Overview & Core Concepts
This step brings together the three farm choices into a single, practical planning framework for prospective farmers.
Putting the 3 Choices Together:
- Purpose: What will my farm produce? (Broiler meat, Table eggs, or Hatching eggs)
- Intensity: How will I house and protect the flock? (Free-range, Open-sided shed, or Climate-controlled EC shed)
- Operating Model: How will the business be run? (Independent farmer, Contract grower, or Corporate COCO)
Combining Your Choices: Any poultry farm represents a specific combination of these three choices. For example: 'Broiler + Open-Sided Shed + Contract Farming' or 'Layer + Environmentally Controlled Shed + Independent Farming'. Each combination requires different capital investments, daily farm skills, working funds, and risk management approaches.
Why This Matters
Evaluating all three choices together prevents planning oversights — such as building a shed that doesn't fit your business model or choosing a high-intensity EC shed without securing the necessary capital and power backup.