Proposal For Sustainable Haitian Chicken Farm
Goals
Simplicity
Electric free and/or alternate energy powered
Replicable with minimal tailoring to particular location
Must generate enough income to sustain itself and supply extra for food or business growth
Must be able to be run by locals with minimal education and training
Minimal inventory shipped in from outside
Preface
This project is being approached from two angles. The first is a more complete project based on optimal components that is not budget conscious but provides the best initial setup and projects the longest duration without added funding. The second is the minimalistic approach designed around a minimum budget first and meant to be as replicable as possible with minimal outside help. Many items in the first approach can be left out without affecting the ability to grow chickens, but if given the opportunity to include these items it will greatly affect the ease of growing chickens as well as the greater use of the land in other agricultural endeavors such as gardening. Our goal is to develop a small scale, multi-faceted agricultural project that can be replicated on site as business grows or at a separate site as a completely new project. To do this we will start on a small scale of approximately 100-500 birds and replicate it each time we are ready for expansion. This will also allow for flocks of different ages to be kept separate during grow out and supply a steady supply of market ready chickens rather than a sudden supply of several thousand all ready for slaughter at once. The more units we have, the more precisely we can stagger the processing, but it is not critical as we are not confined to a particular weight at slaughter. Estimated grow out is 9-12 weeks with rationed food to decrease cost. With three units in production placed every four weeks we would have a steady supply of about 10 birds per day for processing if we placed 300 birds each time. Initially we had considered incubation and brooding on site, but our recent contact with Haiti Broilers has indicated that we will be better off purchasing 10-20 day old chicks and growing them out. This will greatly decrease risk and certain initial expenses but will incur some additional ongoing expenses of purchase and transportation.
Unit Description
Each unit will be comprised of a pole barn type fabric house with roll down sides or a cinder block structure depending on budgetary concerns. The entire property will be fenced or walled for security, and each unit will have it's own low height cross fencing to allow free ranging without intermixing of the birds. This will become more important when we move into the egg laying phase as the breeds will be different. Each unit will house it's own feeders and drinkers. I envision a well drilled in a central location and four units surrounding the well each facing out in a different direction. The well will be hand pumped and each day enough water must be pumped into a holding tank that will gravity feed the drinker lines. Under each unit a gravity actuated digester will be built. The digester will produce fertilizer for the gardening facet of the project and also produce methane gas to be used for heat, light, cooking and electric generation as needed. Details on the digester can be found below. The entrails of the processed birds can be put directly into the digester at the time of slaughter. Solar powered LED lights will be utilized to facilitate working around the chickens during morning and evening hours when natural light is low. For a more in depth description of the anaerobic digestion process read this article at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestion
The laying hen unit will be almost identical, but will include several rows of nest boxes for the layers and a higher cross fence to prevent the birds from flying over.
Additional Aspects of the Project
In addition to the chicken farm and gardening aspects of the project we hope to develop a wider community aspect if time and funds are available. In order to give ownership and control to the locals we plan to develop a market co-op to serve the local farmers in the area. While this is a more long term goal, it can be hastened with the proper funding. By providing cold storage and a dependable power supply we can increase the chicken production immensely and not be limited to selling live birds. We can also replicate the chicken farm units among local farmers to spread out the production and provide income among more families.
One other aspect is to develop cottage industry. Our initial plan is to set up chain link fence manufacturing. This can be done with a fairly simple machine designed by one of our project partners. It is cheap and portable and the material to make the fencing can be bought in country. Our first machine will be taken into the country by our personnel, but our hope is to be able to replicate it with materials found in country. By teaching and establishing this cottage industry we can actually make the initial fencing for our own project. The fencing can be made at any width desired and with several gauges of wire to allow for both the outer security fencing and the smaller cross fences.
The Non-Profit Organization
We have partnered with Restoration of Hope for Haiti, a not for profit organization out of Orlando, Florida to act as a tax exempt gateway for all funding as well as a monitor of all accounting for the project. This provides us with accountability and a means of exempting all gifts from taxation.
Budget Items in U.S dollars and Estimated
Road work - $1000
Well - $1500
Storage unit for feed and supplies - $1000
Unit(cinder block construction locally) $5000
Unit(pole style with fabric) $1000
Truck for transportation of supplies and chicks each month $20,000 (The truck will be used to deliver chicks to multiple unit locations. With a little coordinating the owner of the first unit can pick up enough chicks to supply several units and deliver them to spare the expense of a truck at each location)
Two wheeled tractor for gardening and road maintenance - $3000 plus shipping
Implements for tractor -$2000 (plow, blade, seeder, cultivator, cart)
Property fencing - $2000
Cross fencing - $1000
Digester - $4000
Feeders - $500
Water lines - $200
Water tank - $300
Initial chick purchase - $500
Initial Feed purchase - $200
Local Labor -$2000
Travel to Haiti per person sent - $1000 (2 expected)
Week spent in Haiti per person sent - $245
Layer purchase - $3150
Natural Gas Generator - $3000 shipped
Project total $48440 - $52440 depending on structure type
Additional units estimated at $2500 - $5500 with feed and birds in place for broilers, $5650 - $8650 for layers with feed, hens, and nests in place.
Combined total for 3 broilers and 1 layer unit - $59090 - $72090
While we can put up the cinder block units if desired, we prefer to work with the pole and fabric units for replicability. The extra cost will be detrimental to replicating the project at a second location using preceding income, and the difference in the costs could build us 1 or 2 basic units at separate locations. The quicker additional units can go up, the sooner we can achieve self sustainability without outside funding.
Additionally, should any interested organization be interested in funding a full time position for the first year or two to greatly accelerate the project I am open to discussion.
More on Anaerobic Digesters
Anaerobic digestion is a series of biological processes in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. One of the end products is biogas, which is combusted to generate electricity and heat, or can be processed into renewable natural gas and transportation fuels. A range of anaerobic digestion technologies are converting livestock manure, municipal wastewater solids, food waste, high strength industrial wastewater and residuals, fats, oils and grease (FOG), and various other organic waste streams into biogas, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Separated digested solids can be composted, utilized for dairy bedding, directly applied to cropland or converted into other products. Nutrients in the liquid stream are used in agriculture as fertilizer.
The digestion process begins with bacterial hydrolysis of the input materials in order to break down insoluble organic polymers such as carbohydrates and make them available for other bacteria. Acidogenic bacteria then convert the sugars and amino acids into carbon dioxide, hydrogen, ammonia, and organic acids. Acetogenic bacteria then convert these resulting organic acids into acetic acid, along with additional ammonia, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide. Finally, methanogens convert these products to methane and carbon dioxide.
While the above is a fairly technical description of the anaerobic process, the implementation of an AD unit can be quite simple when done properly. One of our partners has designed a gravity operated system that requires little to no maintenance, has no moving parts, and produces both gas and fertilizer. The installation of such a unit is critical, but once in place will work and last indefinitely. The only maintenance needed would be a system flush every several years. The fertilizer will be dispensed at the rate of whatever is added to the system. Some initial training will be required for peak production of gas, but that training can be done in only a few hours time. The gas generated will be stored in a bladder holding system and used to run a natural gas generator which will run the water pump. Additionally some can be routed to a burner for the property caretaker's kitchen, Once we have enough chicken units in operation it will be theoretically possible to run a generator 24/7 if desired. Every few days it will be necessary to remove the fertilizer from the exit area and either spread it or store it for later use. A simple composting type shed built at the exit would facilitate this.
Final Thoughts
With a purchase price of about $700 for 300 chicks and feed to grow out a 5 pound bird, and a mortality rate of 10%, we would produce 1350 pounds of chicken. A break even price per pound would be roughly 50 cents. Currently the price per pound of chicken breast is up around $3.32. This leaves us a lot of room for feeding the orphans and still selling at a decent profit. If we could sell only half the production for $2 per pound we would still realize a profit of about $650 for the first 300 birds. Each additional unit would not need to feed the orphans and would therefore double the profits.
For the Layers, the projected income of 300 layers laying at 75% average, or 18 dozen eggs per day, is $36 per day if sold at the rate of $2 per dozen. The current price is $2.89. If the laying life of the average hen is two years we have an income of $26,000. The initial cost of the birds is $3150 and the cost in feed would be about $20 per day. This gives us an income of about $345 per month, or $230 if one third of the eggs are fed to the orphans. Adding up the revenue of three broiler units and one layer unit we have a total income of $19,000 if we average 5 flocks per unit per year. This is after the purchase expense for the chicks and feed, but does not include any other expenses.
Perhaps my favorite facet of this project is the concept of paying forward. Once a unit is in production and producing income the local owners will be required to put a set percentage, probably 10%, into an account for the next unit to be built. On top of that they will also be utilized to train the new owners in operating practices. Eventually this will become a self propagating system with all the money and expertise being generated in country. Once our tenth unit is built the income generated should allow us to build one every six months or so and we can release the first unit built from it's obligation to pay forward.
It is to be expected that this proposal will raise as many questions as it answers. Our third world sustainable systems expert, Larry Aden, has 12 years practical experience over seas as well as many more here in the States. We would love to set up a teleconference to answer any questions. As project director I will facilitate all queries on the project and can be reached any time using the information below.
Daniel English
1350 Stivers Rd
Jasper, GA 30143
mombincrochuchickenfarm@gmail.com
770-241-9668