Least expensive Month for Broiler Chicks in Nigeria (2025 Knowledge-Backed Information) – Justagric

After years of shopping for day-old broilers (DOCs) for purchasers and my very own flocks, I’ve discovered that timing issues as a lot as breed or brooding. This information breaks down, in plain farmer language, which months are normally most cost-effective, why the costs transfer, and how one can lock within the low quotes with out sacrificing chick high quality. You’ll additionally see actual market alerts, harvest calendars, and what different farmers are saying on-line, so you may make assured, worthwhile buys.

The Least expensive Months and Why

In Nigeria, January via March are usually the most cost effective months to buy day-old broiler chicks, with a sometimes-useful secondary gentle patch in late August to September. Right here’s the logic in a single breath: December demand spikes for desk birds push costs up, then post-holiday demand collapses in January, whereas post-harvest grain availability from October–December filters via feed markets into early Q1, easing price strain; since feed makes up roughly 70% of poultry manufacturing prices and about 45% of Nigeria’s corn goes into animal feed (principally poultry), the grain aspect closely influences DOC and finished-bird pricing downstream. At all times confirm reside quotes as a result of hatcheries replace weekly.

What that appears like on the bottom

Proper after Christmas, patrons skinny out. Reside-bird costs that had been inflated for festive tables cool off by late December into January, and hatcheries, watching slower offtake, usually maintain quotes extra aggressive via the primary quarter. Nigerian retailers reported broilers promoting NGN 23,000–NGN 25,000 on December 25, 2024 in some markets, far above November ranges; that festive surge doesn’t final, and it’s one of many causes January–March feels cheaper for stocking DOCs.

On the feed aspect, Nigeria’s predominant seasonal harvest runs roughly October–December, bettering maize availability and usually taking some warmth off feed costs into early Q1, precisely once you’re ordering chicks. When grain strain eases, feed (70% of price) stops biting as exhausting, and that helps you negotiate higher DOC timing.

There’s additionally a smaller window to observe: late August–September. In years with respectable rainfall and favorable maize outlooks, markets begin pricing within the upcoming harvest, and also you’ll generally see presents soften earlier than the large December run-up. It’s not assured yearly (climate and coverage can flip the script), but it surely’s value monitoring alongside your regional maize expectations.

Why you will need to nonetheless “worth it this week”

Hatcheries and marketplaces put up (and revise) costs on particular market days, usually Mondays and Thursdays, so it’s best to verify the week you’ll really ebook. For instance, Afrimash explicitly notes that closing costs can be found on Mondays and Thursdays for sure broiler traces; Nairaland sellers additionally publish date-stamped weekly DOC tables (e.g., Feb 22, 2024 and Dec 5, 2024) displaying how quotes can change from hatchery to hatchery. I maintain a easy behavior: name two sellers on Monday morning, verify once more Thursday, then ebook.

Professional tip from my brooder room: In the event you’re within the North or a harmattan-prone space, these crisp, dry mornings in January–February are kinder to DOC transport. Much less heat stress on the street equals higher early survival when the containers lastly open in your brooder: wooden shavings heat, chicks alert, that regular “trilling” sound that tells you they’re settling in properly.

As a result of feed dominates prices and animal feed eats a giant slice of Nigeria’s maize, months proper after harvest, and proper after the festive demand spike, are typically your best-value DOC home windows. Monitor corn and DOC quotes collectively; when grain strain eases, DOC bookings usually comply with.

Why Costs Transfer: The 4 Levers You Ought to Watch

You’ll hear farmers argue about breeds or brooder lamps, however in order for you the most cost effective month for broiler chicks, be taught to learn these 4 levers like a dashboard. I maintain them scribbled on a card in my pockets, as a result of once they all level the identical approach, I ebook instantly.

1) Festive demand cycles (Dec surge to Jan droop)

Each December, demand for desk birds swells: church events, household homecomings, roadside grills that run until midnight. Retail broiler costs leap exhausting, and that strain ripples backward via the chain. In 2024, for instance, Lagos and different cities noticed Christmas-week hen tagged far above November ranges as sellers blamed feed, medication and transport.

By January, the froth comes off the cappuccino; patrons vanish, finished-bird costs soften, and hatcheries really feel it in new orders, precisely when Q1 normally turns into your best time to buy day-old chicks. Nigerian newspapers documented that festive spike clearly, and farmers studying this from the markets will bear in mind how shortly the air went quiet after the vacations.

2) Feed and maize dynamics (the fee engine)

Feed is the elephant within the poultry home, liable for roughly 70% of manufacturing price in Nigeria, with maize usually half or extra of the feed method. When maize and soybean ease, all the pieces downstream breathes, together with how aggressively hatcheries worth DOCs to maintain orders flowing.

A peer-reviewed examine on Nigeria’s feed market places that feed-share determine round 70% and highlights maize’s 50 to 60% weight in rations. In the meantime, the USDA’s 2024 Grain & Feed Annual estimates that roughly 45% of Nigeria’s domestically produced corn goes to animal feed, principally poultry, which is why maize availability (and coverage on imports or duties) exhibits up shortly in poultry margins.

Seasonality issues right here: Nigeria’s predominant cereal harvest lands roughly October-December, topping up native grain provides and sometimes taking some warmth out of feed costs into early Q1, the precise window many people discover broiler chick costs simpler to barter. FEWS NET’s seasonal calendar for a “typical 12 months” is an efficient fast reference once you’re planning cycles.

3) Hatchery scheduling & weekly quotes (the timing trick)

Even in busy intervals, hatcheries reside on weekly rhythms: gathering orders, setting eggs, and releasing new tariffs near dispatch days. Public trackers like Livestocking compile hatchery quotes and explicitly word they replace totally on Sundays and Wednesdays as a result of many Nigerian hatcheries hatch on these days, which mirrors what I see once I cellphone my reps.

Farmers on Nairaland additionally put up time-stamped weekly updates, and generally dramatic mid-week surprises (one thread remembered broiler chicks “crashing to NGN 600” late August 2024 at Obasanjo Worldwide Market in Ibadan). That is why I at all times worth the identical week I’ll ebook, and if I’m aiming for January, I nonetheless examine two lists inside 72 hours earlier than paying.

4) Logistics & FX (the invisible tax in your carton)

Two pocketbook forces can tilt DOC quotes even when demand and feed behave: transport prices and naira volatility.

• Gas/transport: When petrol costs leap, shifting chicks from hatchery to farm prices extra, and suppliers go a few of it on. Nigeria’s statistics workplace recorded common petrol at NGN 1,184.83 per litre in Oct 2024, after massive month-to-month will increase, whereas NNPC hikes in September 2024 pushed costs towards NGN 950 to NGN 1,019 relying on location. In the event you’re removed from hatcheries, these spikes present up in your closing bill.
• FX swings: Imported premixes, vaccines, gear, even some feed inputs are FX-sensitive. The IMF’s 2025 Article IV notes the naira closed 2024 round NGN 1,536 per USD and weakened additional by end-April 2025, precisely the form of strikes that nudge suppliers to reprice DOCs or add “legitimate right this moment solely” clauses.

Whenever you see post-harvest grain reduction (Oct-Dec) lining up with the post-Christmas demand droop (Jan-Mar), and weekly lists look gentle, that’s your cue to inventory. I maintain tabs on Livestocking’s consolidated tariffs mid-week, look on the FEWS NET seasonal calendar, and scan two December-to-January information tales to substantiate the festive spike cooled. If petrol is spiking or FX is wobbling that week, I negotiate transport or ask for a 24-hour maintain on the quote. It’s not sophisticated, only a farmer’s guidelines that retains extra cash within the feed bin.

Learn Extra: Why Chick Prices Rise & Fall in Nigeria (Feed, Disease, Festive Cycles)

Month-by-Month Shopping for Calendar (Nigeria)

Consider this as your field-tested broiler chick worth calendar. It blends what I see in hatchery quotes with Nigeria’s harvest rhythm and that acquainted December demand surge. Use it to plan stocking cycles, negotiate smarter, and keep away from paying festive premiums. I’ll flag greatest months to buy day-old chicks, sensible actions, and what to observe every interval.

Nigeria’s predominant cereal harvest begins round October and runs into December, bettering maize availability and easing some feed strain into early Q1; on the similar time, festive demand peaks in December, then collapses in January, usually creating the most cost effective window for DOC purchases.

January – March (Often the Least expensive Window)

In the event you ask me for the most cost effective month for broiler chicks, I’ll put my cash on January via March most years. December’s celebration tables and homecomings bid up live-bird costs; by early January, the market goes quiet, and hatcheries are likely to maintain quotes aggressive to maintain the setter rooms shifting. In the meantime, grain from the Oct-Dec harvest continues to be flowing, which generally takes some warmth off feed prices and, by extension, margin strain throughout the chain.

On the bottom, you’ll hear it within the markets: the shouting of December fades, the air turns dusty and funky within the mornings, and transport is a little bit kinder to fragile chicks. Quite a few Nigerian press items have documented that December hen costs spiked in 2024, which is exactly why January feels “reset” and engaging for stocking.

What to do now:

• Worth and ebook throughout the week you’ll obtain; sellers replace costs on particular market days.
• Cross-check a minimum of two sources the identical day.
• Exploit cool mornings for transport; day-old chicks are extraordinarily delicate to temperature swings, and even brief delays can dehydrate them.

April – June (Blended/Regular; Watch Warmth and Transport)

By April, temperatures climb, humidity builds within the south, and transport begins to really feel sticky: slower, sweatier, more durable on chicks. Costs are sometimes combined: not the bargain-basement of January, not the run-up of pre-Christmas both. If gasoline or FX lurches, you’ll generally see that mirrored shortly in logistics expenses or “legitimate right this moment solely” quotes.

Heat stress shouldn’t be idea in our local weather; there’s a large physique of analysis displaying it reduces broiler consumption and efficiency and might increase mortality if brooding/transport isn’t tight. I finances for a little bit additional electrolyte and maintain brooder temps ruthlessly constant.

What to do now:

• Shorten journeys and demand on ventilated automobiles; temperature and humidity throughout transport correlate with chick weight reduction and early efficiency.
• Time pickups for dawn and keep away from gridlock warmth. (In the event you should ship late, improve airflow and cut back field stacking.) Sensible, not glamorous, but it surely pays.

July – Early August (Cautious Shopping for; Biosecurity Focus)

The rains are in full gear. Roads might be moody: a three-hour journey flips to 6 as a result of a culvert gave approach. Quotes listed below are serviceable if inputs are regular, however warmth and humidity can nonetheless chunk. I purchase selectively until I’ve hermetic logistics and brooding. Farmers in boards commerce recommendations on heat-driven setbacks this time of 12 months; the consensus is easy: you should purchase now, however your execution have to be sharp.

What to do now:

• In the event you’re brooding in a damp zone, double-down on dry litter, airflow, and fast feed/water entry on arrival.
• Preserve one eye on market chatter; when hatchery provide fluctuates (for instance, a giant setter down for upkeep), weekly quotes can wobble.

Late August – September

That is the sleeper window. As new-crop maize approaches, markets generally worth in higher availability, and weekly DOC quotes can soften, not yearly, however usually sufficient that I watch it. You’ll see it in farmer boards and vendor posts: sudden mid-week changes, shock “crashes”, and clarifications about hatchery tables. In August 2024, for example, sellers posted up to date broiler costs round August 22 and into early September, good reminders that this era can flip opportunistic in case your timing is tight.

What to do now:

• Store aggressively throughout manufacturers (Amo, Agrited, Zartech, Chi, and so on.) the identical day; compile a grid of per-chick and per-carton quotes and land on one of the best mix of worth × supply reliability.
• Maintain off per week in case you odor broader softening, as a result of sellers usually refresh lists on set days, which may work in your favor.

October – December (Rising to Costliest)

October-December is when harvest is underway, a plus for grain provide, however the demand machine begins warming up. Caterers, occasions, and households plan for end-of-year, and by December, live-bird costs normally hit their annual highs. Nigeria’s press documented steep December 2024 hen costs (NGN 15,000-25,000 per chook relying on market).

That festive pull tends to cascade backward into DOC planning and transport charges. In the event you should purchase chicks right here, do it for a purpose: a deliberate festive ending date with premium off-take, not for “low-cost” stocking.

What to do now:

• Keep away from contemporary cycles that end in late December until you’re concentrating on premium gross sales and have prospects lined up.
• If you’ll want to purchase, pre-book early (weeks forward) and lock logistics; additionally sanity-check quotes towards public trackers like Livestocking to keep away from overpaying.

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

Methods to Really Lock Within the Low-cost Months

When the market is gentle, you continue to must land the deal: quotes in hand, transport lined up, brooder sizzling and prepared. That is the part I want somebody had handed me years in the past: precisely how I ebook day-old broilers (DOCs) at one of the best time and maintain high quality excessive.

Construct a two-source quote grid (similar morning)

On “low-cost” weeks (usually January–March, generally late August–September), I open a easy sheet and name two sellers earlier than 10 a.m. Evaluate a impartial public checklist with a reside market quote:

• Public benchmark: Livestocking retains a working DOC worth web page and says they replace totally on Sundays and Wednesdays, as a result of most hatcheries in Nigeria hatch on these days. That line tells you when lists are prone to transfer.
• Market quote: A number of Afrimash DOC pages state “closing worth might be out there on Mondays and Thursdays by 9 a.m.” That cadence is gold for timing your cost: worth on Monday morning, re-check Thursday earlier than you pay.

I put each numbers side-by-side, word carton vs half-carton economics, and ask for the all-in landed price (carton + supply + dealing with). If {the marketplace} is providing worth safety (“we’ll refund you the distinction if the value decreases”), take it. That reduces the concern of reserving early in a softening week.

Time your reserving to “market days” (and supply routes)

Match your cost to pricing days and your pickup to supply days. One vendor coverage spells out the rhythm clearly: DOC deliveries/pickups are scheduled for Mondays & Thursdays (South-West) and Tuesdays & Fridays (different areas). In the event you’re far, Maiduguri, Adamawa, they’ll push to the following day. Figuring out the routes avoids last-minute surprises that price you in mortality.

I wish to pay simply after the ultimate worth put up and goal dawn pickup. Harmattan mornings in January really feel like crisp paper, the air’s dry, containers keep inside vary, and the chicks settle sooner within the brooder than on sweaty afternoons caught behind a petroleum tanker.

Negotiate like a neighborhood (and show you’re severe)

Most sellers reply to quantity and certainty. The truth is, you’ll see “bulk buy attracts low cost” written in some weekly DOC posts in farmer boards; it isn’t folklore. In the event you can coordinate with neighbors and place a mixed order for 2 or three cartons, say so, then ask for a supply payment waiver or a per-carton low cost. Screenshots and dated posts on Nairaland present how quotes transfer week to week and the way sellers sign bulk phrases.

Make transport a “non-issue” (that’s the place low-cost turns into costly)

Worth wins don’t matter if the primary 24 hours go fallacious. The welfare literature and business manuals are constant:

• Preserve whole journey time as brief as attainable; 24 hours is the usual, and vehicles have to be ventilated and clear. That’s straight from poultry dealing with/transport manuals utilized by integrators and repair suppliers.
• Temperature and humidity matter collectively. Hatchery and breeder guides cue you to maintain chicks across the low 30s C (32-33 C) on placement and to handle RH and airflow so the chick isn’t chilling or panting. (Hubbard, Cobb, and associated brooding guides echo this.)
• Feed/water delays damage. EFSA warns that withdrawal past 48 hours dangers extreme starvation; Nigerian research have additionally proven efficiency losses when feed/water entry is delayed. In plain English: have drinkers and starter down earlier than the truck door cracks open.
• Handover factors (airports, depots) are dangerous if folks don’t management the setting: Aviagen’s best-practice word is an efficient guidelines for anybody assembly chicks at hubs.

January Purchase vs. November Purchase (So You Can See the Cash)

Let’s put actual numbers on the desk. I’ll stroll you thru two easy, clear budgets for 500 broilers, one stocked in January (typical “low-cost DOC” window) and one stocked in November (ending into December’s premium gross sales). I’ll present my assumptions, cite the place they arrive from, after which do the maths you possibly can adapt to your personal farm.

The Assumptions (you possibly can confirm each one)

Carton dimension and DOC pricing rhythm. In Nigeria, a day-old chick carton is 50 chicks; distributors state this explicitly, and even schedule deliveries round “market days.” You’ll see it in a number of vendor pages and insurance policies.

What a chick really prices. DOC costs transfer week by week and by hatchery. Public posts and storefronts from late-2024 to 2025 present a large band:

• NGN 1,100–NGN 1,220 per chick in some Ibadan updates (Sept–Dec 2024) on Nairaland.
• NGN 1,300–NGN 1,425 per chick implied by ecommerce and model posts in early 2025 (NGN 65k–NGN 71k per 50).
• Market product pages usually present carton-of-50 pricing ranges (for instance, NGN 32k–NGN 73k relying on model and interval).

For the situations, I’ll use a defensible midpoint for every season (you possibly can swap in your precise quotes):

• January situation (low-cost aspect): NGN 1,200/chick
• November situation (tighter or peak-ish): NGN 1,400/chick
  These sit neatly contained in the documented bands above.

How a lot feed a broiler really eats by 6 weeks. A sensible broiler chart (utilized by Nigerian farmers) exhibits roughly 4.20 kg cumulative feed to day 42 for the standard 2.42 kg chook. That’s near breeder-objective expectations, although area outcomes fluctuate.

What feed prices per kilogram (retail). Present storefront costs (typical ecommerce, model dependent):

• Broiler starter 25 kg (New Hope): NGN 27,615,  NGN 1,104.6/kg
• Broiler finisher 25 kg (Chikun or Olam): NGN 23,699.5, NGN 948/kg
  A easy common places us round NGN 1,026/kg. (Your mill or bulk purchase might differ.)

Why feed dominates. A number of Nigeria-focused analyses and the USDA’s Nigeria Grain and Feed studies agree: feed is roughly 70% of manufacturing price, and roughly 45% of Nigeria’s domestically produced corn goes to animal feed (principally poultry), which is why the harvest and maize coverage noise matter a lot to what you pay and earn.

Promoting worth actuality verify (for context). Festive demand is actual: a December 25, 2024 survey discovered broilers that offered NGN 14k–NGN 15k in November moved for NGN 23k–NGN 25k at Christmas. In the event you’re planning a November inventory to late-December sale, premium income can offset larger DOCs.

Situation A: January Purchase (500 chicks): Low-cost DOCs, regular sale window

DOC price. 500 x NGN 1,200 = NGN 600,000.

Feed finances.

• Feed per chook (to 42 days): 4.20 kg.
• Common feed worth: NGN 1,026/kg.
• Feed per chook: 4.20 x NGN 1,026, approx. NGN 4,312
• Whole feed: 500 x NGN 4,312, approx. NGN 2,156,000

Positioned vs. offered (mortality). In the event you place 500 and promote 95% (475 birds), an inexpensive goal with tight brooding and transport, your price per offered chook for the 2 massive gadgets (DOC plus feed) is:

• Per chook positioned: NGN 1,200 + NGN 4,312 = NGN 5,512
• Per chook offered (grossed up for five% loss): approx. NGN 5,802

(First-week mortality must be very low when brooding is on level, international breeder handbooks push for lower than 0.7% within the first 7 days, however I’m utilizing 5% to remain conservative for area realities.)

What which means on the bottom. On a cool January morning, with dry Harmattan air and fewer site visitors jams, I’ve seen vehicles roll in with chicks nonetheless quiet and bright-eyed. You open the field (the nice and cozy shavings odor like pencil shavings and clear wooden) and placement is easy. In my books, that calm first hour is value greater than any spreadsheet.

Working quantity to hold: For January cycles, count on approx. NGN 5,800 per chook offered for DOC plus feed beneath these retail assumptions, earlier than you add vaccines, litter, utilities, labour, transport, and so on. Distributors usually ship a vaccination schedule with the order; prices fluctuate by model and vet.

Situation B: November Purchase (500 chicks): Increased DOCs, however ending into December

DOC price. 500 x NGN 1,400 = NGN 700,000.

Feed finances. Similar vitamin math as above (assuming related administration):

• Per chook feed: approx. NGN 4,312 → Whole feed: approx. NGN 2,156,000.

Positioned vs. offered (5% loss).

• Per chook positioned: NGN 1,400 + NGN 4,312 = NGN 5,712
• Per chook offered (95% survival): approx. NGN 6,013

However right here’s the kicker: income. Ending in late December can imply NGN 23k–NGN 25k per chook, far above pre-festive ranges. So even with the next per-sold price, a well-timed November inventory usually wins on gross margin per chook, if you have already got patrons lined up and logistics locked.

December birds fly, however December roads don’t. If a pickup will get caught six hours behind a petroleum tanker, you’ll really feel it in weight reduction and stress. That’s why I solely chase the December premium when my transport and buyer checklist are bulletproof.

Crimson Flags & Threat Home windows

Even in January–March, normally the most cost effective months for broiler chicks, you possibly can nonetheless lose your financial savings to warmth, flooding, gasoline spikes, FX swings, or a illness alert. Right here’s how I learn the chance, month by month, and what I do on the bottom so my cut price cartons don’t change into costly classes.

Warmth & Humidity (April–July): Low-cost chicks + sizzling roads = hidden losses

As soon as the rains construct, the air turns heavy and the roads decelerate. Warmth isn’t simply uncomfortable; it dents efficiency. Opinions and area research present warmth stress reduces feed consumption, weight achieve and feed effectivity, and pushes mortality up, all of the stuff that erases your “low-cost month” benefit if transport or brooding slips. I deal with April–July as execution season: dawn pickups, shallow stacking, ruthless airflow, and brooder temps stabilized earlier than a single lid is opened.

If the truck door swings at midday and the primary whiff is heat, bitter air as an alternative of fresh shavings, I do know I’m about to battle dehydration and uneven begins. Latest Nigerian work additionally exhibits farmers are actively adopting heat-stress variations within the southwest, proof that the chance is actual and managed, not theoretical.

Day-old chicks saved with out feed and water past 48 hours face extreme extended starvation, and even shorter whole “feed withdrawal” home windows (from final feed on the hatchery line to first feed on farm) create welfare dangers, so delays matter. Preserve journeys brief and situations managed; your margin actually rides with the field.

Harmattan & Dry-Season Respiratory Strain (Dec–Feb): Cooler air, dustier dangers

Harmattan mornings might be excellent for transport, cool, crisp, low humidity, however that dusty air can strain the respiratory tract. Nigerian and West African analysis has lengthy linked dry-season situations to elevated respiratory illness danger, together with Newcastle illness (ND), with larger prevalence within the dry months (roughly December–March) reported in Kaduna and different belts.

In follow, I don’t skip cycles right here; I simply tighten vaccination timing and brooder air high quality and I’m additional fussy about litter dryness and draft management. When the peeping sounds skinny or harsh after placement, I do know the air is fallacious and I repair it earlier than I contact feed. Operators in Jos have talked about Harmattan knocking manufacturing down if homes aren’t sealed and warmed correctly, once more, not a purpose to keep away from shopping for, however a purpose to respect the season.

Flooding & Rain-Blocked Logistics (July–October)

A “good worth” means nothing if a washed-out bridge turns a 3-hour journey into 10. Nigeria’s rainy-season floods routinely lower roads and delay deliveries; even in 2025, catastrophic occasions in Niger State destroyed infrastructure and value lives, and NiMet has been issuing flash-flood danger alerts for a number of states.

Earlier than I ebook in deep wet months, I verify the NiMet Seasonal Local weather Prediction web page and native alerts, then I plan shorter routes or add a day buffer. In case your farm is on a recognized choke level, that’s a crimson flag: ask the vendor for an earlier dispatch or a cooler pickup slot.

Gas Spikes (Any Month, However Brutal Mid-Yr)

Transport is the place small financial savings die. Official information present Nigeria’s petrol worth jumped to a median NGN 1,184.83/L in Oct 2024, and has hovered close to or above NGN 1,000/L in a number of 2025 readings, compressing farm margins and pushing supply charges up. In case your hatchery is way, a mid-route top-up can wipe out your per-chick “win.” I routinely negotiate all-in landed pricing throughout high-fuel months and contemplate grouping orders with neighbors to soak up that transport shock.

FX Whiplash (Ongoing): Costs can change between Monday and Thursday

Premixes, vaccines, some gear, and sometimes feed inputs, are FX-sensitive, and sellers reprice shortly when the naira strikes. The IMF’s 2025 Article IV notes the official price slid from NGN 899/USD (Dec 2023) to NGN 1,536/USD (Dec 2024) and to NGN 1,597/USD by end-April 2025, which is strictly the sort of swing that makes a gross sales rep say, “legitimate right this moment solely.” My hedge: worth in the marketplace day, ask for a 24-hour maintain, and get a written clause for any introduced drops earlier than dispatch.

Illness Alerts

I maintain one eye on avian influenza (HPAI) briefings and veterinary advisories. Nigeria reported H5N1 outbreaks between December 2024 and February 2025 (e.g., Kano) per WHO/FAO/WOAH monitoring and home veterinary institutes. In sensible farm English, which means: purchase from licensed hatcheries, maintain vehicles and crates clear, shorten hand-over occasions at depots, and quarantine contact factors. When the illness dial ticks up, I re-check my vaccination calendar and customer logbook earlier than I take into consideration worth.

Festive Demand (November–December)

Everybody sees the premium at Christmas. Premium Instances documented broilers promoting NGN 15k–NGN 40k (size-dependent) on December 25, 2024, that gravitational pull lifts all the pieces from feed to DOC logistics. In the event you’re stocking into this wave with out pre-sold patrons and a locked truck, you’re enjoying together with your margin. My rule is easy: November buys are for deliberate December gross sales solely; in any other case, await January and breathe.

Examine: Current Price Of Day-Old Chicks In Nigeria 

FAQs About Shopping for Day Previous Chicks

What month is definitely most cost-effective to purchase day-old broiler chicks?

In most years, January–March is the best-value window, with a smaller, much less dependable gentle patch generally showing in late August–September. Two massive forces create this: (1) December demand spikes for desk birds (costs leap, then cool in January), and (2) post-harvest grain availability from roughly October–December, which eases feed strain into early Q1. Public reporting in December 2024 documented broilers rising from NGN 14k–15k in November to NGN 23k–25k on Dec 25, whereas FEWS NET’s Nigeria calendar exhibits predominant harvest exercise round Oct–Dec; each help the Jan–Mar “reset.”

Why do day-old chick (DOC) costs transfer a lot week to week?

As a result of hatcheries publish weekly lists, and enter/demand alerts change shortly. Livestocking compiles hatchery quotes (Agrited, Amo, Zartech, Chi, and so on.), illustrating how costs fluctuate by provider and over time. Marketplaces like Afrimash additionally state that closing costs put up on Mondays and Thursdays (9 a.m.), which is why pricing on “market days” issues.

How massive a job does feed play in what I find yourself paying?

A big one. A number of Nigeria-focused analyses and official studies put feed at roughly 70% of poultry manufacturing price, and about 45% of Nigeria’s domestically produced maize goes into animal feed (principally poultry), so when maize/soy ease after harvest or coverage reduction, poultry prices downstream usually soften too.

The place can I verify right this moment’s DOC worth earlier than I ebook?

Examine the updated prices of day-old chicks, then ebook your chicks at Justagric Agros, simply ship a Chat (WhatsApp) at +2348074763468 or ship us an e-mail at admin@justagric.com. We guarantee you of high quality service.

Does “purchase in November to promote in December” actually pay?

It could, in case you’ve pre-sold birds and locked logistics. A December 25, 2024 market walk-through discovered broilers that had been NGN 14k–15k in November promoting NGN 23k–25k on Christmas day. That income premium can offset larger November DOC quotes, however December roads and gasoline prices can erase beneficial properties if supply falters.

Is there a “greatest day of the week” to pay?

Many distributors finalize costs Monday and Thursday mornings; paying simply after these occasions reduces the chance of being caught by a same-week checklist change.

What number of chicks are in a carton, and does that have an effect on pricing?

Commonplace retail cartons are 50 chicks. Most market pages specify this clearly (and sometimes present costs as “per 50”). Figuring out this helps you examine per-chick vs per-carton economics when negotiating.

Is it protected to purchase within the wet season?

Sure, in case you management transport time, airflow, and brooder setup. Scientific opinions warn that day-old chicks with out feed/water past 48 hours face extreme extended starvation, so maintain journeys brief and the hand-over tight. On farm, main breeder guides advocate placement temperatures round 30–32 °C (86–90 °F) at chick degree, with pre-heated flooring/litter to assist chicks begin quick.

Conclusion

In the event you’ve skimmed all the pieces else, bear in mind this: in Nigeria, the good cash buys broiler chicks in January–March. That’s when the December worth spike for desk birds collapses (broilers that offered for NGN 14k–15k in November jumped to NGN 23k–25k on Dec 25, 2024, then cooled proper after), and when the principle harvest (Oct–Dec) has simply eased some strain on grain and feed. As a result of feed is the lion’s share of price (70%) and a big share of Nigeria’s maize goes straight into animal feed, these seasonal shifts ripple into what you in the end pay, and earn. In plain farm phrases: fewer persons are shopping for instantly after the vacations, extra grain is shifting, and your first-quarter bookings normally stretch the naira additional.