Are you wondering if poultry farming in Kenya is profitable? In this post, we estimate costs and profits for rearing 100, 200, 500, and 1000 layers of chicken for eggs.
Poultry farming, particularly layer chicken production, is one of the most profitable agribusiness ideas in Kenya. As the demand for eggs continues to rise, understanding the costs and potential returns involved in setting up and maintaining a layer chicken farm is crucial for aspiring entrepreneurs.
- Why Invest in Layer Farming in Kenya?
- Key assumptions for layers farming in Kenya
- Profits and Costs of rearing 100 Layers in Kenya
- Profit margin of eggs chicken farming in Kenya- 200 birds
- Cost of rearing 500 Layers in Kenya
- Profit analysis for rearing 1000 Layers in Kenya
- Top FAQs in eggs chicken farming
Facts about layers farming in Kenya π₯
Chicken Population & Egg Production and consumption
- π As of 2023, Kenya’s layer chicken population is estimated at 6.2 million birds, up from 5.58 million in 2019.
- π₯ Kenya’s eggs total supply is around 1.8 billion eggs per year as of 2023, up from 1.6 billion in 2019.
- π³The per capita egg consumption in Kenya has risen from 45 eggs per person per year in 2019 to an estimated 52 eggs per person per year in 2022
- π Kenya’s Total egg demand (Population Γ Per capita consumption) With a total population of 53 million, the total domestic demand for eggs is estimated at around 2.8 billion eggs per year.
- πThe estimated egg deficit in Kenya is around 1 billion eggs per year in 2023, where (Egg deficit = Domestic demand – Egg production) Total domestic egg demand: 2.8 billion eggs per year and Total egg production: 1.8 billion eggs per year
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Why Invest in Layer Farming in Kenya?
As shown above, the domestic production is unable to fully meet the rising demand for eggs in Kenya. This deficit of around one billion eggs is filled through imports, primarily from neighboring countries, especially Uganda.
This unfilled egg supply opens a profitable opportunity for you as a local farmers to raise layers for profits. Besides, here are additional benefits of investing in layers farming
- Profitability: High demand for eggs ensures consistent income.
- Job Creation: Offers employment opportunities.
- Food Security: Contributes to the local food supply.
Key assumptions for layers farming in Kenya
![cost of rearing 100 layers in Kenya](https://www.agcenture.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Layers-chicken-feeding-program.png)
The cost-benefit analysis makes the following assumptions for input quantities, prices for selling chicken and eggs, and the costs of buying feed and vaccine supplies.
- The selling prices for an ex-layer chicken, a tray of eggs, and a sack of chicken manure are Ksh 400, Ksh 320, and Ksh 30, respectively.
- The Kenchic layers prices in Kenya are Ksh. 100 for one-day-old chicks. You will then need to brood them for 21 days till they develop true feathers
- We include a vaccination schedule in the analysis. The Fowl Typhoid and Fowl Pox vaccines are available in packages of 1,000 doses only.
- You need three types of commercial layers of chicken feed. So how many bags of feed do you need for 100 layers?
- 60g of chick Mash per chick till the young chicks are eight weeks of age (6 kg for 100 layers per day for 56 days).
- 90g per bird from week 9 to week 18 or 19 till when they start laying (9 kg for 100 layers each day for 77 days) of growers’ mash feed.
- 120 g of layers mash feed per laying hen from week 20 to week 84 (12 kg for 100 layers each day for 455 days.)
- The costs or price of buying chick mash, growers mash, and layers Mash is KES 3,300, KES 2,400, and KES 2,550 respectively for a 70 kg bag.
- The cost of labor is KES 4,000 per month, for 21 months. When raising, 1000 birds, you employ two workers.
- One round Feeder can serve 30 laying birds while a round drinker serves 50 chicks in the poultry house.
- Use the plastic or the carton egg trays. A plastic one is Ksh 88, while the carton one is traded for Ksh 40 from l Jumia.
Profits and Costs of rearing 100 Layers in Kenya
We assume you are raising hybrid layers of chicken breeds in a confined chicken house for eggs. You will have costs to buy commercial chicken feed, vaccination to control diseases, and labor among other expenses. In Kenya, Layers chicken mature in 20 weeks and lay eggs till they are 80-84 weeks old.
![Estimated profits and cost for rearing 100 layers in Kenya](https://www.agcenture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/image-7-533x1024.png)
The following is the projected revenue and cost analysis of raising 100-layer chicken in Kenya. It uses the current market prices and recommended feed and nutrition needs.
The total sales revenue for selling the ex-layers, eggs, and poultry manure is Ksh. 313,090. It assumes a loss of 10 percent for both eggs and birds throughout the production period. Poor feeding, hygiene, and vaccination management can cause more loss than used here. Better practices such as hygiene will give you more revenue.
The cost of rearing 100 layers in Kenya is Ksh. 276,940. It comprises the expenses for buying chicken feed and one-day-old chicks, vaccines, and treatment. The cost of layers is highest at around 95 % of the total cost. It is incurred to buy chick mash, growers and layers feed. Vaccines and treatment are almost negligible in comparison to feed at Ksh. 1680 only.
The gross revenue for raising 100 layers of chicken is KSh. 36,150. After the deduction of Ksh 84,000 as the cost of labor, you will get a net loss of KSh. 47,850. You can improve your profits by securing better farm gate prices. For instance, a simple addition of Ksh 30 per tray would yield a gross profit of Ksh 96,350 and a net profit of Ksh 12,350.
For Beginners in poultry keeping, you will incur a one-time capital expenditure of Ksh 72,030. It will be for constructing a layers chicken house and getting brooding equipment like layers cages, waterers, feeders, and egg trays.
Profit margin of eggs chicken farming in Kenya- 200 birds
![](https://www.agcenture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/image-6-515x1024.png)
The following is a cost-benefit analysis for 200 layers of chicken in Kenya. The analysis uses the current market prices and the above assumptions.
The revenue from selling ex-layers as live birds, eggs, and poultry manure is Ksh. 626,180. Most of this is from selling 1,720 trays of eggs at Ksh 550, 400.
The most production cost of raising them is getting chicken feed at KSh. 529,100. The total operating cost is Ksh 552,780 giving you a gross profit of Ksh 73400. Similar to raising 100 chickens, the labor cost is Ksh 84,000 getting you a net loss of Ksh 10,600.
As a beginner, you will incur a one-time capital expenditure of Ksh 144, 060. The overall costs and profits for keeping 200 laying chickens are shown below.
Cost of rearing 500 Layers in Kenya
![Layers farming hens for eggs](https://www.agcenture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/image-4-569x1024.png)
Is layer poultry farming profitable? The following is a projection of revenues and costs of raising 500 layers of chicken in Kenya. The analysis uses the current market prices and the above assumptions for feed quantities and vaccines.
The gross revenue for 500 layers poultry farm is Ksh 1,565,450. Key sales are from selling 4,300 trays of eggs at Ksh 320 each for each tray.
The operating costs for a 500-layer chicken are KSh. 1,364,000. It will give you a gross profit of Ksh 201,450 and a net profit of Ksh 117, 450 after deducting labour costs of Ksh 84,000.
As a startup venture, you need a capital expenditure of Ksh 366.525 for a fully functional 500-chicken house. The overall costs and profits for keeping 500 laying birds are shown above.
Profit analysis for rearing 1000 Layers in Kenya
![profit-100 layers chicken](https://www.agcenture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/image-5-559x1024.png)
The following is a layer farming profits analysis analysis for a 1,000-chicken farm that raises eggs. It uses the current market cost, prices, and the above assumptions that require farm inputs and labor.
You will get a total revenue of Ksh 3,130,725 after marketing your ex-layers, all eggs and poultry manure.
The cost of rearing 1000 layers of chicken is Ksh. 2,636,900 for 84 weeks. It excludes the one-time capital expenditure of Ksh 455,100 if you are a first-time chicken farmer. The most significant expense is buying commercial chicken at a total value of Ksh 2,607, 800.
The project’s gross revenue is Ksh 493,850. The only additional cost is labour at Ksh 168,000 getting you a net profit of Ksh 325,850. The overall profits for keeping 1000 layers are as shown below.
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Top FAQs in eggs chicken farming
The following are the most frequently asked questions by layers of chicken farmers.
How many bags of feed for 1000 layers per day
The number of bags needed to feed a thousand layers of chicken varies by their age and feed type; chick mash, growers mash, and layers.
The recommended maximum feed per day for each bird is 60g of chick Mash for the first 56 days. This equals 60 kilograms or almost 1 bag of 70kg for 1000 layers per day.
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What You Should Know about Poultry Layers Chicken Farming in Kenya
For the next 77 days, each bird should be fed 90g of growers mash till when they start laying. This is equal to 90 kg or a bag a third for a 70 kg bag for your 100O birds.
120 g of layers of mash feed per laying bird is needed from week 20 to week 84. This equals 120 kg or 1.5 bags for 1000 layers per day.
Wondering how you can make more money in layers of chicken farming in Kenya? watch the YouTube video below that lists 13 Profit-making tips in layers of chicken farming. They include
- using Homemade Feeds: Formulate your chicken feed to control quality, reduce costs, and customize nutrition for optimal bird growth and health.
- Contract Farming: rear eggs on behalf of larger poultry companies, providing a reliable income stream and access to their markets.
PS. The blog post was updated in July 2024 to reflect the latest market data as of 2023 from 2019 as earlier used in original post
Please advice. I plan to keep 1920 layers. Where may I buy layer battery cages at best price in Kenya ?