11/10/2025
The Price of Day-Old Chicks Is Breaking Farmers in Nigeria — And No One Is Talking About It
By Dr Akande Benjamin
Something very worrying is happening in Nigeria’s poultry industry, and most people outside the farming circle have no idea how bad it has become.
Not long ago, farmers could walk into a hatchery and pick up a box of day-old broiler chicks for around ₦850/bird each. Pullet chicks sold for about ₦1,500/bird. Even though production costs were rising, it was still manageable.
Today, the story has changed. The same chicks now cost ₦2,000 or more. Worse still, farmers have to book weeks in advance — often waiting three to four weeks before receiving their chicks. Sometimes, after the long wait, hatcheries announce a price increase, asking farmers to either pay up or collect a refund.
This situation is forcing many small-scale farmers to the edge.
The Hidden Struggle
Raising poultry in Nigeria has always come with challenges — high feed costs, expensive vaccines, poor infrastructure, and unreliable power supply. But when the foundation of poultry production — the day-old chick — becomes both scarce and unaffordable, the entire value chain is destabilized.
Hatcheries claim that the hike is caused by higher feed costs for breeder birds, exchange rate volatility, import restrictions on hatching eggs, and high energy costs. These are valid points, but they highlight a deeper issue: an unregulated and unsupported poultry system.
Farmers have nowhere to report unfair practices or sudden price changes. If they reject the new rate, they lose their booking and their production schedule collapses.
The Ripple Effect
The ripple effects of this crisis go beyond individual farmers.
Many small and medium-scale poultry farms are closing down or reducing flock size.
Feed mills and input suppliers are losing customers.
Jobs — from attendants to transporters — are being lost daily.
The price of eggs and chicken meat is climbing, putting pressure on consumers.
If this continues, Nigeria risks losing a vital sector that provides food security, employment, and income for millions of households.
What Needs to Be Done
The situation calls for urgent action from government, hatcheries, and farmer associations.
1. Government Regulation and Support:
The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development must step in to monitor and regulate hatchery pricing.
Provide soft loans, breeder support, and energy subsidies to stabilize production costs.
Encourage local breeder stock and hatching egg production to reduce import dependence.
2. Empower the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN):
PAN should act as a neutral voice for both hatcheries and farmers, ensuring fairness and transparency.
Create a complaint and arbitration platform where farmers can report issues without fear of being ignored.
3. Farmer Cooperation:
Farmers should form cooperatives to make bulk chick bookings, negotiate better prices, and even invest in mini-hatcheries together.
4. Feed and Energy Alternatives:
Promote locally available feed ingredients like cassava peels, palm kernel cake, and maggot meal to cut down feed costs.
Support renewable energy use in hatcheries and farms.
A Call for Attention
The poultry industry is one of the backbones of Nigeria’s agricultural economy. It provides millions of jobs and remains a major source of affordable protein.
But with the current crisis in day-old chick pricing and supply, that backbone is beginning to crack.
Farmers are not asking for handouts — they are asking for fairness, consistency, and a system that allows them to plan and survive.
If the government and key players don’t act now, the cost of eggs, chicken, and even feed will continue to rise — and Nigeria’s dream of achieving food security will remain out of reach.
Because if farmers stop producing, the whole nation will pay the price.
