The Kampung Chicken Business Can Bring High Profits
Why the kampung chicken business has big potential: Indonesians want both the meat and the eggs, and the birds are cheap and easy to raise free-range.
Even though demand for commercial chicken is stable and still growing, many Indonesians continue to seek out kampung chicken, the country's free-range native chicken. That is why, alongside broiler and layer farming, raising kampung chickens can be a profitable business too. As a traditional breed, kampung chicken tends to be smaller than commercial chicken. Its meat is also tougher, but it has a richer, more savory flavor than commercial chicken. The tough texture can be avoided if the meat is cooked the right way. For more tender results, choose a younger bird. Meat from young kampung chickens is usually not as firm as meat from mature birds. Cooking kampung chicken with pieces of sugarcane, coconut water or green papaya also helps the meat soften faster.
The Kampung Chicken Business
Kampung chickens are usually raised by Indonesians who live in rural areas, where there is still plenty of open land for raising them. Farming kampung chickens is fairly easy compared with raising commercial breeds, because kampung chickens are usually left to roam free. This makes things easier for the farmer, who does not need to provide a special coop for them. Since they roam free, kampung chickens can also forage for their own food, so the farmer does not have to worry much about the feed supply. As a result, raising kampung chickens is a business you can start with little capital and run easily and cheaply. However, kampung chickens cannot be harvested as quickly as broilers, which are ready in about 1 month. Kampung chickens need about 6 months before they are ready for harvest.
Also read How to Raise Healthy, High-Quality Kampung Chickens
In Indonesia, kampung chicken farms are still mostly small and medium-sized operations. Yet with commitment and the right support, this business has the potential to break into export markets, because demand for kampung chicken keeps rising. Beyond the meat, kampung chicken eggs are also in high demand because many Indonesians believe they have health benefits. People usually consume kampung chicken eggs mixed with jamu (traditional Indonesian herbal tonic) or simply eat them raw. The reasoning is that the body absorbs the eggs' nutrients more completely when they are eaten raw. The benefits attributed to kampung chicken eggs include better heart health thanks to their antioxidant content. Raw kampung chicken eggs are also said to contain no cholesterol, unlike cooked ones. That is why the kampung chicken business has such big potential: besides the meat, kampung chicken eggs are also highly sought after by Indonesian consumers.
With both meat and eggs to sell, and eggs that are valued for their health benefits, kampung chickens can bring in a solid profit when they are raised well. Kampung chicken farming is also relatively easy because the birds do not need the intensive care that commercial breeds require. Many kampung chicken farms in rural areas are run the traditional way, usually by fencing off one large plot of land and letting the chickens move around freely inside it. With care this simple, raising kampung chickens can become a highly profitable business when it is managed well. Because it is so accessible, anyone can run this business, making it a local poultry venture that can capture real earning opportunities.
