By Moses Nampala
Nothing calms Dr John Wanzala more than the familiar chorus of sounds made by the birds on his poultry farm.
“The innocent chorus constantly wipes away any inkling of misery from my face, replacing it with joy. Listening to them affirms that my wallet is happy to support my family’s livelihood and the special people in my life,” he observes, staring contemplatively into space for a moment.
At just 37, Dr Wanzala, a veterinary doctor from Bulujere Cell, Industrial Division, Mbale city, runs a poultry farm with 10,000 birds housed in neat rows, each featuring a touch of foreign architectural design.
He regularly sells eggs and chickens, but beyond the basics, he has carved out several economic niches within the enterprise.
Poultry farmers, whether beginners or experienced, often fear tending to day-old chicks during the critical early stages of life.
Many are willing to pay extra to anyone who can manage these fragile chicks, not only because of the intensive care they require, but also due to the high mortality rate at this stage.
To relieve farmers, Wanzala offers a service, where he procures bird stock and broods chicks from infancy to a manageable stage (several weeks), at a fee.
Additionally, organisations frequently hire him to train communities interested in entering the poultry business. Another source of income for Wanzala is discipline consultancy. He charges for this offer.
However, the lean, average-height figure is not your typical veterinary doctor from Makerere University.
After graduating in 2014, he received an opportunity to join President Yoweri Museveni’s Youth Entrepreneur Skills programme for a one-year, training at Kfar-Silver Agro Institution in Ashkelon, southern Israel. While the institution offers mentorship in a range of agro-related disciplines, Wanzala focused on poultry.
“The entire training was hands-on, conducted at Masout Poultry Farm. What was most astonishing and rewarding was that every minute spent working on the poultry farm was compensated in dollars,” he recalls.
After a year of training, Wanzala had saved $5,000 (sh18.3m), which he used to start his poultry business when he returned home.
Since then, he has never looked back. Today, Wanzala’s farm features six state-of-the-art poultry houses on a ¾-acre plot.
The structures are crafted from eucalyptus poles and corrugated iron sheets, each with a maximum capacity of 25,000 birds.
Out of the 10,000 birds on his farm, 8,000 are his stock, while 2,000 belong to clients, who utilise his brooding services. His stock includes various breeds and generations of birds, but the farm’s flagship product is the layer bird.
The farm regularly produces 60 trays of eggs, generating a daily income of between sh660,000 and sh720,000, based on a farm-gate price of sh1,000-sh12,000 per tray.
Wanzala also has a robust chicken-selling venture, attracting clients from hotels and supermarkets around Mbale and neighbouring urban centres.
The farm’s daily demand for chicken ranges from 400 to 1,000 pieces, with each chicken required to weigh at least 1.5kg at a farm-gate price of sh18,000.
One of the farm’s main income sources is brooding services.
Clients frequently book this service, which involves vaccinating, warming, and feeding chicks for several days to weeks, up to a month.
The cost varies, depending on how long the client wants the birds to stay. Brooding for a full month attracts the highest fee, though Wanzala prefers not to disclose the exact charges.
Source of bird stock
Since the inception of his poultry enterprise in 2016, Wanzala has opted to procure his layer stock from the Netherlands.
“The idea involves a lot of scientific dynamics. I have consistently chosen to source my layer bird stock from the Netherlands, because, among other reasons, it is economically feasible,” he stresses.
During his mentorship in Israel, he developed appreciation for the concept of “fowl parent generation,” especially for layer birds.
“Among other benefits, the stock procured directly from the Netherlands is essentially ‘insulated,’ making it considerably resilient to common poultry epidemics. Moreover, these birds follow a steady growth trajectory. They begin laying eggs early — at 30 weeks — with an egg production rate of 96%, that continues consistently throughout their productive stage, which lasts for 15 months,” he explains.
Feeds
Wanzala has since acquired parcels of land on which he grows both maize and soybeans for his poultry. The mentorship he received in Israel provided him with numerous feed mixture formulas.
Variable rations are carefully formulated with exact measurements, aided by a special software device he obtained from Israel.
“It is advisable to procure ingredients from one reliable supplier. The software gives me an accurate analysis of how to mix the feed ingredients and in what quantities, which explains why there are virtually no incidents related to feeding,” he observes.
Labour force
Wanzala has adopted a specific protocol for labour force recruitment. A visitor to his poultry farm would notice that the six poultry houses are managed by only two labourers.
“In Israel, a farm with 40,000 or more birds, is managed by just one person, after being trained in the routine tasks. When a poultry house is well-organised, it hardly requires many handlers, because the birds have a clearly defined schedule for when the feeding and water troughs are refilled. Reducing the labour force to one person per poultry house prevents unexpected poultry disease outbreaks,” he observes.
Vaccination
Wanzala has strictly adhered to the vaccination schedule against the most common poultry diseases, including Newcastle, infectious bronchitis, Gumboro, fowl pox, fowl typhoid and salmonella.
Water
Years in the business have led him to invest in large plastic tanks for water storage, which helps him harvest rainwater.
Although his farm is connected to the National Water and Sewerage Corporation grid, these tanks provide additional water resources.
Security
Both physical and biosecurity measures are adequately implemented. In addition to hiring private security guards, the farm is equipped with cameras on various elevations, which are connected to a smartphone app.
“I can monitor the farm even when I am miles away. The same goes for my workers, as I have provided them with smartphones. Apart from live video footage, the security app I acquired in Israel is equipped with an alarm system, which alerts me in case of a security breach,” he explains.
Challenges
Wanzala reflects that starting and sustaining the enterprise has been a bumpy ride.
“Years in the trade have taught me to appreciate every failure as a learning experience. While it’s difficult to become immune to disappointment, I have learned to pick up the pieces of my disintegrated life and keep moving forward,” he explains.
Low moments
Low moments arising from sporadic poultry epidemic outbreaks are regular occurrences. Waves of epidemic outbreaks are often triggered by labourers’ laxity or sometimes by natural factors.
“From the beginning, I have allowed the community in the neighbourhood to visit the poultry farm to inspire them to learn about what we are doing. But often, handlers forget to take the visitors through the biosecurity protocol, a breach that has turned catastrophic,” Wanzala says.
He has also encountered episodes of theft at night.
“I’ve lost close to 200 birds to thieves, which is why I decided to hire private security guards. I am also in the process of acquiring guard dogs,” Wanzala explains.
Profile
Dr John Wanzala, 37, was born to John Wagoli and Suzan Wagoli in Bulujere, Moni Parish, Industrial Division, Mbale city in Mbale district.
He attended Nabumali Boarding Primary School and later joined Nabumali High School for his O’level education and Katikamu Light College for his A’level, before being admitted to Makerere University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine. Wanzala is married to Gloria Nabwire and the couple is blessed with two children.
Achievements
Wanzala’s training trip to Israel, courtesy of President Yoweri Museveni’s initiative, has been remarkably eventful.
“Not only did I gain valuable skills, but I also returned with start-up capital to launch my poultry business,” he reflects. Wanzala started small, with just 250-layer birds in 2016.
However, eight years later, his stock has grown to 8,000 birds.
“I began the agribusiness on a small plot of land (50×100 feet) in the prime area of Bulujere Cell in Mbale district. I purchased the land with part of the savings I made while in Israel. The profits from the enterprise have allowed me to expand the land to accommodate the current poultry infrastructure, which consists of six large, well-constructed poultry houses,” he explains.
Wanzala has also provided free lectures on poultry farming to his neighbouring community.
“I am glad that many of them have gradually adopted the trade and are now able to sustain their households,” he observes. Wanzala has built a country home for his family and has established a boutique in Mbale city for his wife.
What others say
Henry Wambedde, Bulujere cell, Industrial Division, Mbale City
I am delighted to have such a brilliant and enterprising man in our midst.
He has mentored six members of my household in the trade at no cost. He has also provided them with start-up capital for the enterprise.
Gladys Nambuya, 45, from Moni Trading Centre
I admire Wanzala’s sense of humility. He periodically hosts women’s groups at his farm and shares his experience with the enterprise.
Today, none of the women in the group is without a backyard poultry business.
Although the birds are local, they have addressed unforeseen domestic challenges, including sudden illness in the family and providing essential household needs, such as salt, sugar, or soap.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: Dr wanzala in one of his poultry houses that hosts two weeks old birds. He runs a poultry farm with 10,000 birds.
