Omamas poultry project improves lives

• HILMAH HASHANGEERIC Campbell, a veteran poultry farmer at Omamas, a small settlement situated in the Rehoboth Rural Constituency in the Hardap region, is a hardworking man who is determined to reap the rewards of his sweat.

Campbell, who started his poultry venture selling eggs to the community, now boast a poultry project that is one of the most successful micro-projects in the constituency and produces eggs as well as chickens.

Campbell started the project at his residence with only 200 Australian Astrocompass layers. These are specialised layers which he imported at the point of lay from South Africa in 2012 at N$27 a bird.

According to Campbell, the top production lifespan of the chickens is two years, after which a drop in production follows.

“After their production lifespan, we sell the chickens to the community at N$15 each to recoup costs,” he said.

As the project grew over the years, Campbell decided to reduce dependence on imported layers by producing his own chickens. He constructed a makeshift incubator from an old refrigerator to induce the eggs to hatch faster.

According to Campbell, the hatching only increased by 15% which he still considers very low and says there is room for improvement.

He said he had approached the Rehoboth Rural Constituency Development Committee (CDC) office for assistance with equipment and an even bigger and modern incubator to increase chick production.

In 2013, through the CDC office, the poultry project was presented materials including corrugated zinc, steel and fodder worth N$15 000 under the micro-project funding.

Campbell has also appealed for donations of more materials to construct two extra cages to breed at least 1 200 chickens.

According to Campbell, one of the biggest problems with chicken farming is the supply of layers which are often imported from South Africa at a high price.

“The availability of chickens is a problem because we mostly have to get them from South Africa and very often they are not enough to meet the demand. We need decent incubators for fertilizers. Why always go to South Africa for simple things like layers, when we can make our own incubators and rear our own chickens,” he said.

Campbell said at least 40 hens are used for experimental purposes.

To feed the chickens, Campbell also constructed a fodder mill from scrap metal at a cost of N$2 000.He said the 40 hens are fed mainly homemade fodder from grass and other ingredients, which he says is more nutritious and long lasting.

“We also crush egg shells, which are fed to the chickens as a source of calcium,” Campbell added.

He said that the market is ever-growing and eggs are always in demand.

“We are small producers so competition is obviously high especially when competing with other experienced suppliers,” said Campbell.

He said they deliver about 1 500 eggs a day to selected shops in Windhoek, but added that the local community also purchases the eggs at subsidised prices. “One batch of 30 eggs goes for N$50 but in shops it can sell for N$65.”

Campbell says although he wants to assist the community to benefit directly from the poultry project, the response is not encouraging.

“Many locals are unemployed but they are not willing to work so we often get assistance from outsiders instead,” Campbell said.

According to Rehoboth Rural Regional councillor Riaan McNab, the poultry project is one of the most successful micro-projects in the constituency.

“Campbell started off selling eggs but I can tell you it made a huge difference to the lives of the people. Normally people would go to town to purchase eggs but Campbell started distributing eggs in the whole constituency from Kalkrand to Rehoboth. He then went on further to produce chickens, now he is at a stage where he wants to expand and has even built his own incubator,” McNab said.

McNab, who also visited the poultry project, was impressed by Campbell’s determination to build his own incubator and mill to produce more chickens.

McNab further said Campbell had requested for funds to expand the poultry project and that his application was being looked into.

“At the end of the day, we have seen the willingness of this man to not only sell but to produce chickens. We want all these micro projects to graduate from small and medium enterprises to big producers. That is our aim and why we are funding these micro-projects,” McNab said.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.