Finest Time to Purchase Day-Outdated Chicks in Nigeria – Justagric

Buy day old chicks on the flawed time and also you’ll battle moist litter, coccidiosis flare-ups, warmth stress, or tender vacation markets. Purchase on the proper time, and those self same chicks flip into tidy earnings with calmer brooding, cheaper feed, and clients who pay with smiles as a substitute of haggling. In response to Nigeria’s meteorological outlook, wet and dry seasons nonetheless form our farms greater than any single enter, and the trick is matching your chicks to these seasons and to demand spikes.

On this information I’ll present you, step-by-step, the most effective time to purchase day-old chicks in Nigeria, utilizing actual information from NiMet’s local weather outlook, FEWS NET value bulletins, market-day patterns (these well-known Monday/Thursday bookings), and what farmers are literally saying in boards and teams. You’ll be taught when to guide, when to brood, the right way to work round wet and harmattan challenges, and the right way to hit the large demand home windows like Christmas and Ramadan with out guessing.

How Seasonality Adjustments “Finest Time” (By Nigeria’s Local weather)

In wet months, humidity soaks litter and quickens coccidia sporulation; in dry/harmattan months, chilly drafts at night time and dusty air can tip chicks into stress and even pulmonary hypertension if brooding is sloppy. That’s not simply lore. Research in Nigerian flocks constantly discover larger coccidiosis strain within the moist season and larger cold-stress danger in harmattan, each of which change the actual, on-farm “finest time to purchase day-old chicks in Nigeria.”

Wet season (roughly April–October): simple on warmth, onerous on hygiene

Rain on the roof is soothing, but it surely makes sloppy brooding costly. Moist litter desserts underneath the drinkers, ammonia rises, and coccidia thrive. A Nigerian multi-year hospital file confirmed extra coccidiosis instances throughout the moist months; one other area examine tied outbreaks to humid, poorly managed litter, precisely what small farms battle when the heavens open. The sensible repair is boring however gold: deeper, drier litter; immediate spill management; anticoccidial packages that truly match your vaccine historical past; and extra frequent scraping round bell drinkers. In the event you should inventory within the core rains, construct a mini-drain round the home and maintain roofs from dripping into the pad.

From a planning lens, NiMet’s 2025 Seasonal Local weather Prediction (SCP) flags onset/cessation dates, dry-spell dangers, and even a “Little Dry Season” module, instruments you should use to time brooding when your state isn’t at peak deluge. In the event you’re in a zone with an early onset this yr, front-load your bedding and nutritional vitamins as a result of brooding humidity will chew sooner.

Learn Extra: 5 Problems Farmers Are Likely to Encounter This Rainy Season

Little Dry Season within the Southwest

Southwest farms (Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti) experience a bimodal rainfall sample with a brief “August break.” Agrimet analysis on SW Nigeria describes the April begin, a June–July peak, a quick lull in August, then a second wet peak into September. In the event you’re disciplined, that lull is a candy, lower-humidity window to brood pullets or a broiler batch, particularly if July was a mud battle in your home. NiMet’s SCP actually lists “Little Dry Season (LDS)” amongst 2025 highlights; pair that together with your native forecast moderately than guessing.

North & North-Central: brief moist, lengthy dry, harmattan nights

Within the NW/NE belts, the rains are shorter; cessation usually begins early October because the ITCZ retreats, then dry, windy harmattan arrives with broad day–night time temperature swings. A managed Nigerian examine on broilers throughout harmattan documented cold-dry winds, mud, and better danger of pulmonary hypertension/ascites, with vitamin C serving to birds cope. Translation for chick timing: in the event you inventory into harmattan, funds additional warmth and seal drafts ruthlessly; in any other case, goal your DOCs for late rains or early dry season when nights aren’t brutally chilly. NiMet’s 2025 outlook locations earliest cessation round 6 Oct in components of Sokoto, Zamfara, and Katsina.

Warmth is the opposite half of the northern equation. Traditional Nigerian work on heat stress within the Northern Guinea Savannah exhibits how sizzling spells hammer efficiency and welfare; in case your brooding month straddles a warmth spike, shift feeding to chill hours, chase airflow (with out drafts on chicks), and maintain water chilly and plentiful.

Learn Extra: 4 Deadly Poultry Diseases To Prevent During The Cold Season

South-South/Coastal belt

Alongside the coast (Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Lagos), 2025 is projected to ship 250–290 wet days, with complete rainfall far above the northern inside. That’s a blessing for crops and a curse for sloppy drainage. In the event you brood right here, the “finest time” isn’t solely about dates, it’s about home prep: gutters, splash guards, raised flooring, and a backup for brooder warmth as a result of energy blips plus soaked litter equals chilled chicks.

Virtually, many coastal farms do effectively with late-October/early-November stocking for Christmas birds, then one other run after the New Yr when humidity and every day rain depth start to ease. Examine your state’s cessation window; within the southmost states, it usually slides to mid-December, which explains the soggy pens many people nurse into early dry season.

Overlay the crop/value calendar

Seasonality isn’t solely sky and wind; it’s feed. FEWS NET seasonal calendars chart when planting and harvests normally hit, which is when maize and soy availability and transport look friendliest. In a typical yr, post-harvest availability improves into Oct–Dec within the north, easing costs and logistics. Whenever you’re timing DOCs for late-year demand, it’s sensible to guide chicks and pre-position feed in the identical breath so a sudden maize leap doesn’t choke your first 4–6 weeks.

So…what does this imply to your purchase window?

• In case your farm floods or stays clammy in core rains, wait to your native dry spell or LDS or late-rains window and improve drainage earlier than you dare these months. You’re preventing biology in any other case.
• In the event you’re within the north and hate operating brooders all night time, keep away from the deepest harmattan for tiny chicks. Both inventory earlier than chilly nights chew (and promote earlier) or double down on warmth, draft management, and vitamin assist in the event you should inventory then.
• In the event you’re coastal, settle for that humidity is your year-round roommate. Your “finest time” skews towards temporary, drier breaks (and the Oct–Nov run for Christmas), with aggressive litter administration on wet weeks.

Market Timing for Revenue (Demand Peaks)

Why timing the market issues (greater than we admit)

I discovered this the noisy means one smoky December at Bodija market. My birds had been prepared, shiny, the litter smelled faintly of heat pine and feed mash, however consumers had been haggling like magicians as a result of a late feed hike had spooked the market. The farms that booked chicks earlier and landed completed broilers every week earlier than the vacation rush walked away smiling.

Knowledge matches that have: Nigerian enterprise desks report sharp festive-season value rises for hen, in some years costs doubled or tripled into late December as households scrambled for Christmas meat. That tells you a easy fact: in order for you prime returns, line up your grow-out to reach simply earlier than peak demand and lock your birds early to keep away from the last-minute value spikes.

Christmas/New Yr, your greatest, loudest window

Throughout Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja and past, retail tales present hen costs climbing into Christmas; some households even prepay and gather later to dodge last-minute hikes. You additionally see real-world chatter on boards about “table-size broilers promoting at ₦25k–₦35k” in late December, imperfect, sure, but it surely’s the lived market.

Put collectively, the sign is constant: December demand is the best of the yr, however late consumers face sticker shock. To experience the wave, plan backward: for Dec 25, 2025, a 7-week program means stocking round Nov 6 (6 weeks Nov 13, 8 weeks, Oct 30). That offers you room for slips (warmth, energy, feed provide) and a tidy end earlier than the last-minute rush.

Ramadan/Eid, second peak with a unique rhythm

In Muslim-majority neighborhoods and combined cities, Ramadan and Eid reliably push poultry demand up. Business roundups present poultry consumption leaping throughout the area throughout the holy month, and even when households lean towards ram for Eid al-Adha, the protein funds squeezes different meats upward too. For broilers, I rely 6–8 weeks again out of your native peak days and guide 2–3 weeks forward to sidestep last-minute DOC value adjustments. This window shifts yearly (lunar calendar), so don’t memorize dates. Plan backward, then lock feed and logistics early.

Mondays and Thursdays, how hatch/market days form your reserving

In the event you’ve ever questioned why sellers maintain saying “come Monday or Thursday,” it’s not a gross sales trick. Main distributors and marketplaces publish or finalize day-old chick prices on Mondays and Thursdays, and so they batch bookings round these cycles. Justagric Agros notes that remaining costs can be found on Mondays and Thursdays from 9 a.m., and we inform consumers to guide/pay on Mondays and Thursdays earlier than late morning as a result of that’s when the most effective costs are recognized. Use that data to your benefit: guide 2–3 market days forward of your goal stocking week so you may examine a number of hatcheries and lock transport.

Value habits you may financial institution on (and hedge in opposition to)

A sample repeats most years: chicks prices rise into festivities, then cool after. Farmers’ pages and native ag retailers reported December surges adopted by January value drops, which is strictly when some farmers maintain over birds and remorse it. The hedge is straightforward: determine your exit week the identical day you place your DOC order, and write it on the wall above the brooder. In the event you’re lacking your goal by every week (feed glitch, energy cuts), trim losses: lighten night feed throughout sizzling spells to keep away from setbacks, and don’t maintain birds far into January hoping for a miracle.

Learn extra: Best Time to Buy Day-Old Chicks in Nigeria

Broilers vs Layers: Completely different “Finest Time”

Whenever you’re deciding the most effective time to purchase day-old chicks in Nigeria, the primary fork within the street is straightforward: are you shopping for broilers or layers? Broilers transfer quick, suppose 35–42 days to market underneath good administration. That’s not simply farmer folklore; fashionable breed manuals (Ross 308, Cobb 500) construct their packages round this 6–8-week actuality and even notice that birds carried past 42 days normally require an additional finisher part that provides price with out all the time lifting margin.

Layers, alternatively, are a protracted sport. A Hy-Line Brown efficiency information pegs 50% manufacturing at 144 days from hatch, roughly 20–21 weeks, with targets for physique weight and uniformity by 17 weeks that arrange all the laying cycle. In different phrases, timing for layers is much less a few fast festive growth and extra about lining up point-of-lay (POL) with a relaxed, well-prepared home and a dependable feed plan.

How I plan broilers (backward from the sale date)

With broilers, I actually stand within the pen, take a deep breath of that heat wood-shaving scent, and plan backwards from the day I would like birds offered. Christmas or an area pageant on the calendar? I rely 6–8 weeks again and guide chicks to land cleanly in that window. It sounds fundamental, but it surely’s anchored in breed science and cashflow: Ross and Cobb guides anticipate fast early development and environment friendly end by week 6–7 when the home, feed and temperature are proper. Stretching birds far previous 6–8 weeks can dilute FCR beneficial properties and push you into pricier finisher feed.

How I time layers (ahead to point-of-lay)

For layers, I plan ahead to point-of-lay. Administration guides are unambiguous: pullets ought to hit goal weights with greater than 90% uniformity by 17 weeks, then experience a clean ramp to first eggs. Hy-Line exhibits Days to 50% manufacturing and recommends rising mild in small steps till reaching 16 hours to stimulate and maintain lay. Nigeria’s pure day size hovers close to 12 hours, so most industrial farms add supplemental lighting as birds strategy POL; extension notes and layer manuals broadly agree that 14–16 hours of sunshine helps peak lay and consistency.

What this implies in apply: in order for you eggs flowing by, say, late September, you’d purchase day-old pullets 20–22 weeks earlier (April–Might), otherwise you’d buy POL pullets (14–16 weeks) a number of weeks forward and end the rearing in your farm. Shopping for POL is frequent right here; main Nigerian distributors record 12–16-week ISA Brown pullets and clarify that lay usually begins round 18–22 weeks, relying on administration.

Local weather & housing change the “finest month” for every

Broilers forgive you quicker as a result of they go away rapidly, however their first two weeks are fragile. In case your brooder fights chilly harmattan nights (dusty, drafty, energy cuts), both harden your brooding setup or keep away from stocking the tiniest chicks within the deepest harmattan weeks; analysis in Nigeria hyperlinks that season to extra chilly stress in younger birds. Layers expose you to those self same first-weeks dangers, then ask you to maintain them regular all the best way to POL.

I push many first-time layer farmers towards calmer climate home windows, late dry season as nights heat, or post-peak rains when litter stays drier, so that they’re not coaching pullets within the worst humidity or chilly. Again up the choice with NiMet’s Seasonal Local weather Prediction to your state; use its onset/cessation and dry-spell notes to pencil a rearing calendar that avoids your native extremes.

POL vs day-old pullets, two timing performs

In the event you’re brief on brooding gear or energy, POL purchases is usually a safer on-ramp: Nigerian suppliers routinely supply 12–16-week pullets with vaccination histories, and so they’re candid that hens usually begin to lay from 18 to 22 weeks, reaching larger charges a number of months later underneath good feed and lightweight. You continue to have to synchronize lighting to hit 16 hours as they strategy first eggs, however you’ve skipped the scariest brooding weeks. Favor the entire journey? Purchase day-old pullets, run a decent rearing program to 17 weeks (weight + uniformity), then “change on” lay with lighting and weight loss plan adjustments proper on schedule.

Cashflow & danger: which chook matches your yr?

Broilers focus your danger into 6–8 weeks (feed, warmth, and a single sale second), so that they shine when you may goal at a transparent demand spike (Christmas/New Yr, native festivals). Layers unfold danger (20+ weeks to POL, then months of every day gross sales) and depend upon constant administration. If feed volatility is your headache, verify FEWS NET’s seasonal notes and line up maize/soy throughout friendlier post-harvest durations before you purchase chicks; a steady feed pipeline issues extra to layers as a result of their payback is a marathon, not a dash.

Value Timing: Feed & Utilities

Line up feed with Nigeria’s crop calendar, not vibes

The smoothest cycles I’ve ever run had been those the place the feed bay was already stacked earlier than the chicks touched down. That’s not luck, it’s timing. In a typical Nigerian season, maize and soy availability improves after harvests, and you are feeling it in costs and trucking temper.

FAO’s 2025 country brief for Nigeria notes that in southern bimodal zones the main-season maize harvest comes June–August, whereas northern unimodal areas roll into planting later and harvest round October–December. Once I inventory broilers for Christmas, I attempt to pre-position starter and grower because the northern grains begin transferring (Oct/Nov), so I’m not shopping for into a decent, festive market with jittery transport.

If you would like a quick learn on value path, verify regional screens. AGRA’s July 2025 Food Security Monitor reported a six-month decline in common maize costs in Nigeria (46% throughout markets monitored), a reminder that timing purchases with harvest flows and foreign money swings issues as a lot as negotiating ₦50 off a bag. Pair that with FEWS NET’s seasonal materials if you plan; it helps you see when provide is loosening or tightening behind the scenes.

Why Mondays & Thursdays Matter (Hatch/Market Days)

Main Nigerian distributors truly publish or finalize day-old chick (DOC) prices twice every week, in sync with hatchery dispatch. Justagric chicks order page states that the ultimate value is out there on Mondays and Thursdays from 9 a.m., and that costs are up to date twice weekly primarily based on market charges. Behind these updates is hatchery biology and logistics. Chickens hatch in about 21 days, and industrial hatcheries work in weekly units to allow them to transfer uniform, day-old heaps to market effectively. F

AO’s poultry handbook pegs the hen incubation window at 20–21 days; the business and even farmer-education threads echo the weekly-set, day-old dispatch sample you see on the bottom. As soon as trays come out, the purpose is fast motion, wholesome DOCs, heat packing containers, and same-day or next-day arrival. That’s why you additionally see distributors standardizing supply and pickup on Mon/Thu (and in some areas Tue/Fri) to match the hatch.

Most Southwest consumers (Ibadan–Lagos axis) will hear “supply Monday/Thursday” as a result of vehicles can run these loops in a day; some distributors publish Tuesday/Friday for farther areas as a consequence of distance. Some distributors, as an example, lists Mon/Thu for Southwest and Tue/Fri for different areas, with mid-week or weekend hand-offs for far-north routes as wanted.

Finest Time To Purchase Chicks State-by-State

This part turns NiMet’s 2025 Seasonal Local weather Prediction into sensible stocking home windows for a number of high-density farming clusters. I’m intentionally utilizing ranges (not one “magic date”) as a result of NiMet releases onset/cessation, dry spells, and the Southwest’s “Little Dry Season (LDS)” as home windows, and people are what matter in a brooder. You may all the time open NiMet’s SCP hub to sanity-check your state earlier than you place an order.

Lagos / Ogun / Oyo (South-West, bimodal rains with an August “break”)

Within the SW, farms experience two rainfall peaks with a quick Little Dry Season (“August break”) within the center. For 2025, NiMet’s SCP particularly lists LDS as a planning characteristic alongside onset/cessation and dry-spells, which is your sign to brood round late-July to August when humidity usually dips a notch. Coastal/inland SW additionally tends to see later cessation than the far north; NiMet’s public temporary even flags late cessation over components of Ogun and Oyo in 2025. So, anticipate soggy pens longer than upcountry; in order for you Christmas broilers, inventory late Oct–mid Nov.

On the bottom you’ll really feel it: a heat, damp scent even earlier than the birds arrive, drinker rings that cake sooner, and ammonia spikes after in a single day rains. Use deeper, drier litter and fast spill management, otherwise you’ll pay for it with feed conversion later. If a vendor quotes Monday/Thursday availability, guide two Mon/Thu cycles forward of your goal week so you may choose the cleanest route into Lagos–Ibadan site visitors and pre-position feed earlier than transport quotes climb into the vacations.

Rivers / Akwa Ibom / Bayelsa / Cross River / Delta (South-South, very lengthy moist season)

NiMet’s 2025 messaging factors to exceptionally lengthy wet seasons alongside the coast, 250 to 290 wet days in some states. A number of South-South states are additionally within the “late cessation” bucket this yr. That combo explains why many coastal farms both inventory late Oct–early Nov (to promote into December earlier than the heaviest every day rains lastly ease) or await the primary clearer, early-dry-season runs in January. In the event you should brood in peak rains, increase flooring, repair gutters, and plan warmth redundancy for energy blips; moist pens chill chicks and quietly damage FCR.

For Ramadan/Eid cycles, rely 6–8 weeks backward out of your native gross sales peak and lock a reserving 2–3 Mon/Thu cycles early. Coastal humidity calls for quick litter upkeep; if the home smells sharp (ammonia) by daybreak, you’re already paying a feed tax.

Abuja (FCT) / Nasarawa / Niger (North-Central transition zone)

The NC belt straddles southern humidity and northern dry-season patterns. NiMet’s temporary locations FCT and Niger amongst areas prone to see late cessation in 2025, which regularly drags damp situations into the interval we’d usually begin feeling “protected” to brood.

My bias right here: goal your broiler buys for the tail-end of the rains into early dry season (when nights are milder), or decide to a decent brooder (no drafts, regular warmth) if stocking into harmattan. For layers, begin pullets in order that POL lands after the wettest weeks, then add mild to succeed in about 16 hours as they strategy lay.

As a result of the NC sits on key grain corridors, watch feed logistics as a lot as climate. FEWS NET’s Nigeria web page hosts the seasonal calendar and month-to-month screens; in the event you see northern harvests bettering provide in Oct–Dec, that’s your inexperienced mild to pre-position starter/grower earlier than festive trucking charges kick up.

Kano / Kaduna / Katsina (North-West, shorter moist season, crisp harmattan nights)

Up right here the rains finish sooner than the south and harmattan brings cold-dry winds and dirt. NiMet supplies emphasize onset/cessation home windows; pair that with sensible poultry science: managed Nigerian research present harmattan situations can improve cold-stress and ascites danger in broilers until you tighten warmth and draft management (vitamin C helped in trials). So both inventory earlier than the deepest harmattan to complete earlier, or funds additional warmth and sealing in the event you should brood into Nov–Jan.

If NiMet or federal bulletins warn of multi-week dry spells in your space (2025 steerage flagged 27–40-day occasions in some states), do not forget that dry spells throughout the rains can nonetheless mess with water high quality and home mud. Don’t loosen up simply because it isn’t raining, watch litter moisture and drinker hygiene so coccidiosis doesn’t punish you after a dusty heat week.

Enugu / Imo / Abia / Anambra (South-East, humid with robust mid-season rains)

SE farms really feel the humidity just like the South-South, however with a barely shorter moist tail and heavy mid-season downpours. NiMet’s SCP offers you the onset/cessation map; in apply, I nudge first-timers to inventory simply after the toughest rains ease (usually late rains into early dry season) so brooding isn’t a wrestling match with moist litter and energy cuts. In the event you’re chasing Christmas, plan the late Oct–mid Nov purchase and lock feed alongside reserving; if going for POL pullets, goal rearing so the 17-week checkpoint doesn’t sit within the muggiest stretch.

Farmer teams within the SE additionally commerce notes about value softening after New Yr; don’t carry broilers deep into January hoping for a rebound. Resolve your exit week the day you pay for DOCs.

Learn Extra: Current Price Of Day-Old Chicks In Nigeria

Reserving & Sourcing: Avoiding Dangerous Batches

On paper, each carton seems to be the identical. In actual life, the distinction between a tidy grow-out and every week of heartache is whether or not the vendor can identify the hatchery, present a vaccination card, and state the precise hatch date. Nigeria truly has guidelines for this. The Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) issued nationwide rules for breeder farms, hatchery operations and day-old chick (DOC) high quality, masking hygiene, dealing with, transport, and documentation, so that you’re not simply shopping for blind.

If the seller will get obscure about origin or vaccine historical past, stroll away. Purchase from respected hatcheries, as a result of many early flock issues begin on the hatchery if biosecurity is weak. Ask for the vaccine card (which vaccines, when, and the way given) and fundamental hatchery data.

High quality verify at pickup; use your eyes, fingers, and a 10-second take a look at

Once I crack a carton within the pickup shed, I do three fast issues earlier than I signal:

1. Righting reflex: place a chick gently on its again; a powerful chick flips again in lower than 3 seconds. It’s a quick learn on vigor.
2. Navel and stomach verify: run a fingertip throughout the navel; you need closed, flat, dry, not leaking or stringy. Minor scabs (lower than 3 mm) can nonetheless sluggish development; leaky navels are a no-go. Really feel the stomach: tender and supple beats onerous/tense.
3. Uniformity and size: scan for even measurement, vibrant eyes, dry fluff, straight legs and beaks; fast size/weight impressions are a part of normal Pasgar/Tona scoring utilized by hatcheries globally.

If a field smells bitter, chicks are sticky/clammy, or quite a lot of have soiled vents or unhealed navels, I ask for a swap proper there. Breed manuals and hatchery guides are blunt: early defects carry by efficiency.

Learn Extra: How to Check the Quality of Day-Old Chicks in Nigeria

Transport and holding

In Nigeria’s warmth, the worst harm usually occurs between hatchery and brooder. Two easy guardrails defend your DOCs:

• Temperature and air flow whereas holding: best-practice dealing with notes maintain boxed chicks about 18–24 °C within the warehouse/car with regular airflow; don’t “prepare dinner” them in a closed sizzling room to imitate brooder temps, boxed birds generate their very own warmth.
• Air flow on the street: chick-transport steerage targets about 20 CFM per 1,000 chicks in cool climate, roughly double in sizzling; vehicles caught in Lagos site visitors want mechanical air consumption, not simply movement.

How lengthy can they keep in packing containers? Science says the clock is tighter than discussion board myths: past about 48 hours with out feed/water, day-olds are prone to extreme starvation and welfare issues. Plan routes and pickup instances so your cartons don’t sit in a single day in a sizzling park.

Learn Extra: Transport Stress Management for Day-Old Chicks

Arrival routine; place quick, then verify crop fill

When the cartons land, I would like the pen smelling of heat shavings and hum from brooders, then I place recent, neutral-temp water on paper, feed trails on starter paper, lights vibrant. Inside 1–2 hours, I pattern crop fill (tender, rounded, heat crops) and regulate temperature/peak of drinkers. This isn’t superstition; fashionable Ross placement steerage pushes fast placement and early checks to keep away from dehydration slumps that you just solely discover at day 3.

If a batch arrived cool (harmattan draft, late supply), I heat the ground, not the packing containers, warmth the pad to spec and place promptly; lingering with closed cartons overheats them inconsistently.

Vaccination historical past, what to ask and why it issues

Hatchery packages differ. Many industrial chicks obtain Marek’s at day-old (injection) and typically a gentle ND pressure at hatch, with IBD/ND scheduled later relying on maternal antibodies. Your job: get the cardboard and align your farm schedule so that you don’t vaccinate too early (neutralized by maternal antibodies) or too late (bursa window missed). Sensible Nigerian sources and business guides echo this: verify what was finished at hatch, then plan the remaining together with your vet.

Olam Hatcheries with Ceva publicized hatchery-side vaccination partnerships, proof that severe operations deal with vax packages as core high quality, not an afterthought. Use that as a benchmark if you choose suppliers.

I deal with boards like climate: not all the time exact, however good at recognizing storms. Recurrent themes from Nigerian teams embrace: late pickups resulting in warmth stress, thriller batches with out vaccine playing cards, and spikes in early mortality tied to supply delays or soggy brooding homes. You’ll additionally see the opposite facet, clear batches that land effectively and fly. Learn the chatter, however confirm origin and timing earlier than you pay.

Learn Extra: Day-Old Chick Vaccination Schedule in Nigeria (Charts and Procedures)

12-Month Chick Buy Calendar (Sept 2025 – Aug 2026)

FAQs About When To Purchase Day Outdated Chicks

What month is the most effective time to purchase day-old chicks in Nigeria if I wish to promote for Christmas?

In the event you’re focusing on Christmas and New Yr, I plan backward and purchase late October to mid-November so a 6–8-week program lands me within the week of December 18–24. Two issues again this up within the wild: Nigerian enterprise/desks and farmer threads constantly present costs and demand rising into late December, and distributors verify that remaining DOC costs are set on Mondays/Thursdays, so you may lock slots early and keep away from last-minute hikes. In apply I guide 2–3 Mon/Thu cycles forward, pre-position feed, and end earlier than the final 48-hour scramble.

Is the wet season actually that dangerous for brooding or is it simply concern?

Wet season isn’t “dangerous,” it’s much less forgiving. Nigerian research and clinic data present larger coccidiosis danger in moist months; one current multi-year evaluation in Zaria discovered rainy-season peaks, with August worst hit. One other examine in layers put the percentages of Eimeria an infection about 2.19× larger within the moist season. Add moist litter and also you get extra ammonia, that eye-sting at daybreak you’ve smelled, which drags efficiency. If I have to inventory within the core rains, I pre-heat flooring, run minimal air flow even throughout storms, maintain drinker move/peak tight, and “cap” any darkish, slick patches with dry litter immediately.

When do I keep away from harmattan for tiny chicks and what if I can’t?

Harmattan brings chilly, dry, dusty nights and massive day–night time swings. A Nigerian trial in broilers throughout harmattan linked these situations to pulmonary hypertension/ascites and confirmed vitamin C helped birds cope, helpful as a assist, by no means an alternative choice to warmth and draft management. If I can, I purchase both simply earlier than the deepest harmattan or as soon as nights ease. If I can’t, I pre-heat 24 h, hit about 30–32 °C on the ground at chick peak, seal door gaps, and run brief minimum-vent cycles so I’m exchanging stale air with out chilling.

What number of weeks does it truly take to boost broilers to market in Nigeria, 6, 7, or 8?

The administration science says 5–7 weeks relying heading in the right direction weight and situations; Ross 308 efficiency aims and the Broiler Administration Handbook are constructed round that 6–8-week actuality. On my farm, most market birds transfer at 6–7 weeks; stretching far previous that usually trades feed for little margin until you’re promoting heavyweight birds by pre-order. Use breed tables to plan consumption and weight; in case your litter is moist or your home runs sizzling within the afternoons, anticipate FCR to creep up.

What’s the most effective month to purchase layer chicks so point-of-lay (POL) doesn’t collide with loopy climate?

Layers are a calendar undertaking. Hy-Line Brown places 50% lay at about 144 days (about 20–21 weeks), so I plan ahead from my chosen POL month. For the south/coast the place humidity is brutal, I desire to start out pullets so weeks 1–8 keep away from peak rains, then push mild towards about 16 hours as they strategy lay (Nigeria’s pure day size is about 12 h, so supplemental mild issues). If you would like eggs flowing by, say, late September, purchase day-olds in April–Might or buy POL pullets (14–16 wks) a number of weeks earlier and end rearing in-house.

Ought to I await dry season as a result of feed is cheaper then or purchase when money is in hand?

I time purchases with harvest and logistics moderately than intestine really feel. FEWS NET’s Nigeria web page and seasonal screens present availability bettering Oct–Dec with the primary harvest, and nationwide food-security notes usually point out easing strain then. That’s after I pre-position starter and half grower for Christmas runs. If maize/soy seems to be tight, I scale the batch, not the science.

Conclusion

In the event you take one factor from this information, let or not it’s this: your finest time to purchase day-old chicks in Nigeria is just not a single date, it’s the overlap of local weather home windows, market demand, and the Mon/Thu hatchery pricing rhythm. Use NiMet’s Seasonal Climate Prediction to learn your state’s onset/cessation, dry spells, and (within the Southwest) the Little Dry Season; coastal states can see 250–290 wet days, so your brooding plan should respect humidity as a lot as your funds.

Use the FEWS NET’s seasonal calendar and monitors that can assist you bulk buy starter and grower when provide loosens (usually Oct–Dec), so you aren’t shopping for on the peak of festive logistics. Lastly, time your cycle to demand, Christmas/New Yr and Ramadan/Eid constantly carry poultry gross sales, and guide 2–3 Mon/Thu cycles forward as a result of that’s when distributors publish remaining DOC costs and lock supply routes.