Build a modern coop for my birds

Daniel

Bamburi, Kenya

100% repaid

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How it Works

Entrepreneur

Name

Daniel

Member since

February 2015

On-time repayments

254 installments • 36%

About Me

My name is Daniel Mbugua, a poultry farmer from Mombasa - Kenya. I was born and raised in Mombasa where my father worked at the Kenya Ports Authority. I was born in a rural area where I grew up accustomed to fairly good infrastructure like electricity and paved roads.

In spite of relative good life in my childhood, I faced a number of challenges like lack of playing fields due to poor planning by the local authorities and I grew up deprived what would be considered as the basic necessities of a growing child. That notwithstanding, my parents raised me well and imparted good values early life.

I went to rural schools both for primary and secondary schools because my parents feared I would get involved in drug taking which was rampant in our neighborhood. I later joined a polytechnic where I did a three year course in civil engineering. I was hoping to secure a good job after the completing the course after my father's footsteps but I was not as lucky.

I decided to use our house backyard to start poultry keeping which remarkable success. This is what I am still doing to date and I have no regrets for doing so since it brings food on the table and I also get a lot of satisfaction from the job.

I am married with two kids both who are in school.

My Business

I rear broiler chicken as well as geese in my house backyard. I sell broilers to local hotels and to residents within the residential estates. Mombasa is a fast growing city and it has all the demands of big city and one of these is fast food. I saw this opportunity and decided to exploit it.

The living standards of the residents has also improved in the recent past and a good number of residents have a much better bargaining power as compared to yesteryears. What used to be a preserve of the rich (like chicken) is now a common dish among many.

I keep broilers that take between 5-6 weeks to mature. I normally buy them when they are one day old and if the survival rate is good (about or above 95%), I make about $150 per brood. I use the geese to provide eggs that I sell to support the family when I am not selling the chicken.

I am glad I have a ready market of loyal clients in hotels and also in the residential areas. If funded, I like to keep two sets of broilers and separate then within two weeks so as to ensure a continuous sale of the chicken instead of waiting for 6 weeks interval. However, for me to do this, I need to get a helping hand in form of affordable credit and this is where Zidisha comes in.

Loan Proposal

I have been doing my poultry business in a make shift coop since I started. While it has served me well over the years, it has some limitation since I normally stop buying chicks during the cold season which lasts three months - from June - August. This affects my cycle of production and I lose business in the process.

I need to build a modern coop complete with heaters so that I can be in business all year round. The building materials will cost me around $120. I will use the remaining amount to buy two heaters which will keep the chicks warm during the cold seasons.

I am counting on you again to support me in this journey of success.

Thank you.