In the recent past, poultry keeping was done in small scale for subsistence and not for business. Most farmers then kept indigenous chicken which took six months to be ready for the market.

It is in the light of this that the County directorate of livestock production embarked on an intensive promotion of raring improved indigenous chicken, which has proved lucrative to the farmers within the County.

Alice Akinyi, a poultry farmer in Kajulu could not hide her joy when the chicken basket team; a poultry value chain actor visited her homestead on  Monday  last week to purchase her broilers at a cost of Ksh. 550 each.

She received 200-day old broilers from the County livestock directorate on 24^th April this year and had attained table weight just in two months.

“I am happy, I love chicken raring since they mature very fast and you can still engage in other economic activities alongside it. The droppings from the poultry has also enriched my kitchen garden, I don’t buy vegetable from the market anymore” she said

Mr. Evans Gichuru, a resident of Kisian and a second-year student at Maseno University, taking Special Needs Education, deferred his studies due to lack of fees and found a solution when he attended an agricultural meeting held by the County and FAO on poultry keeping. He became a beneficiary of 103- day old chicks two months ago, and are almost ready for the market.

“I decided to keep poultry to raise my college fees. It is a profitable project that any youth can venture into and it is easy to manage” he said.

In a bid to encourage more youths to venture into the project, the directorate also supported PASU youth group in Kaloleni by constructing for them of a poultry cage to the tune of 1.2million, supplied 1,000 day -old broilers each purchased at Ksh. 150, feeds and a deep freezer to preserve the chickens during marketing.

Timon Ogunde the chairperson of PASU youth group in Kaloleni said they took up the project to engage in a profitable business  and that in the future they plan that every member of the group will have his/her own poultry and that they will share the proceeds of the same after expanding the business.

Persons with disability are also not left out in this business, Mr. Peter Osano (hearing impaired) received 100-day old chicks two months ago and they are almost attaining the market weight.

“I love keeping poultry for income, I keep many in the village and I thank the county for their support in this project” he expressed in sign language.

The project targets to improve the livelihoods of the women, Youths and the vulnerable across all the sub counties. So far, Ksh 1, 195,350 has been spent to supply day old chicks, to the targeted group in Kisumu central, Kisumu East, Nyando, and Kisumu west sub counties.

The Livestock production directorate has also partnered with the Chicken basket, a poultry value chain actor based in Kisumu to supply feeds, extension services, vaccination and ready market when they attain table weight approximately 1.7- 2kgs within three months.

Source: Kisumu County Website