Beyond beauty: Ornamental birds turn in tidy sum for farmer

Ornamental birds farmer, Fina Nyamai, holds a pair of Silkies at her farm in Ukunda, Kwale County. The birds must be kept in well ventilated houses and be given clean water and food. PHOTOS | MATHIAS RINGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mrs Nyamai, 45, a nurse working at Likoni Hospital in Mombasa County, says she started rearing ornamental birds farming after seeing them in a neighbouring farm.
  • Currently, she has 800 mature birds.
  • Her major challenge, she says, is the excessively high cost of poultry feeds. Other challenges are diseases including Newcastle, Gumboro and fowlpox.
  • To keep your birds health, Dr Mwita says the birds must be kept in well ventilated houses, be given clean water and food.

A clucking chorus greets you first, but wait till see the birds.

The moment you lay your eyes on them you will know you have arrived at Rina farm, where the luxury of viewing a collection of more than 30 species of exotic ornamental birds, chickens, ducks, turkeys and goose awaits you.

From Araucana chicken which originated from Chile to Appenzeller originating from Switzerland, Brahma and Rhode Island Red from the US, Rosecomb from Great Britain to Silkie from China.

When the Seeds of Gold visited the farm located in Ukunda, Kwale County, the owner, Fina Kyule Nyamai, was busy feeding the birds.

Mrs Nyamai, 45, a nurse working at Likoni Hospital in Mombasa County, says she started rearing ornamental birds farming after seeing them in a neighbouring farm.

“The birds my neighbour was keeping were unique. After seeing them I instantly wanted to do the same,” adds the nurse.

With a capital of Sh47,000, Mrs Nyamai says she bought various species of exotic chickens and started in December 2014.

She bought a pair of Araucana, a pair of Rheinlander, a pair of Kuchi, a pair of Rosecomb bantam, a pair of Sussex chicken and a pair of Polish chicken. Others were a pair of Silkie, a pair of Wynadotte and one Appenzeller.

Through WhatsApp, she was able to connect with ornamental bird farmers locally and internationally.

“From the WhatsApp group, I was able to get other species of exotic chicken, ducks, goose and other birds from other farmers,” she explains.

Ms Nyamai adds that she later spent Sh300,000 more buying more exotic species of chicken, birds, ducks, goose and pigeons from farmers in Mombasa, Nairobi and Tanzania.

The chicken included Jersey Giant, Leghorn, Pekin bantam, while the ducks which included Swedish blue, Khaki Campbell, Indian runner, Mallard and Pekin. Others were Greylag goose, Egyptian goose, guinea fowls species such as white guinea fowl, lavender, vulturine and white chest.

Pigeons included Indian fantail and American fantail as well as two species of Turkeys.

Currently, she has 800 mature birds.

MODEL FARM

The investment is now worth Sh2 million including infrastructure such as cages, water reservoir, and incubators.

Ms Nyamai says last year she earned a profit of Sh500,000 from the sale of day-old chicks and eggs. She sells day old exotic chicks at Sh300 each, chicken and duck eggs at Sh200 each, while goose go Sh500 each.

From the chick and egg sales, the farmer earns Sh150,000 per month.

Her major challenge, she says, is the excessively high cost of poultry feeds. Other challenges are diseases including Newcastle, Gumboro and fowlpox but she has been able to overcome them through vaccinating her birds.

She feeds the mature chickens and ducks with layer mash, vegetables and provides them clean drinking water.

Last year, she teamed up with a group of other poultry farmers to form Mwambao Poultry Products Marketing Cooperative Society to help in marketing their products.

“The aim of forming the cooperative was also to enable us have a voice in lobbying for affordable poultry feeds,” says Mrs Nyamai who sells her chicks and eggs to farmers who visit her farm at Ukunda.

Farmers from Diani, Mombasa, Malindi, Nairobi, Machakos, Nakuru as well as from Tanzania and Rwanda are among her customers.

Ms Nyamai says that her farm is used as a model farm in Kwale County where local farmers can visit and learn skills of poultry husbandry.

Her future plan is to turn her farm into a learning centre where farmers, students from primary up to university level can visit and get knowledge on poultry and ornamental birds keeping.

She hopes centre will also attract local and international bird lovers who will pay to view the birds.

“I also plan to construct a cafeteria which will serve dishes of the various species of chickens and ducks I keep at my farm,” she says.

To keep your birds health, Dr Mwita says the birds must be kept in well ventilated houses, be given clean water and food.

Mombasa County veterinary officer Dr Jones Mwita, says ornamental birds are very sensitive species. He says they face dangers from viral, bacterial and parasitic diseases.