There has been an increase in the demand for organic food, such as free-range chickens, in South Africa. A lot of people prefer chicken meat to any other type of meat. Free-range chickens are a delicacy for the local folk and it’s no wonder why venturing into the free range chicken farming business in South Africa is profitable. Free-range chickens are also known as indigenous chickens. Free range chickens are quite versatile in that they can be reared for their meat, their eggs or both. Indigenous chickens have a distinctive taste which makes them highly sought-after plus they are very nutritious. Though most people keep free range chickens at their homesteads, mainly in the countryside, you can raise free range poultry for commercial purposes. This article will outline how to start a free range chicken farming business in South Africa, and the free range chickens farming business plan – PDF, Word and Excel.
Before you start a free range poultry farming business in South Africa, there are some important decisions which you have to make. You have to decide on the size of your indigenous chicken farming business ie how many free range chickens you will have at your poultry farm. There are many different free range chickens breeds, so you have to select which breed you will use, location of your business, and your target market. The size of your free range poultry farming business will depend on the amount of capital you have, the size of the land, and your target market. It’s important that you get a good free range chicken farming business plan before you start the indigenous chicken farming business in South Africa.
Business Model
For your free range chicken farming project, it is best if you start your free-range poultry farming business with day old chicks. With time, you may then hatch your own chicks, which can reduce your expenses significantly. Make sure that you buy your day-old chicks from a reliable, accredited hatchery or company where the parent stocks are well managed. There are a number of breeds to choose from, and the right breed will depend on your needs. Raising free range chickens for both meat and eggs is much more profitable. As much as your free-range chickens forage for food, you must supplement with feed to increase meat and egg production. A lack of feed or water will reduce resistance to diseases and parasites and result in an increase in flock mortality. Allow adult hens and cocks enough time and space to scavenge in their surroundings on a regular basis. Space is important for free range chickens. You should have 10 birds per square meter, and your housing can be barns, chicken coops, or hutches. The building cost will be based on the material you use and the number of free-range chickens you have. The difference between broiler chickens and free-range chickens is that broilers can be raised indoors, but free-range chickens spend most of the day outdoors, foraging for plants and pastures.
Market Research
The demand for free range chickens has been on the rise as people move towards healthy and organic food. Most people prefer to have organic, free-range chickens rather than broiler meat. Also, the price of free-range chickens is higher than that of broiler chickens because of their health, and free-range hen eggs are valued more than indoor layer eggs. This is because free-range eggs are rich with nutrients, and some find free-range chickens and eggs to be tastier. In order to run a successful free-range business, you need to understand the market. You must understand who you are selling your chickens and eggs to, what their tastes and preferences are, as well as their purchasing habits. There are plenty of schools, restaurants, hotels, lodges, and various other individuals who might be interested in your products. However, the only way to find out who your customer will be is through market research. You can speak to other livestock farmers, abattoirs, and supermarkets to understand what the market for free-range chickens is like. You can also read farmers’ blogs, publications, and agricultural reports in order to learn more about the industry.
Land for Free Range Chicken Farming Business
You need land – this is where you will build the free range chickens housing and where the birds will roam around. Sustainability of the land must be thoroughly assessed beforehand. The location must be very strategic i.e. near major road networks, with reliable water supply, near the market and close to cheap labour. The size of the land your require will depend on the scale of your indigenous poultry farming business.
Housing and Equipment for Indigenous Poultry Farming Business
You need proper housing for your free range poultry. When you setup housing units for your free range chickens, pay attention to spacing, ventilation and lighting as these are central to providing an optimum environment for their growth. Free range chickens like any other chicken types do not cope well with extreme temperatures. So it’s necessary to keep them in an environment that will enable them to maintain their thermal balance. Proper lighting is necessary as it stimulates the indigenous chickens to lay eggs. You can use barns, chicken runs or hutches as housing for the free range chickens.
There is need of providing adequate space for the chickens in order allow for free movement, nesting and also roosting. When keeping free range chickens indoors you must ensure a space of at least 0.1 square metres per bird. If they are crowded they will suffocate and die. When keeping the indigenous chickens outdoors, an allowance of at least a square metre per bird will be ideal. Free range chickens need pasture to forage. This is important because free range chickens prefer to scavenge from their immediate surroundings. This is one of the major difference between free range chickens and broilers. Broilers are raised indoors in confinement, while free range chickens roam outdoors foraging for food.
Equipment required for free-range chicken farming business in South Africa includes feeders, drinkers, lighting system and nest boxes. Your commercial free range chicken farming business plan should include the costs of purchasing the equipment and the poultry housing.
Competitive Analysis
The purpose of a competitive analysis is for you to know who your competitors are, understand their strengths and weaknesses in comparison to your own, and find a gap in the market. This competitor analysis will help you recognize how you can improve your own business strategy. It will help you learn how you can outdo your competitors in order to retain your customers and attract new ones. A competitive analysis will help you figure out what your competitive edge is over others in your sector. When conducting a competitive analysis, there are certain factors that you should consider, such as who your competitor’s target market is, where their farm or offices are, and if they are your direct competitors, indirect competitors, or substitute competitors. A direct competitor can be another livestock farmer that sells the same free range birds and eggs that you offer. This would mean that your direct competitor targets the same market as you and may have a similar distribution model. Your indirect competitors serve the same customer needs but offer different products or services. Substitute competitors offer products that can be substituted for your birds and eggs. These farmers may raise broiler chickens, ducks, or ostriches for meat.
Free Range Day Old Chicks
You require day old chicks in order to start your indigenous poultry farming business in South Africa. When starting, you have to buy day old chicks. After you have started your free range poultry business, you can then hatch the eggs on your own from the eggs laid by the chickens. This will cut your business costs. When buying day old chicks it’s important to get them from reputable and professional suppliers. Getting good quality day old chicks plays a pivotal role in producing chickens with high growth potential and good quality poultry meat. Your commercial free range poultry farming business plan should include the costs of purchasing day old chicks.
Breeds of Free Range Chickens in South Africa
There are many different breeds of free range chickens in South Africa. The right free range chickens breed to choose will depend on your needs. Free range chickens can be kept for meat production, for egg production or for both. The free range chicken breeds common in South Africa include Boschveld chickens , Venda chickens, Ovambo chickens, Naked Neck Chickens and Potchefstroom Koekoek chickens. The other free range poultry breeds used by South Africa poultry farmers are Rhode Island Red, Australorps, Orpington, Plymouth Rocks, Leghorn and Light Sussex among others.
Rhode Island Red Chicken Breed
Free Range Poultry Feed and Nutrition
Feeds and water are paramount for egg production, meat production, resistance to diseases or parasites and growth. In a free-range rearing system, the cocks and hens must be given adequate space to roam around and scavenge for food. Opportune times for that are early morning and late afternoon owing to less heat and more incidence of insect presence.
Supplementary feeds ought to be made available for the birds in the early morning and in the evening. Strategically provide drinking water under shady areas to avoid possibilities of heat stress. Leverage on scavenging to minimize feeding costs. However foraging pasture alone isn’t adequate for commercial free range chicken business. You have to provide the birds with supplementary feed. This includes commercial poultry stock feeds, and home made feeds such as maize, wheat, sunflowers etc.
Sales And Marketing Plan
Before you set up your free-range business, ensure that you have laid out your sales and marketing plan. After surveying and researching your market and understanding what they want, you can develop your sales and marketing plan. Make a list of potential and top buyers in your area and notify them that you will be selling to them soon. Consider partnering with middlemen because they could help you sell your products. They can buy your eggs or birds in large quantities and pay you at once or over the course of a few days. You can include hiring marketers at your farm to help you get more customers and pay them a handsome commission. You can also offer these marketers or sales agents bonuses for reaching a set target. There are also a number of restaurants, supermarkets, and hotels that are in constant need of fresh eggs and processed chickens that you can approach. They can buy your birds and eggs at a wholesale price, which is a great way to sell your chickens and eggs without much effort. Consider networking with other farmers and businesses that can help you sell more eggs and chickens. They may be interested in buying your products. You can also exchange ideas with them and learn from their experience.
Market for free range chickens and eggs in South Africa
The market for free range chicken products in South Africa is high and increasing. More people are being health conscious and moving towards organic and health food. Many consumers prefer free range chickens over broiler poultry meat. This is because free range poultry meat is regarded as highly nutritious, delicious, organic, and healthier. Thus, the demand for free range organic chickens meat continues to rise in South Africa. Free range chickens have a higher price than broiler chickens, as they are considered to be more superior. Free range chickens eggs are also considered to be healthier as compared to the ordinary layers eggs. You can supply your indigenous chickens to individuals, supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, butcheries and organisations.
Keys to Profitability
Setting up a free range farming business is not difficult, and some tips to help you run a successful business include staying up to date with industry trends. You must be up to date with market trends because people’s interests change. Nowadays, a lot of people want food that is ethically produced, and the demand for organic food is on the rise. This was not the case a few years ago. Lowering your prices is another way to become more competitive. Make sure that your prices reflect the value of your birds and eggs, but they should not be too high. Lastly, consider offering delivery services to your clients. Customers will appreciate the convenience of having their birds or eggs delivered to their offices or homes, especially if they are bulk orders.
PRE-WRITTEN FREE RANGE CHICKEN FARMING BUSINESS PLAN (PDF, WORD AND EXCEL): COMPREHENSIVE VERSION, SHORT FUNDING/BANK LOAN VERSION AND AUTOMATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For an in-depth analysis of the indigenous poultry farming business in South Africa, purchase our indigenous poultry farming business plan. We decided to introduce the business plans after noting that many South Africans were venturing into the free range poultry farming business without a full understanding of the industry, market, how to run the business, the risks involved, profitability of the business and the costs involved, leading to a high failure rate of their businesses.
Our business plan will make it easier for you to launch and run a free range chicken farming business successfully, fully knowing what you are going into, and what’s needed to succeed in the business. It will be easier to plan and budget as the free range poultry farming business plan will lay out all the costs involved in setting up and running the free range poultry farming business. The business plan is designed specifically for the South African market.
USES OF THE FREE RANGE POULTRY FARMING BUSINESS PLAN (PDF, WORD AND EXCEL)
The free range chickens farming business plan can be used for many purposes including:
- Raising capital from investors/friends/relatives
- Applying for a bank loan
- Start-up guide to launch your indigenous chicken farming business
- As a free range chicken farming project proposal
- Assessing profitability of the free range poultry business in South Africa
- Finding a business partner
- Assessing the initial start-up costs so that you know how much to save
- Manual for current business owners to help in business and strategy formulation
CONTENTS OF THE FREE RANGE CHICKENS FARMING BUSINESS PLAN (PDF, WORD AND EXCEL)
The business plan includes, but not limited to:
- Market Analysis
- Industry Analysis
- 5 Year Automated Financial Statements [ Income statements, cash flow statements, balance sheets, monthly cash flow projections (3 years monthly cash flow projections, the remaining two years annually),break even analysis, payback period analysis, start-up costs, financial graphs, revenue and expenses, Bank Loan Amortisation]
- Marketing Strategy
- Risk Analysis
- SWOT & PEST Analysis
- Operational Requirements
- Free range chickens farming guide (Technical Details of how to house, feed and raise the free range chickens)
- Operational Strategy
- Why some South Africans in the free range chickens business fail, so that you can avoid their mistakes
- Ways to raise capital to start your free range chicken farming business in South Africa
- Directory [Contact Details for South African suppliers of feeds, equipment, free range day old chicks, abattoirs, poultry housing construction, contacts of poultry farming training companies in South Africa, contacts of poultry farming organisations in South Africa]
The Free Range Poultry Farming Business Plan package consist of 5 files
- Free Range Chicken Farming Business Plan – PDF file (Comprehensive – 99 pages)
- Free Range Chicken Farming Business Plan – Editable Word File (Comprehensive – 99 pages)
- Free Range Chicken Farming Business Plan Funding Version – Editable Word File (Short version for applying for a loan – 49 pages)
- Free Range Chicken Farming Business Plan Automated Financial Statements – (Editable Excel file)
- Poultry Abattoirs in South Africa -Supplementary PDF File
The financial statements are automated. This implies that you can change eg the number of chickens, price per bird etc, and all the other financial statements will automatically adjust to reflect the change.
GET THE FREE RANGE CHICKEN FARMING BUSINESS PLAN (PDF, WORD AND EXCEL) - R500 Only.
We decided to make the business plan affordable to anyone who would want to start the business, and the price for the pre-written business plan is only 500 Rand.
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The business plan package is a zipped compressed file containing the PDF, Word and Excel documents. To open the package after downloading it, just right click, and select Extract All. If you have any problems in downloading and opening the files, email us on sales@bizbolts.co.za and we will assist you.
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If you want to purchase multiple business plans at once using Instant EFT then click here: Business Plans Store
The business plan package is a zipped compressed file containing the PDF, Word and Excel documents. To open the package after downloading it, just right click, and select Extract All. If you have any problems in downloading and opening the files, email us on sales@bizbolts.co.za and we will assist you.
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