- Zachary Munyambu, a poultry farmer from Ngoigwa in Thika, Kiambu county, emphasised the difficulty and high cost of accessing the chicks.
- He said a day-old chick for layers is selling at Sh140 to Sh170 each.
Image: AGATHA NGOTHO
Image: STANLEY NJENGA
Poultry farmers in Kenya are grappling with a significant shortage of day-old chicks.
Joseph Karuri, chairman of the Association of Kenya Feed Manufacturers, said layer farmers face difficulties in sourcing these essential chicks.
This has worsened challenges in their operations, threatening to drive up market prices for eggs.
“There is a looming shortage of day-old chicks, and this may lead to higher egg prices in the market,” Karuri said.
He added that the situation has caused a nearly six-month delay from the time of booking to receiving the stock.
Karuri explained that since Covid-19, many farmers' purchasing power has decreased, leading breeders to reduce their production capacity due to a lack of market.
“This is not just a Kenyan problem but a global issue. But all is not lost as the process is now slowly picking up. It's going to take some time, but maybe within a year, it will have stabilised,” he added.
Zachary Munyambu, a poultry farmer from Ngoigwa in Thika, Kiambu county, emphasised the difficulty and high cost of accessing the chicks.
He said a day-old chick for layers is selling at Sh140 to Sh170 each.
Munyambu, who chairs the Kiambu Poultry Farmers Cooperative Society, added that the cost of production remains high due to expensive feed.
“From day one up to the point of laying, farmers initially spent between Sh650 and Sh720 per bird. This has now increased to between Sh850 and Sh900 per bird,” he said, adding that many farmers have been forced to reduce their flocks or close their businesses.
Munyambu attributed the high production costs to the scarcity and rising prices of raw materials for animal feed.
He said soybean, which is a key source of animal protein, has increased from Sh97 to Sh123 per kilo. Additionally, fish meal, another rich protein source, is inadequate and often contaminated with aflatoxin.
“The alternative source, omena, has also become hard to get. We are now relying on artificial protein from overseas countries like China. The price of maize germ has also increased, selling at Sh29 to Sh30 per kilo from Sh23 to Sh24. An increment of Sh5 per kilo means a lot to a farmer,” he said.
According to Munyambu, this has pushed feed prices up, with a 50kg bag of chick mash selling at Sh4,200, layers mash at Sh3,800, growers mash at Sh3,400 and kienyeji mash at Sh2,600.
He urged the government to allow the importation of genetically modified maize and yellow maize for animal feed production, which he believes would reduce pressure on white maize reserved for human consumption.
“We should also work towards producing our own soybean and sunflower for feed milling. We have the land for soy and sunflower, yet we import the raw materials. We need to produce our own raw materials so that Kenyan poultry, pig and dairy farmers can be competitive.”
Timothy Mulwa, chairman of the Kenya Poultry Breeders Association, said breeders are overwhelmed by the high demand for day-old chicks from farmers.
“Sometimes, when the price of eggs or meat is good, many farmers want to put chicks on their farms simultaneously, causing competition with production. This has been happening, but breeders have increased their production capacity,” he said.
Mulwa added that while broiler poultry farmers could get their chicks within two to three weeks after making an order, the duration has now reduced to almost one week.
He, however, urged farmers to plan ahead before making an order.
“We encourage farmers to plan ahead and give the hatchery their schedule for placing chicks. The problem is that most farmers want to get chicks immediately, but it’s a process that requires time,” Mulwa said.
A day-old layers chick sells for about Sh150, depending on additional services, such as vaccination at the hatchery.
He said that since last year, most hatcheries have expanded their production capacity to meet the high demand for the chicks. Additionally, about three new companies have been set up in Kenya to help increase production.
“I want to assure farmers that breeders have increased their capacity and are now able to fully satisfy the Kenyan market. The only request is for farmers to give their order schedules early to breeder, rather than asking for a product at the last minute, knowing this is not a product that can be stored," Mulwa said.