TILT donates an incubator to two Sipili groups

By Samuel Nyaga

Sipili Upendo and Makutano B women group were lucky to be beneficiaries of an incubator donated by Tree Is Life Trust (TILT) to help boost their chicken rearing projects. The two (2) groups received the incubator on February 11, 2013 at the Olmoran Member of County Assembly (MCA) office in Sipili, Laikipia West.

Speaking while presiding over the donation, Mr. Thomas Gichuru, Director TILT said that the donation was intended to help the two groups empower their members through improving their livelihoods. He advised the group members to use the incubator to uplift their economic status by engaging in a profitable business.

He said this is the second step in chicken business and reminded the two groups that the first one was building brooders and was expecting each and every member to have at least one.

Picture of the incubator

“We hope that the incubator business will be successful. We will help in marketing and in addressing any other issue that will come up along the way,” said Mr. Gichuru.

The incubator which is worth Ksh 75,000 is capable of hatching 264 eggs. Hatching is in three (3) phases as each tray carries 88 eggs. The incubator also has a hatching tray that carries 88 eggs.

Esther Kiama, Chairlady Sipili Upendo and Makutano B Women Group, noted that they had received the incubator at an opportune time as all the members had already prepared brooders and they were also ready to invest more in poultry farming.

She said that they had agreed that group members as well as the general public will each pay Ksh 20 in order to have their eggs hatched while a day old chick will be sold at Ksh 50. She noted that they will lay a lot of emphasis on production of indigenous poultry as they are more tolerant to diseases which reduce veterinary costs.

Already a member of the group has been trained on handling incubators, hatching and brooding together with general poultry production by Eco Chicks.