Growing up in the village, Ifeanyi Maurean Nwonwu discovered her love for poultry farming while caring for her uncle’s birds. Over time, she nurtured that passion to a successful business enterprise.
By Eberechi Obinagwam
Growing up in the village, Ifeanyi Maurean Nwonwu discovered her love for poultry farming while caring for her uncle’s birds. Over time, she nurtured that passion to a successful business enterprise.
”I fell in love with birds when I was taking care of my uncle’s poultry farm,’ she recounts. ”They are lovely and loving, recognizing my voice and presence, especially when I brought food. Years later, my passion reignited, and I returned to poultry farming as a business.”
How it all started
After completing her secondary school education at Fede Technical College, Agbor, Delta State, Maurean relocated to Lagos to start up a new life. While in Lagos, she worked in different places and finally settled for a petty business after getting married.
While managing her petty business, Maurean sought additional income streams. It was during this search that her childhood passion for poultry farming resurfaced.
“When that inspiration of going into poultry reignited, I just went to buy one chicken to raise in my backyard. Having learned the basics from my uncle, I didn’t need further training,” she told TheNiche in an interview.
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However, in May 26, 2022, Maurean turned her backyard poultry farm into a business. She bought 20-day old chicks to rear for business purpose. After seven months, she sold them and made some profit, “It was the profit that I made from it that motivated me to invest more on the business.”
In 2023, Maurean decided to raise seasonal poultry. She secured a space in an uncompleted building, courtesy of a family friend in Lagos, and purchased 150-day-old chicks. Additionally, she ordered eight foreign turkey poults from Ibadan, which were hatched on her farm.
Maurean’s poultry venture yielded impressive returns. She invested N900,000 in feeding her birds and reaped a remarkable profit of N600,000. This windfall enabled her to repay the loan she had taken and boost her petty business.
Sourcing for capital
Maurean said sourcing for capital to startup her business was not easy, “Starting my business was tough,” she said. “I had to rely on assistance, begging friends for help until one lend me money. Fortunately, a family friend offered me space in their uncompleted building for my poultry.
Penetrating the market
Maurean said in 2022 when she started, business was slow for her because she was new. But in 2023 a friend introduced her business to local market women, and that was how she became highly sought after.
Reflecting on her bird-rearing journey, Murean said, ”Raising birds isn’t easy, especially one species I have chosen. They are incredibly wild, requiring caution to avoid injury, but I love them because they are strong.”
She recalled a traumatic experience from her early entrepreneurial days: ”I vividly remember losing a prized foreign turkey. Unaware that distance affected its water intake, it tragically died. The significant financial loss left me heartbroken, and I wept.”
Breakthrough in business
Maurean achieved a significant milestone in 2023, when she sold her entire stock of birds seamlessly, with an impressive profit of N600,000. After this success, she said, people started coming to her farm to buy and place orders.
Challenges faced by business owners
She said the high cost of feeds for the birds is a challenge. “Feeding the birds to be healthy is very expensive now because their feeds are too expensive and it keeps increasing all the time. Most of the people raring birds have stopped. It’s just few that are remaining.”
Japa
Maurean said she has no dream of traveling out because her business pays well, “If I have money instead of traveling out, I will use it to invest in my business. This business pays well when you invest in it.”
Maurean has trained many in poultry farming, and they are doing very well. She also employs workers to help manage her farm.