28/07/2026
POULTRY BUSINESS IS NOT CHICKEN BUSINESS, IT'S MATHS BUSINESS | 5 Numbers That Kill 80% Of New Farmers In Africa
We build houses across Africa. We sell day-old chicks. We sell stockfeed. We train. From Harare to Lusaka to Gaborone, we see the same pattern:
some farmers buy a second house in 6 months, some quit after 3 cycles.
It's not luck. It's 5 numbers. If you don't track them, you are donating money.
1. FCR (Feed Conversion Ratio) = Your Efficiency
Β° Formula: Total feed (kg) Γ· Total live weight (kg)
Β° Target: 1.6 - 1.7 for 2.2kg in 35 days.
Β° Meaning 3.5kg feed = 2.2kg bird.
Β° If your FCR is 2.0, you used 4.4kg for same bird. Loss = $0.80 x 5,000 = $4,000 per cycle. Gone.
Why FCR goes bad
~ Wrong brooding temp (Day 1-7), wet litter, dirty water.
2. MORTALITY % = Your Management Grade
Β° 0-7 days: Max 1%. 8-35 days: Max 2%. Total 3%.
Β° If you lose 10%, you bought 5,000 chicks and buried 500. Feed for those 500? Wasted.
Β° Main cause in Africa? Cold brooding. Chick needs 32Β°C Day 1, minus 2Β°C every 3 days. No thermometer = guessing = dying.
3. COST PER KG LIVE = Your Real Price
Add EVERYTHING:
Β° Chick + Feed + Sawdust + Vaccines + Charcoal + Labour + Transport Γ· Total kgs sold.
Β° If you sell at $2.80/kg but cost is $2.60/kg, you made $0.20 x 11,000kg = $2,200 profit. Not $14,000 sales.
Β° Most farmers count money IN, not profit LEFT.
4. 0.12SQM/BIRD = The African Sweet Spot
Β° 60m x 10m = 600sqm = 5,000 birds. Not 7,000.
Β° Overcrowding looks like more money. It's less. Heat stress in October, fighting, FCR 2.2, buyers reject small birds. Whether you are in Zimbabwe or Zambia, the math is the same.
5. 35 DAYS, NOT 42 DAYS = Your Turnover
Β° After 35 days, bird eats 200g feed for only 60g gain. You feed to lose.
Β° Sell at 35, clean 7, restock. 6 cycles per year. Not 5. That's one extra cycle = one extra profit.
Β° Poultry is not farming. It's a factory with feathers. Track the numbers, or the numbers will track you out of business.
Β° We teach this in our training β Housing | Day-Old Chicks | Stockfeed | Training.
BUILT BY ZIMBABWEANS, FOR AFRICANS.
Haven Agri-Solutions Group
Housing | Day-Old Chicks | Stockfeed | Training
π Mobile: +263 712 587 045
π¬ WhatsApp: +263 784 633 318
π§ Email: [email protected]
π Building across Zimbabwe & Africa
Comment FCR, MORTALITY, or COST and we will fix it for you in tomorrow's post.