The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

AN ABACO poultry farm yesterday said it is hoping to raise almost one-third of the $150,000 in needs to construct a hatchery via a Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) grant.

Lance Pinder, Abaco Big Bird’s operations manager, told Tribune Business that he has been “mulling for several months” such an investment but it is not something his team are ready for quite yet.

Abaco Big Bird produces broiler chickens for meat, and running a hatchery in addition to that is a significant expansion of its operations. “We applied for grant money from the SBDC for it, so let’s see if that comes through and we will go from there,” Mr Pinder said.

“The problem with doing the hatchery was you need eggs, and the egg shortage is why there is a baby chick shortage. So when you’re putting in a hatchery, you are still back to the problem of getting eggs for the hatchery. So what we really wanted to do is have a small breeder flock here.

“The reason there’s a shortage of eggs is because there’s a shortage of breeder birds. But we think we have a beeline on a couple places we might be able to get some breeder birds from, so the hatchery is kind of back on the table. If you can’t get eggs or you don’t have your own breeders, there’s no point having a hatchery.”

Mr Pinder told this newspaper in August he would need $150,000 to start a proper hatchery, and the SBDC grant application is worth $47,000. “That’s all we asked for, so we’ll see if that comes through,” he said, stating he has contacts who can find him the breeder birds he needs to get the hatchery started properly.

As for competition in the egg market, Mr Pinder said: “It all depends on what keeps happening. If inflation in the egg prices internationally stays where it is, it’s a very viable business. If the prices plummet back down to what they were, say a year ago or year-and-a-half ago, then it’s more of a niche market type environment you’re dealing with. So it’s viable either way. It just depends on how big it’s going to be.”

Producing eggs versus breeder birds is a “whole different situation”, as less start-up capital is needed compared to egg production. “When you deal with meat birds you need the whole processing space, and you don’t just need growing space,” Mr Pinder explained.

“You need the whole processing plant. Even if you’re small you still need a processing facility to slaughter, package, freeze the chickens, store the chickens. But with eggs, it is a little simpler because the storage needed for eggs is simpler because they have a longer shelf life.”