CHICKS TO BUSINESSES: POULTRY FARMING MY NEW HUSTLE
Hey love, it meeeee @olavec
I have a little something new to share about what’s been my focus lately – Poultry farming! It probably sound so ridiculous that I’d be talking chickens as a Blogger 😂 I know, I know.
But look… these birds (these are little day one chicks actually), have taught me lessons in patience, hustle and hope than any of my previous 9 to 5 has taught me. Let me explain why!
My poultry journey began with this photo!
☝️ See them?
A whole tray full of these impossibly small, fluffy day one chicks… some were black, some had different brown and golden speckles – all peeping softly and nudging together trying to stay warm and brave!
When I first held one of these chicks in my palm, it’s impossible not to fall in love with just how delicate and precious yet with such enormous potential!
That’s when it struck me – you have to start small, even with businesses that can grow huge!
The photo above them and the one right below it are their current humble abode, here in my shed - block walls, dirty ground, a single red Feeder and bright sunlight streaming in from the windows. Nothingfancy right? But these guys are getting fat, chirping joyfully as they forage and are definitely getting closer to finding new homes as broilers!
Being a woman in agricultural field for real doesn't come with ease here. Most people would dismiss and say “that’s men’s work, what does a girl know about farming?”. But when every morning I step into the brooder unit, to feed and supply them with water, it gives me chills to know that these livings creatures depend solely on me. And what’s the gain then, you might ask… this is beyond just buying eggs or meat, it is my independence, my own sweat and resource to build my dream!
And it will be a foolish business if I fail to see the need for my birds feed and nutrients supply channel. So i had to venture outside my pen also, I bought bulk of feed from the milling company as shown in the pic below me. Bags of animal feed, filling the mill up to the ceiling!
It’s noisy inside, gets very dusty and transporting such volume takes strength.
But then, the actual business and math starts here. Profit and loss projections and calculations all begin!
These are my secret tips for everyone that wants to begin at a small level.I'm in love with the journey!
- Start small . Don't begin with 100 birds for your first day. Start with however much you can afford and nurture. This ensures that there are few mistakes and the learnable journey from feeding ,temperature and ventilation as well is much more effective . .
- You never stop learning . Youtube is loaded with this information. You can learn a lot about broiler management through this information channel. I'm currently learning more onYouTube from other farmers about bird management and feed quality .I'm even learning about feed conversion and all about birds growth rate .
- Track progress with your phone pictures . It helps you have proof that this is moving on whether is in eggs formation or chicken numbers.
I would really want anygirl or lady trying something different to give it a try regardless of what they thinks is impossible- “No one born a great man I made myself Great!”. Be It this chicken biz, Blogging or any other business, the journey to growth isn't smooth and linear- but its both challenging and beautiful!
What “funny” project are you currently working on and how you do you tackle the financial part of it. The reason behind sharing mine above is because “when you don’t know things and you don’t the consequences of knowing things, anything goes “ and when you know the consequences but still don’t have idea of what to do,” anything happens”. The only option for you is to take the step, try to do something, any action, no matter small or huge, until the success happens. “You either start now or you will later always try and always fail again!”
I'd love to hear from you in the comments! Tell me if you’ve ever ventured into farming, even a small herb garden. Or if there's an unexpected side business you're passionate about! Let's encourage each other.
Love and Light
Your Favorite @olavec