MUBS student's love affair with farming

By Gilbert Kidimu

While fellow university students are eagerly planning which exciting place to visit for the weekend, Brighton Niwagaba is thoughtfully considering where to get poultry feeds.

He wears gumboots and dips his hands in chicken feed with the same enthusiasm his contemporaries feel over a beer and loud music on Friday night. Thanks to his extraordinary priorities, the 23-year old is able to fuel his car, service it, and buy himself clothes without asking mummy for pocket money.

Two years ago, Niwagaba enrolled in Makerere University Business School (MUBS) to pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA). Although his mother thought he should study laws, he insisted on BBA with the sole purpose of acquiring skills to practice business.  He further chose the evening programme so he could take care of business during day.

For this reason, the third year student is not planning on looking for a job after graduation but rather, employing his skills on his poultry farm.

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Interestingly, Niwagaba didn’t go into business because he needed tuition fees. His mother, a business woman is able to clear all his tuition by the first day of school. “I grew up watching mummy, a real estate developer and supermarket owner run business efficiently; so I grew to like business and knew for sure that I would do business too,” revealed Niwagaba.

A few weeks leading to Eid, there were 150 fully grown Kuroiler chickens at his farm. He said they were only three months. Kuroilers, a high breed of chicken originally developed in India, looks almost identical to our local chicken except for their white legs. He held out a Cock which looked at least a year old. “Local ones take six to eight months to become this big,” he explained 

Three weeks prior, there were 500 of them and he had just sold them off. “I usually sell them in wholesale numbers of 150 to 200,” he added.

The remaining 150, he strategically kept for Eid because prices would be significantly higher. “When I am buying chicks, I target Christmas, Easter, and Eid for that obvious reason,” he reasoned. A cock will go for Sh20, 000 while a hen will set the buyer back Sh18, 000.

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How he started out

It all started in 2013 during his first semester. Their neighbour, a stay at home mom, reared local chicken. “She had only 20 hens and a few cocks, and would let them sit on their own eggs for incubation,” he recollects.  “I picked interest and she was glad to teach me everything she knew.”

When his turn came, Niwagaba started out big, buying 400 chicks using capital of Sh600, 000, loaned to him by his mom. Each chick cost Sh1500.

But since he bought too many of them and was only beginning, there were mistakes made and he lost over 200 chickens during the following months. He finally sold the 150 that survived.

The second batch, which he took better care of, was stolen at four and half months, right before they were ready for sale. “Someone broke into the chicken house and stole all the healthy-looking ones,” reveals Niwagaba.

Two months later when the despair had worn off, Niwagaba, penniless, sold his laptop, two iPads and got capital to resume business. He moved the farm to Kitezi, a building site belonging to his mom. “The security there was better,” he says.

300 of 500 birds survived and when he sold them off at 15, 000 cocks and Sh13, 000 hens, he decided to venture into broilers which matured by fifth week. He ended up clinching a deal with one of leading supermarkets in Kampala.

During the third batch of broiler chicken, he discovered a sad reality. They were vulnerable birds. Once they fell sick, they were difficult to treat. Only 50 of 150 survived. Although the market for broilers was good, he let them go.

He thus ventured into Kuroiler chickens which are significantly more resistant to disease.  Since 2013, he has done seven batches of Kroilers and he isn’t slowing down.

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How he does it

Niwagaba’s approach to farming is that of common sense and practicability. Since he knows buying poor quality breed would translate to stunted growth and huge losses, he visits Kuroiler farms and when impressed by the quality, he buys their eggs which he takes to the hatchery. This also helps him cut costs, as buying chicks would cost a lot more.

He feeds them on the standard mixed feed consisting of maize brand, cotton seeds, mukene, and cowry shells. He adds nutritional supplements to the drinking water.

He buys the feed ingredients which he mixes himself. A bag of already mixed feed costs Sh150, 000 while a bag he mixes by himself costs Sh120, 000.

The chicks are first paced in the warmer brooder for at least 3 weeks and then transferred to a more spacious room until two months when they are sent to the big house.

They are vaccinated against multiple diseases over the days, weeks, and months.

He employs one person who he pays Sh150, 000 a month.

He rears an average of 800 birds and sells each at an average of 12, 000 wholesale. His net profits are Sh4, 000,000.

He says kuroilers aren’t as demanding as broilers. “All they need is to be fed, good air circulation, and change of husks every after a month. You can have a poultry farm right at home in Kampala and experience no foul smell,” he reasons.

The old husks are sold as manure each bag going for Sh30, 000

Some of his clients are classmates. “Every time someone has a function which requires chicken, I am happy to supply.” He is thus known to his classmates as the farmer.

Bryton decided to rear Kuroiler chickens for meat instead of eggs because Kuroiler eggs cost Sh500, a significantly higher price compared to the Sh300 of the ordinary layers. “That aside, raring them for eggs demands waiting two more months before starting to get returns,” he reasons.

His main market is Mpelerwe and Kalerwe markets although new clients are referred to him by older clients who appreciate his birds.

The wholesale price for Kuroilers depends on their size. Cocks are valued higher than the hens. “The bigger cocks are Sh15, 000 while hens go for 13, 000.”