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What to Plan Before Starting a Poultry Farm

Tosed Farms

Oct 20, 2026

Poultry farming rewards people who plan. The farms that struggle are usually the ones that bought birds first and worked out the rest afterwards. Before you place an order for chicks, settle these questions.

Broilers or layers?

Broilers give a quick turnover, with birds ready for market in about six to eight weeks, but you must have buyers waiting when they are ready. Layers take around eighteen to twenty weeks before the first eggs, then provide a steady daily income for a year or more. Choose the one that fits your capital and your market.

Find your market first

Speak to buyers before you stock: retailers, restaurants, frozen food sellers, egg distributors and neighbours. Knowing who will buy, and at what price, tells you how many birds to start with.

Get the housing right

A good poultry house is dry, well ventilated and safe from predators and thieves. As a guide, allow about one square foot per broiler on deep litter and more for layers. Overcrowding leads to heat stress, disease and poor growth.

Budget properly for feed

Feed typically accounts for 60 to 70 percent of the cost of raising a bird. Work out the feed your flock will need from day one to sale, and make sure the money for it is set aside before the chicks arrive. Running out of feed halfway is the most common reason new farms fail.

Source good chicks and plan their health

Buy day old chicks from a reputable hatchery, and agree a vaccination programme with a veterinarian before the birds arrive, not after the first sign of illness.

Start at a size you can manage

It is better to raise a few hundred birds well than a few thousand badly. Start small, keep records of feed, mortality and sales, learn from the first batch, and grow from there.

Planning your first flock? Visit us or send a request through this website for a quote on feed and other inputs, so you know your costs before you begin.