I quit sports gaming for exotic birds and hit jackpot

Many youths fresh from college and university dream of getting a well-paying office job. But with too many graduates chasing too few jobs, this is hardly possible.

Bevan Tabu, a young graduate alive to this harsh reality, chose the path of self-employment from the word go. Mr Tabu has ventured into a unique poultry territory — rearing exotic birds for commercial purposes.

Tabu rears hundreds of exotic birds and chicken at Ondiek Estate in Kisumu City.

When The Smart Harvest caught up with him, he was busy feeding several exotic birds. The enthusiastic farmer has turned a small space in his compound into a busy poultry house for the birds.

From brahma chickens to silkies, bantams to Shungi flair pigeons, Ayam Cemani chicken to Australian budgies and capuchins, the farm has over 20 species well kept in their cubicles. 

Tabu, 29, says he started farming seven years ago after ditching sports gaming (play station business) for poultry.

“I became interested in this type of farming after seeing another farmer doing it and earning a decent living. I slowly gained interest and after doing my research on the benefits of keeping exotic birds, I decided to give it a try.”

Occupy small space

He started by keeping improved local breeds of chicken but quit because of the high cost of feeds.

“After visiting different farms around Nyanza and in Mombasa, Uganda and Tanzania, I decided to settle on exotic birds. I learnt a lot from those benchmarking trips,” he says.

According to him, exotic birds occupy a small space and are easy to feed and take care of compared to chicken. They do not eat alot and can be fed on chicken feeds.

The Pigeons in the small farm include Fan tail pigeons, Shungi flair pigeons, Speed, and Capuchines. He also keeps parakeets including Australian Budgies.

Bones are black

Ayam Cemani is an uncommon and relatively modern breed of chicken from Indonesia. They have a dominant gene that causes hyperpigmentation (Fibromelanosis), making the chicken entirely black; including feathers, beak, meat, bones, and internal organs. Ayam Cemani is also considered one of the most expensive chicken.

Silkie chicken is a breed named for its atypically fluffy plumage, which is said to feel like silk and satin. The breed has several other unusual qualities, such as black skin and bones, blue earlobes, and five toes on each foot, whereas most chickens only have four.

Brahma chickens are unique because of their massive body size and are an extremely hardy breed of chickens, are good layers and lays big eggs compared to local chicken. 

Darling of customers

“Many people have come to love them, not only for their eggs and meat, but also for their beauty,” Tabu says.

He has built cages around his house, which are partitioned into various cubicles and keeps each variety of birds in their own cubicle.

“It’s better to keep them according to their types and sizes since there are birds that feed more than others. I started off with only 20 birds, a pair for each variety, and today they have multiplied,” he says.

To ensure that the birds are healthy and strong, Tabu keeps the poultry house clean, and ensures that feeds and water are placed in clean containers. He also ensures that they are vaccinated accordingly.

“In the first week after they are hatched, we give them the vaccine, but before they are vaccinated we give them multivitamins to help them become strong and develop well.

“We vaccinate them again after 14 days and 21 days. After a month they are usually strong enough to fight against any disease that may affect them, such as Newcastle, Fowl Pox and other bacterial infections.”

The birds are fed on chick mash when they are still young and as they grow, they are introduced to layers mash says the 29-year-old.

Tabu says keeping exotic birds is profitable and urged youths to invest in this business. 

“In a good month, I get a profit of between Sh30,000 and Sh80,000 from the sale of the birds.”

An egg from an exotic duck is equivalent to two eggs of an ordinary chicken.

He sources the birds from Mombasa, Nakuru, Nairobi and at times has to go all the way to Tanzania and Uganda.

“For a variety of birds, we source them from Mombasa since they are imported from foreign counties, hence they have to go through the port,” he says.

He sells Ayam Cemani chicken, mature pair between Sh30, 000 and Sh40, 000, Bearded Silkie Bantams mature pair goes for Sh16, 000 or Sh18,000 and Funtail pigeons mature pair goes for Sh5,000 to Sh8,000 depending on the quality.

Demand vs supply

According to him, the supply of birds is lower than the demand in Kenya, which has opened up more business opportunities for poultry farmers.

“Besides the local markets or referrals from friends, I also sell the birds through online platforms.

“The secret for me is feeding them well and observing high hygiene standards, which have enabled me to get more buyers,” he explains.

Though he has broken even, Tabu says the journey has, however, not been without its challenges.

“Sometimes a disease may strike affecting some birds, which may end up dying. Diseases attacks are normally unpredictable. Like in life, you can exercise all precautions, but before you know it, they have picked an infection and you have to act fast,” says the farmer.

Another challenge is the high price of feeds forcing farmers to look for other alternatives.

There are also certifications that one needs to keep the birds.

“There are some birds that you need to have a license from the Kenya Wildlife Service to keep them. Like the Guinea fowls and the Parakeets you must have a permit to keep them. I pay a fee annually,” Tabu explains.