PROFIT AND CONSTRAINTS OF SMALL-SCALE BROILER PRODUCTION IN EGBEDA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, OYO STATE

The article assessed profit and constraints of small-scale broiler production in Egbeda local government area, Oyo state. The main objective of the study was to analyze the level of returns of small-scale broiler farmers in the study area. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Purposive and random sampling technique were employed to select 120 small scale poultry farmers for this study. The data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, and gross margin analysis. The study focused on profitability of small-scale broiler production in the study area. Result indicated that an average broiler farmer was 47.4 with an average household size of 4.6, the farmers had average farming experience of 24 years. Small scale broiler production was profitable with a gross margin of N511,867.64. Cost of feed constituted the major variable cost of the total production process. Inadequate capital, scarcity of labour, lack of access to market, high cost of day--old chick, high cost of feeding access to land, farm security, and seasonality of the business were the major constraints that are faced by farmers. The study recommended that government should provide financial support and access of credit facilities for the farmers, also small-scale broiler farmers should form cooperative to be able to access credit for their operation and to be able to buy farm input in bulk to reduce high cost of input facing them.