Poutry House Construction for 200-300 chickens

Materials Required	Units	Qty	Cost (Kshs)	Total (Kshs)
2 m long corrugated iron sheets	No	40	800	32,000
Wire netting	roll	1	5000	5,000
Ballast	1 bag	1	300	300
Sand	1 bag	1	280	280
Cement	1 bag	1	750	750
Rails (3’ x 2’)	feet	400	30	12,000
Rails (2’ x 2’)	feet	400	30	12,000
Cedar posts	No	30	200	6,000
Off-cuts	pieces	150	120	18,000
Suitable material for deep litter e.g. wood shavings	load	1	1000	1,000
Sub-Total				87,330
Labour cost @ 30% of construction materials				26,199

Poultry equipment

Feeders

Feeders are distributed at one round feeder per 25 birds. Therefore 8 feeders are required for each batch of 200 birds. Each round feeder goes at Kshs 600. Cost = Kshs. 4,800.

Waterers

Waterers are distributed alternately between feeders therefore 8 are required for a batch of 200 birds. Each feeder goes at Kshs 600. Cost = Kshs. 4,800.

Laying nests

One box for every four birds is enough. Dimensions should be 12 inches base diameter and 8 inches high walls on the lower end and 12 inches on the higher end. These are usually made of wood. A slanted roof to deter buildup of manure should be placed over the nest boxes to ensure comfort and privacy to the birds.

Timber size	Length	Unit cost	Total cost
12” x 1”	200	30	6,000
8” x 1”	100	30	3,000
Total			9,000

Perches or roosts

Chickens prefer to roost at night on perches. Perching space of 15 to 20 cm should be allowed for each bird. The cross-section of each perch bar should be 2 to 3 cm.

	No	Unit price	Total cost
12’ Rafters	140	40	5,600
Round poles	10	120	1,200
			6,800

Egg trays

Assuming a laying percentage of 90%, 6 egg trays are required for each batch of 200 birds. Cost = 600.

Poultry Feeds

Chicks

4 (70 kg bag) bags of chick mash per month for 17 weeks (about 4 months).

Cost = 4 x 4 x 3,300 = 52,800/=.

Layers

8 (70 kg bag) bags of layers mash per month for 200 layers. Cost is 2500 x 8 = Kshs 20,000 per month

NB: You need to verify these prices because feed prices have been changing very fast and depend on locality.

Total cost

Item	Total cost
House construction	135,590
Poultry equipment	26,000
Poultry feeds - chicks	52,800
Poultry feed – layers (1 year)	160,000
Labour @ Kshs. 3000 pm	36,000
Veterinary costs	3,000
Total	413,390