Raising chickens rewarding occupation

 RAISING chickens on a commercial scale is proving to be a rewarding occupation for some hardworking PNG women.

Tablebirds, the country’s largest producer of chicken meat and eggs, outsources growing of meat chickens to local farmers in Morobe, a long-standing and very successful relationship.

At a recent gathering to pay cash bonuses to the most efficient poultry producers supplying the company, about one-third of the farmers receiving rewards were women.

There were techniques of animal care that needed to be applied to bringing a large flock of day old chicks through to maturity as plump, tasty birds ready for tables across PNG, and women were proving to be very good at the task.

“Women are generally caring, patient, and well-suited to care for young growing creatures, including our chickens,” Tablebirds’ broiler and food processing manager Tewie Van Den Berg said as he handed out cheques totalling K104,000 to 16 of the most efficient growers for the past month.

Outgrowers, who build their own large poultry sheds, are supplied with thousands of day old chicks free of charge by the company, as well as a supply of nutritious stock feed formulated at Tablebirds’ Lae feed mill.

Clean, well-ventilated sheds and frequently changed fresh water are two of the secrets of successful chicken raising, as well as spending time with the birds and being aware of their growth rates and general condition.  Some successful growers even walk their birds around the shed to stimulate activity and appetite.

After the growing period, the birds are picked up by Tablebirds, ready to be processed.  

The grower then receives a set price for each chicken.

Tablebirds has 232 active outgrowers, and pays out K11 million annually, or an average K47,000 per outgrower family each year.

Together with production from its own poultry farms, Tablebirds grows and sells 18 million chickens and 25 million eggs every year.