cull poor layers in Battery cage system.

Please I have a few questions for you.
How did you achieve the 99% to 90% production? Did you cull poor layers?
Also, how did your stock your farm, through POL or DOC?

SoftHeart:

Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
99% Wow! Even 90% is a very good result.
Battery cage system should definitely gives better results to the farmer than deep litter. 85% is a great result in deep litter system in my opinion, since detecting and culling of poor layers may be difficult, but it's very easy to detect and cull poor layers in Battery cage system.

Please I have a few questions for you.
How did you achieve the 99% to 90% production? Did you cull poor layers?
Also, how did your stock your farm, through POL or DOC?

99% was just once in while .
I always raise my birds from DOC, starting with crumble that grower, also all vaccination are complete Including revaccinate mareks at 23days

It's easier to cull birds in cages, I don't think you can cull birds on deep litter because how can you know. That's why farm on cages can achieve 100+ weeks production and still profitable, they cull out the ones not laying easier

aliadi2:
It's easier to cull birds in cages, I don't think you can cull birds on deep litter because how can you know. That's why farm on cages can achieve 100+ weeks production and still profitable, they cull out the ones not laying easier

Exactly my thought, culling makes achieving great result possible...
Thanks so much for your response.

Have you ever experienced not being able to find high-quality or inappropriate poultry cage? If yes, you may lose a lot from this business.

We, Sagri Farm Equipment, already worked in Nigeria market for around 16 years with a lot of projects there, the capacity from 5,000 to 100,000 birds for one house, both can be semi automatic cage or fully automatic. We also can design the best open house system for natural ventilation because of the lack of electricity.

For our cage, we know what farmers prefer, we have the best design to meet client's requirement. Hot galvanized for anti-rust, 360 degree nipple drinker for drinking, original PVC feed trough with 100kgs load-bearing.

For more details and quotation, please us by WhatsApp: +8615838398703, Email: [email protected]

Mr. Corner Chen
General Manager
Henan Sagri Farm Equipment Co., Ltd.
WhatsApp: +15838398703
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.sagrifarm.com

SoftHeart:

They're very expensive, particularly the imported ones. I do deep litter system and it's odourless.

I am about to start my layer farm. plan is for only 300 birds on deep litter (although i was advised to fabricate cages instead).

My problem now is that i am having challenge with accessing a steady supply to wood shavings. All the saw mills around me only have the smooth saw dust like 99% of the time.

question is, how do you cope with shortage in having wood shaves? how dangerous is it to put saw dust? should i just fabricate the cages and avoid possible wahala?

Zero experience in poultry farming or agriculture. Considering starting a commercial poultry somewhere in the southwest for economic purposes only. I have a bunch of questions.

How much capital would be needed?
is it wise to do hybrid? Layers and broilers for commercial success?
how do you guys find buyers?
Is processing broilers accessible easily and what are the costs of processing?

Any answers or pointers will be much appreciated

apexquest:

I am about to start my layer farm. plan is for only 300 birds on deep litter (although i was advised to fabricate cages instead).

My problem now is that i am having challenge with accessing a steady supply to wood shavings. All the saw mills around me only have the smooth saw dust like 99% of the time.

question is, how do you cope with shortage in having wood shaves? how dangerous is it to put saw dust? should i just fabricate the cages and avoid possible wahala?

Congratulations on the decision to start!
Brace up for the challenges and rewards ahead

Battery cage system is better and costlier. Though it has its own disadvantages, but in my opinion the advantages sures the disadvantages.

1. For a good deep litter you don't need any constant supply of wood shavings, just get a good amount of wood shavings to sufficiently cover the whole pen to about 2 inches depth, and add some charcoal.

2. Make sure the pen is proper built-in to prevent rain from entering and avoid water slippage from the drinkers.

3. Once this is properly done, just move in your birds and you don't need to add additional wood shavings throughout the production period.

4. This is what I'm currently using. We moved in the birds at about 11 weeks, they're now about 80 weeks, no odour, and litter is very dry.

5. Note: if you don't have enough wood shavings to sufficiently cover the whole pen to a good depth and you can't control water spillage, you'll struggle with terrible odour, and your birds will get sick from time to time.

Conclusion: Battery cage system will save a lot of stress, but you also need to clean up the droppings regularly.

upsupa:
Zero experience in poultry farming or agriculture. Considering starting a commercial poultry somewhere in the southwest for economic purposes only. I have a bunch of questions.

How much capital would be needed?
is it wise to do hybrid? Layers and broilers for commercial success?
how do you guys find buyers?
Is processing broilers accessible easily and what are the costs of processing?

Any answers or pointers will be much appreciated

You're welcome!
All your questions are valid and I will advise that you do a comprehensive research on each of the questions, one way to do this is to use google and YouTube, to get the best answers to these questions, you will need to put in some effort to watch videos and read other people's experiences.

Let me give you a quick answer to the question on buyers: For egg production, buyers will be looking for you. For broiler production, you are the one that will be looking for buyers, except you have a solid contract with a prospective buyer before you start, if not you'll need to look for buyers.

On the question of capital, poultry is extremely capital intensive. If you don't have enough money, please don't start. Even if you're starting with just 100 birds, you will need over a million naira to buy and feed the birds before they start laying. This is just the cost of buying and feeding the birds. Not building the pen and buying the land.

SoftHeart:


Congratulations on the decision to start!
Brace up for the challenges and rewards ahead

Battery cage system is better and costlier. Though it has its own disadvantages, but in my opinion the advantages sures the disadvantages.

1. For a good deep litter you don't need any constant supply of wood shavings, just get a good amount of wood shavings to sufficiently cover the whole pen to about 2 inches depth, and add some charcoal.

2. Make sure the pen is proper built-in to prevent rain from entering and avoid water slippage from the drinkers.

3. Once this is properly done, just move in your birds and you don't need to add additional wood shavings throughout the production period.

4. This is what I'm currently using. We moved in the birds at about 11 weeks, they're now about 80 weeks, no odour, and litter is very dry.

5. Note: if you don't have enough wood shavings to sufficiently cover the whole pen to a good depth and you can't control water spillage, you'll struggle with terrible odour, and your birds will get sick from time to time.

Conclusion: Battery cage system will save a lot of stress, but you also need to clean up the droppings regularly.

Thank you very much for this insight.

I have decided that i will cage them at about 12 weeks of age.

For the 3 month that they will be on the deep litter, your counsel will be adhered to.

I have already installed nipple drinking line in the house.

Thank you for the answers. I am currently doing research and it seems the capital outlay may be a bit higher than I envisaged. I might start smaller than I thought.

I was of the idea that you need to be at above 5000 birds to even consider it a viable enterprise. But it seems that is out of scope and may start a lot lower than that

SoftHeart:


You're welcome!
All your questions are valid and I will advise that you do a comprehensive research on each of the questions, one way to do this is to use google and YouTube, to get the best answers to these questions, you will need to put in some effort to watch videos and read other people's experiences.

Let me give you a quick answer to the question on buyers: For egg production, buyers will be looking for you. For broiler production, you are the one that will be looking for buyers, except you have a solid contract with a prospective buyer before you start, if not you'll need to look for buyers.

On the question of capital, poultry is extremely capital intensive. If you don't have enough money, please don't start. Even if you're starting with just 100 birds, you will need over a million naira to buy and feed the birds before they start laying. This is just the cost of buying and feeding the birds. Not building the pen and buying the land.

Have you ever experienced not being able to find high-quality or inappropriate poultry cage? If yes, you may lose a lot from this business.

We, Sagri Farm Equipment, already worked in Nigeria market for around 16 years with a lot of projects there, the capacity from 5,000 to 100,000 birds for one house, both can be semi automatic cage or fully automatic. We also can design the best open house system for natural ventilation because of the lack of electricity.

For our cage, we know what farmers prefer, we have the best design to meet client's requirement. Hot galvanized for anti-rust, 360 degree nipple drinker for drinking, original PVC feed trough with 100kgs load-bearing.

For more details and quotation, please us by WhatsApp: +8615838398703, Email: [email protected]

Mr. Corner Chen
General Manager
Henan Sagri Farm Equipment Co., Ltd.
WhatsApp: +15838398703
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.sagrifarm.com