A broiler farmer has said those wishing to go into broiler chickens production or farming must have a robust knowledge of the markets available to sell the birds when fully matured. A broiler farmer, Mrs. Olufikayo Obadimu, a Senior Agricultural Officer, Broiler Unit, Directorate of University Farms (DUFARMS), Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State gave this vital information while featuring on the agriculture-centered programme, Our Farmer, on FUNAAB Radio 89.5FM. She said apart from the availability of markets, a broiler farmer, after taking the delivery of broiler chicks from a reputable farm, should provide conducive pens for their housing, clean water, and administer antibiotics, and multivitamins. Mrs. Obadimu also explained that these broilers needed to be vaccinated against diseases such as Coccidiosis, Gumboro, and Newcastle, among others.

She said, “A broiler farmer should be good in the area of identifying markets to sell these poultry birds. At most, between eight and 12 weeks, the broilers are ready and matured for sale. If a broiler farmer failed to identify these markets, it means the chickens would be eating, and this means more expenses on feed. At the end of the day, such farmers might not be able to realise returns on investment”. Talking about the challenges facing broiler farmers, Mrs. Obadimu listed exorbitant price of feed, Avian flu disease, the high price of wood shavings used for the beddings of the broilers, search for markets, and illegal importation of frozen poultry products, among others. She called on the Federal Government to discourage the illegal importation of frozen poultry products and make soft loans available to young graduate farmers. Mrs. Obadimu commended the University Management, led by Prof. Kolawole Salako, for establishing the broiler production and processing unit.