FROM AN ORDINARY FARM TO A THRIVING PROFIT HUB

Joseph Kidula in his dairy and rabbit farms in Vihiga. The ventures, and others, won him an award recently. PHOTO | ELIZABETH OJINA | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

By ELIZABETH OJINA

Small patches of land with tea plants and others with maize and beans is all one sees along the Chavakali-Kaimosi Road in Vihiga County.

The area is densely populated but this has not deterred people from farming on their small parcels.

Besides growing crops, some farmers are keeping rabbits and dairy cows. This is the route farmer John Kidula, 51, has taken as he works hard to maximise the use of his acre-and-a-half farm.

The father of three keeps poultry, rabbits, dairy, bees and mills maize for sale on his Goibei farm. His poultry comprises chickens, turkeys, geese, guinea fowls and ducks.

“I started keeping poultry in 2012, and the birds have hatched all the other farming ventures,” he says. His first brood was of 24 improved Kienyeji chicks, seven ducks, two geese and six turkeys.

The former accountant used to work in South Sudan until 2012. He ploughed into the business Sh140,000, with more than half of the money going into construction of the poultry houses.

The rest went to buying 24 kienyeji chicks at Sh100 each, seven ducks, two geese, six turkeys and feeds.

He soon increased his chickens by 100 one-day old chicks of the Kenbro breed that cost him Sh100 each.

The farmer makes his own feeds by mixing maize bran, fish meal, wheat bran and millet. He also offers them greens for a balance diet, knowledge that he picked from Kwetu Poultry Farm in Maseno.

He sells a mature bird at between Sh700 and Sh1,000 depending on the season and the demand.

He collects three trays of eggs from his 97 birds every day out of a flock of 200. A tray costs Sh300. He also sells mature guinea fowl at Sh3,000, turkey at Sh4,000 while the geese goes for Sh3,500.

He also hatches chicks for sale at Sh70 each.

He has, however, had his share of challenges with pests and diseases.

“I have lost birds to diseases. It is essential to follow the vaccination schedule. I recently lost 50 birds to Newcastle disease,” says Kidula.

As his poultry business expanded, Kidula diversified into rabbits.

“I had gained confidence as my poultry business was doing well to try other livestock. I started with 30 rabbits and now I have 300 California, New Zealand, Checkered Giant and Flemish Giant breeds.”

Kidula rears the rabbits for meat, harvests urine and sells kits to local farmers and schools for lab experiments.

“In October 2012, I visited the Nairobi International Trade Fair where I met a representative from a rabbit firm. I bought six rabbits that they have since multiplied.”

Kidula feeds his rabbits on cabbages, sweet potato vines and commercial rabbit pellets.

“I sell my rabbits to Rabbit Republic Ltd at Sh500 a kilo. A mature rabbit weighs approximately 2.5kg to 4.5kg depending on the breed. I sell 20 litres of urine at Sh1,000 to farmers.”

He also sells kits to high schools in Nandi and Vihiga counties for lab experiment from Sh700 to Sh1,500 depending on the size. On a good month when schools are in term, he sells 100 kits.

He has seven beehives from which he collects an average of 7kg of honey from each every three months and sells to a processing firm at Sh600 a kilo.

He also mills maize from his farm and that of his neighbours. He buys and stocks 25 90kg bags of maize that he mills into flour and sells to residents. A 2kg of pack processed flour goes for about Sh80.

“Nearly everybody in Vihiga grows maize for home consumption. I usually process the maize for Sh10 per kilo.”

He recently lost five cows due to poisoning and now has two Friesian and Aryshire heifers and a calf.

“I woke up one morning and found five dairy cows dead.”

Each cow produces 10 litres of milk a day which is sold for Sh40 a litre.

“We feed them on napier grass, natural grass and molasses. When milking I use dairy meal,” says the farmer.

He recently received an award from the Ministry of Agriculture and Elgon Kenya for turning his farm into a commercial centre.

Felix Opinya, an animal breeding and genetics expert from Egerton University, attributes the low milk production to genetic ability of the cow, poor feeding and management.

“I suggest he should shift to rich silage and put lactating animals on concentrates,” he says.
CREDIT: NATION MEDIA GROUP