13 Sep 2018

- Mr Clement Boitshwarelo, 39, of Tsolamosese says he has always been passionate about farming from a tender age as he grew up in a family of farmers.

Upon growing up, Mr Botshwarelo said he dedicated his time to poultry business and today he runs the Clints Farm, which is a backyard home for breeding Orpington chickens, turkeys, guinea fowls, peacocks and rabbits.

He said he has also ventured into manufacturing incubators. Mr Boitshwarelo said so far he supplied Pick’n Pay and Spar retail shops with rabbit and duck meat and that the profits were worth it.

He said it all started in 1997 as a hobby but later transformed into a business idea, that was when he started to breed Tswana chickens and doves and as the business grew he added other birds.

The devoted farmer said he was now focused on breeding Orpington chickens since he realised that they were a rare beautiful chicken breed which could be used for both eggs and meat and were therefore profitable compared to others.

“As a farmer, I always attend agricultural shows which act as a form of benchmarking, that is where I learnt about Orpington chickens and gradually I developed interest in breeding them,” he said.

Mr Boitshwarelo described Orpington chickens as large weighing around 3kg with an attractive look, docile and quiet. He said with its docile personality it was a great choice for many breeders and hobbyists since they were easy to manage.

At his poultry farm, he said, he breeds three different colours of Orpingtons namely black, buff and cuckoo. He said Orpington chickens have a generous plumage which made them strong to adapt well to winter, hence they generally had an excellent temperament and were cold tolerant.

He said his poultry was now able to produce around 50 chicks per month, which he supplied to individuals and regular customers.

Mr Boitshwarelo has praised agricultural shows and workshops for having an impact on his poultry business because he has been able to meet and work with other farmers and share ideas.

He said he has also learnt the importance of advertising as one of the major aspects of promoting his business. He now has different forms of advertising such as Facebook among others.

Furthermore, he said he kept his Orpington chickens caged to avoid cross breeding to protect their quality and the colour of their offspring.

He also revealed that Orpington chickens’ production cycle was seasonal and that in winter their laying rate dropped as compared to off winter season where they could lay one egg per day.

Mr Boitshwarelo said he has also discovered that some Orpingtons could be ultimate mothers whereby one chose to be the unofficial matron of the flock’s fertilised eggs.

He said with his business growing, he has been able to buy a car in order to carry out different activities, adding that transportation remained a major necessity for business as well as being able to build a residential house for himself with part of the profits.

He now plans to extend his business to a more spacious commercial plot where he could offer a wide range of poultry products.

Although the business is a success story, he said he has faced challenges such as expensive feeds, unavailability of a business plot as well as deadly diseases such as New Castle, which he said killed many of his chickens last year. ENDS