🐔 Business & Side Hustles
Start Small-Scale Poultry Farming in Kenya (2026): Broilers, Layers & Kienyeji
The pain: You want to farm poultry but don't know which type, the real costs, or why so many first-timers lose money.
The outcome: A first batch you can actually sell, with feed and disease risk managed — and a realistic margin.
Feed is 60–70% of cost, and disease kills the careless. Broilers = fast cash (5–6 weeks); layers = income after ~5 months.
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Option A — Broilers (fast cash, 5–6 week cycle), 100 birds
| Item | Estimated cost (KSh) |
|---|---|
| Day-old chicks (100 × ~105) | 10,500 |
| Feed to maturity (~8 × 50kg bags) | ~36,800 |
| Housing/equipment + vaccines + fuel | ~9,000 |
| Total (100 birds) | ~55,000 – 60,000 |
⚠️ Sell at 35–42 days (~2.2kg live, ~95% survival). At ~KSh 400–450/kg live you gross ~KSh 90,000+, netting roughly KSh 14,000 (~KSh 150/bird) per ~5-week cycle. Dressed/retail selling raises margins.
Options B & C — Layers and Kienyeji
- Layers (eggs), 100 birds: chicks KSh 100–150; start laying at ~18–20 weeks (≈5 months of feeding before income — the key cashflow challenge); ~250–300 eggs/bird/year; once in lay, estimated net ~KSh 24,750/month for 100 hens (before housing).
- Kienyeji / improved kienyeji: chicks KSh 100–200; lower feed cost (foraging), slower output; eggs sell higher (KSh 15–30) and mature birds fetch KSh 1,000+. Better margin per bird, slower turnover.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Feed price volatility — feed is 60–70% of cost; a spike wipes out margin.
- Disease (Newcastle, coccidiosis, Gumboro) — skipping vaccination is fatal.
- Poor brooding/heating causing high chick mortality.
- No ready market — broilers must move at 5–6 weeks or feed cost eats profit.
- Missing permits: county Single Business Permit, KRA PIN, and public-health/veterinary compliance for selling meat/eggs.
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Questions people ask
How much does it cost to raise 100 broilers in Kenya?
About KSh 55,000 to 60,000 per batch of 100 birds. That covers day-old chicks at around KSh 105 each, roughly eight 50kg bags of feed at about KSh 36,800, plus housing, equipment, vaccines and fuel.
Which is better for quick money, broilers or layers?
Broilers give fast cash on a 5 to 6 week cycle, selling at 35 to 42 days. Layers only start laying at about 18 to 20 weeks, meaning roughly 5 months of feeding before income, which is the key cashflow challenge.
Why do first-time poultry farmers lose money?
Feed is 60 to 70% of cost, so a price spike can wipe out your margin, and disease like Newcastle or coccidiosis is fatal if you skip vaccination. Having no ready market also hurts, because broilers must move at 5 to 6 weeks or feed cost eats the profit.
Keep it current: Chick, feed and market prices move weekly — confirm current figures with your local supplier and agrovet.
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