Assessment of Poultry Farming Profitability in Northern Nigeria: A Theoretical and Empirical Review

Poultry production is one of the fastest-growing sub-sectors of Nigerian agriculture, and Northern Nigeria spanning the North-West, North-East and North-Central geopolitical zones hosts a substantial share of the country's smallholder and commercial flocks. This paper undertakes a theoretical assessment of poultry farming profitability in the region by synthesizing conceptual models of farm profitability with evidence drawn from published empirical studies conducted across Kaduna, Sokoto, Bauchi, Kano, Nasarawa, Kwara and the Federal Capital Territory. Using a desk-review approach anchored on farm budgeting and production economics theory, the paper develops a conceptual framework linking inputs, costs, revenue and profitability determinants, and illustrates this framework with cost-structure and profitability data reported in the literature. Findings indicate that feed and day-old chick costs dominate total production cost (often exceeding 85 percent of variable cost), that profitability indices reported across studies range roughly between 25 and 40 percent, and that farming experience, flock size, access to credit and association membership are recurrent determinants of profitability, while disease incidence, feed price volatility and weak infrastructure constrain it. The paper concludes that poultry farming in Northern Nigeria remains a profitable enterprise on average but one whose margins are structurally exposed to input-cost shocks, and it recommends targeted interventions in feed-cost stabilisation, credit access, disease control and farmer cooperation.