Attention to detail: the key to broiler production
FAST FACTS
Dale Shepherd tried to run his chicken farm remotely, using a manager, but ‘very quickly’ realised he needed to be present and actively involved.
He maintains precise records of his operation and watches his profit margin closely.
Keeping the mortality rate low is one of the keys to his success.
When you produce large numbers of chickens on a tight margin, the potential for sudden huge losses, in terms of both birds and money, is a daily reality. Dale Shepherd, owner of Plaston Chicken Farms near White River, is keenly aware of this, which is why he focuses intently on maintaining the birds’ health at all times and keeping a tight rein on input costs in his 800 000-broiler operation.
If anyone knows how to make a poultry farming business work, it’s Shepherd. As the owner of the Banking and Financial Services Campus in Johannesburg, where he facilitates credit and risk management training in financial services, he has accumulated years of knowledge of how to make a business succeed or fail.
He also learnt a valuable
