jasper7:
it's interesting that we make so many rookie errors in agriculture. I love to see myself as a rookie. some years back when I was running a big poultry farm in my house. it was a farm of very interesting boilers. I wanted to start packaging at 1KG and start distributing to hotels around my area. because I was already supplying them fish at that time. I spent alot of money building pens for them. It's actually a long story, but bottomline was that I ran into crisis, because my cost of production was by far higher than my sale price so I was running on a perpetual loss. I consulted a "professional farmer" on Nairaland. told him my problems and he proffered solutions. Do you know I took his words hook, line and sinker. because of the way he boasted here of the millions he has made from broilers. His "solution" put me into a bigger mess. till today, am still angry about the whole experience. it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

well, as it turns out. the so called professional, had no idea of what he was talking about. am not even sure he knows what a chicken looks like. because the advice he gave me, when I consulted experienced farmers, they said that all the things the guy told me are rubbish. on paper, it looks good. but practically, it's not feasible. that's when I discovered that the young man I have been hailing as a professional is actually an internet farmer, hungry to sell e-book. That's when I discovered that the real farmers don't have time to write e-book, because they are too busy developing virgin lands and breaking new grounds.

same applies, think about it. how many dangote's, adenuga's, bill gates or Carlos slim's of this world have written books on how to be a billionaire or how to run a successful business. None! who writes those books? poor men, who use those books to become billionaires. Look at Robert Kiyosaki (author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad). you'd be surprised that he declared bankruptcy about 3 years ago. but he's the biggest consultant on wealth in the world. How?

Put your mind to reason. if you want to learn about something. go to those who have succeeded in that thing abd observe them. do your own research and you are good to go.

yes o that is real nd rare fact,God bless u sir keep it up.

jethro2:
Wooooww.
You are the bomb.
Thanks so much for putting this in writting.
You nail it on the head

Welcome, I have been waiting to hear from u, I know u are loaded, pls let learn from those sin/error u ave committed. Thanks......... Pls more, more, more, let intending farmers knows that it not bread and akara.....

Soloxam:
Welcome, I have been waiting to hear from u, I know u are loaded, pls let learn from those sin/error u ave committed. Thanks......... Pls more, more, more, let intending farmers knows that it not bread and akara.....

Lol at waiting for me. Thanks for the vote of confidence. You are not yet a farmer if you have not made bundle of mistakes. The utmost importance is learning from your mistakes. I have committed a lot of errors in the farm one that vividly comes to mind is when a supposed farmer give me the assurance of how i will make N10,000,000 from an hectare of tomatoes. Unbelievable you think.
Hmnnnn. With my careful calculation i cut it down and within me i was targetting atleast N5,000,000.
Lo and behold I plunged in all my resources, all my efforts to meet my desire target. I was always on the phone with her to give me instruction.
The truth dawn on me when i could only realise 10 basket instead of expected 1000 baskets.
The tomatoes hardly survive from the nursery. All my hope were dashed.
But farming is for the passionate. You cant afford to give up.
I traced my step back. Bought the another set of seed, give it to the practising farmers and said try this.
Unbelievably, their tomatoes was bigger and yield more than my farm produce despite that they did not make use of any fertilizer.
What i have learnt
1. Farming is not a get rich quickly profession. You ve got to learn the ropes. Get it right first before plunging in
2. There are lot of factors that one needs to really considered and find a way to work around.
3. practise¡ practise¡¡ practise¡¡¡. Farmer A succeding in year one does not automatically means that farmer B will be.

NOTE
I later found out my so called mentor has been feeding me with informations from the internet.

The farmers tomato did well due to soil factor.
My nursery were affected from too much use of chemicals.

jethro2:

Lol at waiting for me. Thanks for the vote of confidence. You are not yet a farmer if you have not made bundle of mistakes. The utmost importance is learning from your mistakes. I have committed a lot of errors in the farm one that vividly comes to mind is when a supposed farmer give me the assurance of how i will make N10,000,000 from an hectare of tomatoes. Unbelievable you think.
Hmnnnn. With my careful calculation i cut it down and within me i was targetting atleast N5,000,000.
Lo and behold I plunged in all my resources, all my efforts to meet my desire target. I was always on the phone with her to give me instruction.
The truth dawn on me when i could only realise 10 basket instead of expected 1000 baskets.
The tomatoes hardly survive from the nursery. All my hope were dashed.
But farming is for the passionate. You cant afford to give up.
I traced my step back. Bought the another set of seed, give it to the practising farmers and said try this.
Unbelievably, their tomatoes was bigger and yield more than my farm produce despite that they did not make use of any fertilizer.
What i have learnt
1. Farming is not a get rich quickly profession. You ve got to learn the ropes. Get it right first before plunging in
2. There are lot of factors that one needs to really considered and find a way to work around.
3. practise¡ practise¡¡ practise¡¡¡. Farmer A succeding in year one does not automatically means that farmer B will be.

NOTE
I later found out my so called mentor has been feeding me with informations from the internet.

The farmers tomato did well due to soil factor.
My nursery were affected from too much use of chemicals.

waoooo, thanks for all these info,@Jethro 2 pls could you please share with us the chemical u over use @the nursery and what will you advice on how/how much of it to use. pls don't put full stop to these article, we need to learn from farmers. thanks.

jethro2:

Lol at waiting for me. Thanks for the vote of confidence. You are not yet a farmer if you have not made bundle of mistakes. The utmost importance is learning from your mistakes. I have committed a lot of errors in the farm one that vividly comes to mind is when a supposed farmer give me the assurance of how i will make N10,000,000 from an hectare of tomatoes. Unbelievable you think.
Hmnnnn. With my careful calculation i cut it down and within me i was targetting atleast N5,000,000.
Lo and behold I plunged in all my resources, all my efforts to meet my desire target. I was always on the phone with her to give me instruction.
The truth dawn on me when i could only realise 10 basket instead of expected 1000 baskets.
The tomatoes hardly survive from the nursery. All my hope were dashed.
But farming is for the passionate. You cant afford to give up.
I traced my step back. Bought the another set of seed, give it to the practising farmers and said try this.
Unbelievably, their tomatoes was bigger and yield more than my farm produce despite that they did not make use of any fertilizer.
What i have learnt
1. Farming is not a get rich quickly profession. You ve got to learn the ropes. Get it right first before plunging in
2. There are lot of factors that one needs to really considered and find a way to work around.
3. practise¡ practise¡¡ practise¡¡¡. Farmer A succeding in year one does not automatically means that farmer B will be.

NOTE
I later found out my so called mentor has been feeding me with informations from the internet.

The farmers tomato did well due to soil factor.
My nursery were affected from too much use of chemicals.

God bless u bro, i've been thinking in that direction recently, I intend cultivating tomatoes this year, please can you give me some tips, or please drop your number so we can talk on Whatsapp....Please.... Thank U......

Soloxam:
waoooo, thanks for all these info,@Jethro 2 pls could you please share with us the chemical u over use @the nursery and what will you advice on how/how much of it to use. pls don't put full stop to these article, we need to learn from farmers. thanks.

We made use of NPK, liquid fertilizer and we added aspirin. Yes aspirin: you might be wondering. That was part of the instructions I followed.
Liquid soap also feature in the process. Like I said I thought i was learning from a pro.
But now I came to understand you need only to use organic fertilizer at a week in the nursery.
There is a way you do your nursery that increase your germination rate. All this i learnt from practical farmers.
Organic fertilizer you can source within your vicinity, poultry waste. Cow dungs etc.
You can only learn by practising

christian11:

God bless u bro, i've been thinking in that direction recently, I intend cultivating tomatoes this year, please can you give me some tips, or please drop your number so we can talk on Whatsapp....Please.... Thank U......

08188540096

jethro2:

We made use of NPK, liquid fertilizer and we added aspirin. Yes aspirin: you might be wondering. That was part of the instructions I followed.
Liquid soap also feature in the process. Like I said I thought i was learning from a pro.
But now I came to understand you need only to use organic fertilizer at a week in the nursery.
There is a way you do your nursery that increase your germination rate. All this i learnt from practical farmers.
Organic fertilizer you can source within your vicinity, poultry waste. Cow dungs etc.
You can only learn by practising

Thanks for ur contribution.

Soloxam:
Welcome, I have been waiting to hear from u, I know u are loaded, pls let learn from those sin/error u ave committed. Thanks......... Pls more, more, more, let intending farmers knows that it not bread and akara.....

Good day

I need to get in touch with you soloxam. I want to get seeds and I have been referred by jasper7 to contact you.

Kindly get in touch.

INFOTECH2:


Good day

I need to get in touch with you soloxam. I want to get seeds and I have been referred by jasper7 to contact you.

Kindly get in touch.

+Ok sir whatsapp me via my signature. Thank u sir.

NO FARMER NO NATION................GET INVOLVE.

Farmers learn on the job and making mistakes is not the issue rather it's how readily the problem is identified and tackled that matters. With practice, a farmer will realize that information derived from the internent is like a double edged sword because both fact and fiction are presented persuasively. Likewise seminars and e-manuals tend to be inadequate. I breed grasscutters and the greatest mistake i made was improper housing. The animal house didnt sufficiently protect the animals from cold of which grasscutters are extremely sensitive to. So a lot have died of pneumonia. A true farmer must learn to observe whateva plant or animal culture being grown. For it's through observation that the bulk of know-how is acquired.

fayahsoul:
Farmers learn on the job and making mistakes is not the issue rather it's how readily the problem is identified and tackled that matters. With practice, a farmer will realize that information derived from the internent is like a double edged sword because both fact and fiction are presented persuasively. Likewise seminars and e-manuals tend to be inadequate. I breed grasscutters and the greatest mistake i made was improper housing. The animal house didnt sufficiently protect the animals from cold of which grasscutters are extremely sensitive to. So a lot have died of pneumonia. A true farmer must learn to observe whateva plant or animal culture being grown. For it's through observation that the bulk of know-how is acquired.

You are very right sir, That is why we keep stressing it on this thread that constant practice is what makes you a good farmer, yet people need to be inform, to avoid been deformed, could u believe that u may be making a great mistake on ur farm, and u don't know it a mistake, until no means of correcting it? So these tips from different farmers base on their experience will guide one step.......Thanks bros for ur contribution.

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fayahsoul:
Farmers learn on the job and making mistakes is not the issue rather it's how readily the problem is identified and tackled that matters. With practice, a farmer will realize that information derived from the internent is like a double edged sword because both fact and fiction are presented persuasively. Likewise seminars and e-manuals tend to be inadequate. I breed grasscutters and the greatest mistake i made was improper housing. The animal house didnt sufficiently protect the animals from cold of which grasscutters are extremely sensitive to. So a lot have died of pneumonia. A true farmer must learn to observe whateva plant or animal culture being grown. For it's through observation that the bulk of know-how is acquired.

..
While getting information from the internet, u have to mind the site you get them from. Read about the same topic from various sites and also consider the climate the writer is writing about. All these will help u to make necessary adjustment to suit ur particular situation. I must confess that in my practice as a poultry farmer, the internet have served me greatly and I'll advice every farmer to be a bookworm/internet worm. Combine that with information from offline sources and u'll make a great and unique farm. Also note that the level of ur understanding can influence how u interpret wot u read. That's why u shud write down the link of every source of information u get. Reading things u don't understand well for a second time or more can be very helpful.

FarmTech:

..
While getting information from the internet, u have to mind the site you get them from. Read about the same topic from various sites and also consider the climate the writer is writing about. All these will help u to make necessary adjustment to suit ur particular situation. I must confess that in my practice as a poultry farmer, the internet have served me greatly and I'll advice every farmer to be a bookworm/internet worm. Combine that with information from offline sources and u'll make a great and unique farm. Also note that the level of ur understanding can influence how u interpret wot u read. That's why u shud write down the link of every source of information u get. Reading things u don't understand well for a second time or more can be very helpful.

Thanks for that tips sir.

FarmTech:

..
While getting information from the internet, u have to mind the site you get them from. Read about the same topic from various sites and also consider the climate the writer is writing about. All these will help u to make necessary adjustment to suit ur particular situation. I must confess that in my practice as a poultry farmer, the internet have served me greatly and I'll advice every farmer to be a bookworm/internet worm. Combine that with information from offline sources and u'll make a great and unique farm. Also note that the level of ur understanding can influence how u interpret wot u read. That's why u shud write down the link of every source of information u get. Reading things u don't understand well for a second time or more can be very helpful.

My broda i'm not saying that internet resources are useless rather my point is that it's only through observing the happenings in the farm and then comparing and constrasting with the informate available on the net that the facts can be separated from fiction. For instance, the dimensions of the very first cage i built was based on what i read on the net. The dimensions were appropriate but the materials i used to construct it wasnt because i didnt take into consideration the powerful jaws of grasscutters which can be very destructive. They gnaw on every every. It's really remarkable. It was when i stocked the cages that i realized the inefficiency of the materials i used. So i had to start rectifying the problem and that cost me much. One irony i have noticed is that the best solutions to practical problems are usually also the simplest and cheapest. Happy new year my fellow farmers may we all reap bountifully this year. tanx.

jasper7:
it's interesting that we make so many rookie errors in agriculture. I love to see myself as a rookie. some years back when I was running a big poultry farm in my house. it was a farm of very interesting boilers. I wanted to start packaging at 1KG and start distributing to hotels around my area. because I was already supplying them fish at that time. I spent alot of money building pens for them. It's actually a long story, but bottomline was that I ran into crisis, because my cost of production was by far higher than my sale price so I was running on a perpetual loss. I consulted a "professional farmer" on Nairaland. told him my problems and he proffered solutions. Do you know I took his words hook, line and sinker. because of the way he boasted here of the millions he has made from broilers. His "solution" put me into a bigger mess. till today, am still angry about the whole experience. it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

well, as it turns out. the so called professional, had no idea of what he was talking about. am not even sure he knows what a chicken looks like. because the advice he gave me, when I consulted experienced farmers, they said that all the things the guy told me are rubbish. on paper, it looks good. but practically, it's not feasible. that's when I discovered that the young man I have been hailing as a professional is actually an internet farmer, hungry to sell e-book. That's when I discovered that the real farmers don't have time to write e-book, because they are too busy developing virgin lands and breaking new grounds.

same applies, think about it. how many dangote's, adenuga's, bill gates or Carlos slim's of this world have written books on how to be a billionaire or how to run a successful business. None! who writes those books? poor men, who use those books to become billionaires. Look at Robert Kiyosaki (author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad). you'd be surprised that he declared bankruptcy about 3 years ago. but he's the biggest consultant on wealth in the world. How?

Put your mind to reason. if you want to learn about something. go to those who have succeeded in that thing abd observe them. do your own research and you are good to go.

Sorry for the loss but i advice that you expose the username of the "naira professional" that you are refering to so others wont fall victim.

Thanks soloxam for creating this thread .
I have learn a lot from the bitter experiences of other farmers on this thread

I have a lot of bitter experiences but i will share one today.
I remember some years ago when i leased some acres of land around ogun state.
The man told me it was 16 acres and i didnot bother to measure
i thought that since the man is a farmer he should be able to know and tell me accurately so i didnot bother to measure.

I gave him the money for the lease for the whole 16 acres and he collected it.
All the labours who work on the farm also charge me based on the 16 acres.
All the chemicals,fertilisers adequate for 16 acres are bought
The tractor man who plough the land also charge for 16 acres.

I began to suspect that all is not well when i was told that some chemicals and fertilisers remained about 7 cartons.

One of the farmer in the area told me to measure the land when i harvest my corn and i discover that the harvest is far below the target yield.

The next day, i came to the farm with the workers and tape rule,measuring acre by acre......no be small stress.

I later discover i was farming just 7acres.

Since then,i dont start farm without measuring the land using a surveyor.

Lesgupnigeria:
Thanks soloxam for creating this thread .
I have learn a lot from the bitter experiences of other farmers on this thread

I have a lot of bitter experiences but i will share one today.
I remember some years ago when i leased some acres of land around ogun state.
The man told me it was 16 acres and i didnot bother to measure
i thought that since the man is a farmer he should be able to know and tell me accurately so i didnot bother to measure.

I gave him the money for the lease for the whole 16 acres and he collected it.
All the labours who work on the farm also charge me based on the 16 acres.
All the chemicals,fertilisers adequate for 16 acres are bought
The tractor man who plough the land also charge for 16 acres.

I began to suspect that all is not well when i was told that some chemicals and fertilisers remained about 7 cartons.

One of the farmer in the area told me to measure the land when i harvest my corn and i discover that the harvest is far below the target yield.

The next day, i came to the farm with the workers and tape rule,measuring acre by acre......no be small stress.

I later discover i was farming just 7acres.

Since then,i dont start farm without measuring the land using a surveyor.

what a great lost, you only trusted the man, too bad of him. That is why I always advice people to trust but verify...... Welcome on board mr Yusuf, more pls let keep those experience rolling......

Jasper7 I really like your post and will like to learn from you. I want to go into poultry precisely egg production. Although am scared with all you have said earlier but I have done poultry on a small scale before.we reared Turkey and some broilers then. Suddenly the Turkeys summersaulted and died. Up till today I don't know what happened. But I love poultry and want to go back but this time to make more profit.

I want to convert my dad's 3 bedroom flat for this use. I think the Place is ventilated enough. Please advice if it's OK and any secrets to cut down feeding expenses . Thanks alot

cbrass:
Jasper7 I really like your post and will like to learn from you. I want to go into poultry precisely egg production. Although am scared with all you have said earlier but I have done poultry on a small scale before.we reared Turkey and some broilers then. Suddenly the Turkeys summersaulted and died. Up till today I don't know what happened. But I love poultry and want to go back but this time to make more profit.

I want to convert my dad's 3 bedroom flat for this use. I think the Place is ventilated enough. Please advice if it's OK and any secrets to cut down feeding expenses . Thanks alot

still laughing at summersaulted and died . U dey attend mfm?

mercylicious:


still laughing at summersaulted and died . U dey attend mfm?

as in eee. me too just dey burst laugh

cbrass:
Jasper7 I really like your post and will like to learn from you. I want to go into poultry precisely egg production. Although am scared with all you have said earlier but I have done poultry on a small scale before.we reared Turkey and some broilers then. Suddenly the Turkeys summersaulted and died. Up till today I don't know what happened. But I love poultry and want to go back but this time to make more profit.

I want to convert my dad's 3 bedroom flat for this use. I think the Place is ventilated enough. Please advice if it's OK and any secrets to cut down feeding expenses . Thanks alot

are you sure it's well ventilated? from the little I know, ventilation is key o. if not, them go just somersault and die. heat kills birds like no man's business. so... you have to find a solution to that. create more windows or put an industrial fan in the chicken house. the easiest way to cut down cost of feed is to formulate your own feed. visit the poultry threads on this section for more powerful info

mercylicious:


still laughing at summersaulted and died . U dey attend mfm?

No o, the thing be like nollywood film for my eyes that day.

jasper7:
are you sure it's well ventilated? from the little I know, ventilation is key o. if not, them go just somersault and die. heat kills birds like no man's business. so... you have to find a solution to that. create more windows or put an industrial fan in the chicken house. the easiest way to cut down cost of feed is to formulate your own feed. visit the poultry threads on this section for more powerful info

The seating room alone have like 5 big windows while other rooms have two windows.Please could you give me the thread link?

We (Myself and my brother) run a layer farm of About 2500birds now. Some time about October - November 2014, there was scarcity of any form of poultry feed in my Uyo, Akwa Ibom state where our farm is located. Our birds were starved so bad that their feeding ration dropped from 13 bags a day to 2bags, some days no bag. We had money but could not source feed. The overall effect we lost more than 1.5million naira on feed money within two months trying to make the birds gain weight and continue production of eggs as they where guzzling feed like no mans business when the feed was eventually available and still not laying eggs. We had to be buying feed as buch as 3,200 naira from 2,250 it used to be before the scarcity. This b#llshit messed up so many of our friends that they had to sell off their layers birds for meet as there was no feed and they birds where dying or not laying egss anymore.
They birds have picked up production now and we can breathe some air. They only reason we culd battle this was cos we could source money (I mean a million plus in naira) to feed this guys for two straight months while not sure if they will pickup production.
Now this is no farmers mistake but a farmers problem.
Lesson: Have a plan B source of feed.

We now buy feed in trucks and sell some. if we hear any sign of scarcity we will quickly readjust. Have your plan B my fellow farmers. I have seen friends loose bigtime, and it was no fault of thiers.

We had to queue for 2hours repeatedly to buy 2bags of feed for a farm that needed 12bags a day at the minimum. and the price of feed went up by 1000naira. It was so bad that our fat birds could now wiggle out of their cages because of weight loss. Some folks could not afford to buy feed at the current rate and had to sell of their layers for meet as they where not even laying again to assist in feeding.
In all I felt happy being associated in the whole mess as I made new farmer friends at the queue for feed. I have a good job already, I bring the cash my brother runs the farm and I assists when I am around.
We are now making arrangement to start feed distribution so we can have a say in the matter when the axe drops hard again like it did last year. This is our first time in poultry biz, we are hope full cos we wanna make a difference.
I got my resolve to start the farm after reading this thread over and over again, thanks guys.

eaglevirus:
We (Myself and my brother) run a layer farm of About 2500birds now. Some time about October - November 2014, there was scarcity of any form of poultry feed in my Uyo, Akwa Ibom state where our farm is located. Our birds were starved so bad that their feeding ration dropped from 13 bags a day to 2bags, some days no bag. We had money but could not source feed. The overall effect we lost more than 1.5million naira on feed money within two months trying to make the birds gain weight and continue production of eggs as they where guzzling feed like no mans business when the feed was eventually available and still not laying eggs. We had to be buying feed as buch as 3,200 naira from 2,250 it used to be before the scarcity. This b#llshit messed up so many of our friends that they had to sell off their layers birds for meet as there was no feed and they birds where dying or not laying egss anymore.
They birds have picked up production now and we can breathe some air. They only reason we culd battle this was cos we could source money (I mean a million plus in naira) to feed this guys for two straight months while not sure if they will pickup production.
Now this is no farmers mistake but a farmers problem.
Lesson: Have a plan B source of feed.

We now buy feed in trucks and sell some. if we hear any sign of scarcity we will quickly readjust. Have your plan B my fellow farmers. I have seen friends loose bigtime, and it was no fault of thiers.

one bag of ur fEed is how many kg?

eaglevirus:
We (Myself and my brother) run a layer farm of About 2500birds now. Some time about October - November 2014, there was scarcity of any form of poultry feed in my Uyo, Akwa Ibom state where our farm is located. Our birds were starved so bad that their feeding ration dropped from 13 bags a day to 2bags, some days no bag. We had money but could not source feed. The overall effect we lost more than 1.5million naira on feed money within two months trying to make the birds gain weight and continue production of eggs as they where guzzling feed like no mans business when the feed was eventually available and still not laying eggs. We had to be buying feed as buch as 3,200 naira from 2,250 it used to be before the scarcity. This b#llshit messed up so many of our friends that they had to sell off their layers birds for meet as there was no feed and they birds where dying or not laying egss anymore.
They birds have picked up production now and we can breathe some air. They only reason we culd battle this was cos we could source money (I mean a million plus in naira) to feed this guys for two straight months while not sure if they will pickup production.
Now this is no farmers mistake but a farmers problem.
Lesson: Have a plan B source of feed.

We now buy feed in trucks and sell some. if we hear any sign of scarcity we will quickly readjust. Have your plan B my fellow farmers. I have seen friends loose bigtime, and it was no fault of thiers.

Thanks so much for sharing with us here on this thread. You have made a good point that A FARMER shld have plan B while practising farming.... It a very good point which is applicable to all area of Agriculture... Sincerely sir you were able to over come this problem because u are financially buoyant, pls what advice will u give to small scale farmer who can not afford to buy feed in such a large qty? Pls what are the alternative source of poultry feeds, pls poultry farmer @ farmtech help us out.

thanks for creating this tread @soloxam.
we are really learning inportant issues here.

Eaglevirus pls will those birds be able to give you the money you spend on feeling them in a day. Co's this 13bags yo mentioned is scary o and going to be too expensive for me cos I plan to go into poultry(layers)