Ward 2 residents at France Location took part in broiler production training on Wednesday, which was held by the Department of Agriculture & Rural Development.
During the training session, breeders were taught about the essence of making a decent income by selling broiler chickens.
Miss TE Dladla spoke about the purpose of the training session and highlighted that broiler chickens can be bred for self-consumption or for selling.
“If you are breeding broiler chickens to sell them, then you need to learn more about raising them for commercial use,” she said.
Dladla added that broiler chickens are bred and raised specifically for meat production.
She concluded that most commercial broilers reach slaughter weight between four and seven weeks of age, although slower-growing breeds reach slaughter weight at approximately 14 weeks.
Broiler manager Fedelis Washanyanyika told local breeders that these chickens are specialised and have a rapid growth speed.
“When you buy your chicks from local farmers, they are 40 grams. Within seven days, they weigh about 200 grams,” said Washanyanyika.
He added that to get into this kind of business, you need to have starting capital because you will need to buy the correct food; and have a chicken coop that is dry and warm, as well as clean.
“The reason why many breeders lose money when their chickens die is that they are not correctly kept. You need to have feeding trays, tube feeders, as well as chicken watering containers,” explained Washanyanyika.
Residents were also trained on making broiler structures (chicken coops), biosecurity and vaccination, as well as marketing their businesses.
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