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The short answer
In our labelled example, starting 500 broilers costs about ₦4.45 million including a pen, and you can sell within about six weeks; starting 500 layers costs about ₦6.24 million and the birds eat for months before the first egg. Broilers return cash quickly in lumps; layers cost more up front but pay a steady income once laying starts.
The choice in one paragraph
Broilers are meat birds. You buy day-old chicks, feed them for around six weeks and sell the whole batch, so your money comes back fast but all at once, and you start again each cycle. Layers are egg birds. You raise pullets for months before they lay, then sell eggs every day for a long laying period. Broilers suit someone who wants to test the business with a short cycle; layers suit someone with enough capital to wait and a market for crates every week.
Sourced prices for the main inputs
In February 2026, PAN Ogun State vice chairman Ahmed Alli told Channels Television that:
- broiler feed cost ₦20,000 to ₦22,000 per 25kg bag;
- layer feed cost ₦15,000 to ₦17,000 per 25kg bag;
- broiler day-old chicks had risen from ₦500 in December 2023 to ₦1,700;
- pullet day-old chicks (future layers) cost ₦2,000 to ₦2,200;
- feed is 65 to 70 percent of input costs.
Zootecnica International reported in March 2026 that chick prices had risen about 67 percent in early 2026, with some buyers paying ₦1,800 to ₦3,000, and that pullet orders could wait up to three months. Housing, equipment and vaccine prices are not published in any reliable national average, so the figures for those in the tables are examples you should replace with local quotes.
Example: starting 500 broilers
Example only. Chicks at ₦1,700, about 4kg of feed per bird over the cycle, broiler feed at ₦21,000 a bag.
| Item (example) | Working | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 500 day-old chicks | 500 × ₦1,700 | ₦850,000 |
| Feed for one cycle | 2,000kg = 80 bags × ₦21,000 | ₦1,680,000 |
| Vaccines and drugs | ₦80,000 | |
| Litter and brooding | ₦90,000 | |
| First-cycle running cost | ₦2,700,000 | |
| Pen (block and roofing sheets) | one-off | ₦1,500,000 |
| Feeders, drinkers, brooder | one-off | ₦250,000 |
| Total to start | ₦4,450,000 |
For a smaller test, see the full 100-broiler cost and profit example.
Example: starting 500 layers
Example only. Pullet chicks at ₦2,100, about 7kg of chick and grower feed per bird before lay, feed at ₦16,000 a bag. Confirm the rearing feed allowance and the age at first lay with the hatchery for your strain; many farmers plan for around 18 to 20 weeks.
| Item (example) | Working | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 500 pullet day-old chicks | 500 × ₦2,100 | ₦1,050,000 |
| Feed to point of lay | 3,500kg = 140 bags × ₦16,000 | ₦2,240,000 |
| Vaccines and drugs (longer schedule) | ₦150,000 | |
| Rearing cost | ₦3,440,000 | |
| House and cages | one-off | ₦2,500,000 |
| Feeders, drinkers, egg trays | one-off | ₦300,000 |
| Total to first egg | ₦6,240,000 |
Once the hens lay, feed becomes a monthly bill paid from egg sales. Our 500 layers egg income example works through a month of output and costs.
Running costs once you are going
Start-up cost is only the first hurdle. With broilers, every new batch needs fresh chicks and a full cycle of feed before you are paid, so in the example above you would need about ₦2.7 million in hand at the start of each cycle unless the last sale has already come in. With layers, the big rearing bill is paid once per flock, after which feed, labour and drugs become a monthly cost that egg sales should cover.
That difference shapes who each system suits. A farmer with modest savings and a reliable buyer for live birds can run broilers batch by batch and grow slowly. A farmer with more capital, a steady crate buyer and the patience to wait for the first egg may find layers easier to run, because money comes in every week rather than in lumps.
Either way, the pen and equipment are not wasted between flocks. Clean, disinfect and rest the house before new birds arrive; that rest period is part of disease control, not lost time.
Side by side
| Broilers (example) | Layers (example) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash to start | About ₦4.45m | About ₦6.24m |
| Time to first sale | About 6 weeks | Months of rearing first |
| Income pattern | One lump per batch | Daily egg sales |
| Main price risk | Live-bird price at sale week | Crate price and laying rate |
| Vaccination | Short schedule | Longer schedule, boosters before lay |
| Biggest cost | Feed | Feed |
Vaccination schedules differ too. A Nigerian Newcastle disease schedule published in 2016 runs from day old through to 16 to 18 weeks for layers, while broilers are sold long before the later doses. See poultry vaccination schedule and cost.
What to check first
- Find your buyers before your birds: live-bird buyers for broilers, crate buyers for eggs.
- Get current chick and feed quotes; the February 2026 figures above will have moved.
- Price the pen locally, including roofing, wire mesh and a footbath.
- Keep money aside for at least one extra month of feed in case a sale is delayed, and track it with a simple bookkeeping system.
- Read why poultry farms fail before you commit.
Where Pryme fits
Start-up money for a farm is safer in its own account. A Pryme Business Account separates farm spending from household spending, and a Naira Savings Box can hold the feed reserve. Business accounts also come with a Finance agent that prepares records of what the farm spends and earns for you to approve.
Questions people ask
How much do I need to start poultry farming in Nigeria?
In our labelled example, about ₦4.45 million for 500 broilers including a pen, or about ₦6.24 million for 500 layers to the first egg. Smaller batches cost proportionally less.
Which is more profitable, broilers or layers?
Neither is always better. Broilers return money in about six weeks but in one lump; layers need more capital and patience, then earn every day. Your market decides.
What is the price of day-old chicks in 2026?
PAN reported ₦1,700 for broiler chicks and ₦2,000 to ₦2,200 for pullet chicks in February 2026, and Zootecnica reported ₦1,800 to ₦3,000 in some cases in March 2026. Ask hatcheries for today's price.
How long before layers start laying?
Many farmers plan for around 18 to 20 weeks, but it depends on the strain and management. Ask the hatchery for your strain's expected age at first egg.
Sources
- The Guardian: Poultry farmers seek FG's intervention for lower OpEx, feed costs, 4 Feb 2026 · accessed Oct 2026
- Zootecnica International: Nigeria, rising chick costs and supply constraints weigh on egg production outlook, 31 Mar 2026 · accessed Oct 2026
- PMC (2016): Table 1, Current vaccination schedule for Newcastle disease in Nigeria · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.