AGRICULTURAL NEWS - Many communal farmers I work with do not realise the commercial value of their farmyard chickens; families generally keep these birds merely for subsistence purposes.
The same applies to smallholder farmers who believe that the only way to run a viable chicken farming enterprise is to farm the traditional white broiler chickens that depend solely on purchased bagged feed.
Not only has chicken grower and finisher meal become very expensive, but free-range chickens are healthier, and the meat and eggs produced are comparatively healthier for human consumption.
The fact that free-range chickens may take longer than five to six weeks to be ready for market is of no consequence if you can produce your own cheap feed.
