Be like DR.STARR and master the 7 qualities of a successful layer chicken farmer required for a profitable and sustainable layer farm.
Remember the quail farming craze of 2010?
Kenyan farmers invested heavily, only for many to lose millions when the market crashed.
One farmer even released 3,000 quails into the wild because he could not sustain the business.
But what was the real problem?
Were quails themselves a bad idea?
Not really. Some people actually became millionaires during that time. So why did some farmers succeed while others failed?
The difference often lies in character, values, and qualities rather than just resources. Sometimes success comes not from what you have but from who you are.
In this post, I’ll show you how adopting the DR. STARR framework can transform your layer farming journey.
DR. STARR is an acronym representing 7 qualities of a successful layer chicken farmer – essential traits every farmer must have.
1.DESIRE
Napoleon Hill, in Think and Grow Rich, calls desire “the starting point of all achievement—the first step toward riches.”
You don’t necessarily need deep passion for chickens to succeed in poultry farming, but you must cultivate a strong desire to succeed in keeping layers.
Wishing for success is not enough. Instead, develop a desire so strong it becomes an obsession. Then plan definite ways to achieve your goal and back those plans with persistent action. When your mind obsesses over success, it naturally finds ways to make it real.
Look around you.
Every great achievement you’ve ever had probably began as a thought—a simple desire in your mind. Your layer chicken farm is no different: desire first, then achievement.
2.RESILIENCE
Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties.
Poultry farming, like any business, comes with challenges. Birds may die from disease, feed prices may spike, or theft might wipe out your flock.
What will you do when these setbacks happen? Quit? Blame the government, imported eggs, or bad luck? Or will you come back stronger?
The answer defines success. Those who quit easily never see profits. In contrast, resilient farmers adapt and rebuild after every challenge.
For instance, Dr. Daniel Masaba, a successful Ugandan layer farmer with 30,000 birds today, once lost 700 birds (Almost half of his flock at the time) in a disease outbreak. Instead of giving up, he rebuilt with improved biosecurity.
Today, his farm thrives because of his resilience.Persistence keeps you moving forward; resilience helps you rise after falling. Together, they keep you in business long enough to see the “crazy profits.”
3.SPIRITUALITY
Surprisingly, spirituality plays a significant role in farming success. Here, spirituality involves two things: Mission and Faith.
Mission:
Why does your farm exist? Is it just for money, or does it serve a bigger purpose?
While earning KES 100,000 a month is a great financial goal, having a purpose beyond money gives you drive even when challenges arise.
It keeps you motivated before the money comes and even after it arrives.
Faith:
Faith is believing in things you cannot yet see.
You already exercise faith daily—when you go to sleep trusting you’ll wake up or travel believing you’ll arrive safely. Likewise, you must believe you can succeed in poultry farming even before it happens.
When faith combines with mission, your farm gains a powerful foundation. You’re not just running a business; you’re pursuing a purposeful calling.
For a step-by-step guide to finding your spiritual goal and why, check out our free worksheet—https://secretlayers.co.ke/blog/how-to-start-poultry-farmingthe-5-things-every-layer-chicken-farmer-must-know/
4.TEAMWORK
To be a leader, you must first be a good follower.
And being a good follower involves working as a team and following the teams goals and mission.
That lesson applies directly to farming because you’ll interact with many people: employees, customers, suppliers, and even government officers.
Lack of teamwork often creates unnecessary workload, employee turnover, and lost partnerships.
Successful poultry farmers, on the other hand, know how to work well with others and build strong professional relationships.
Here’s a tip I use to promote teamwork: treat everyone as a partner in your business. Listen to them, ask better questions, and encourage collaboration. Even friends can offer valuable insights when you view them as informal consultants. Remember, we always go farther together.
5.ACCOUNTABILITY
Accountability is one of the toughest yet most valuable qualities to develop.
It’s different from responsibility.
Responsibility means admitting you made a mistake.
Accountability goes further: learning from that mistake and preventing it from happening again
For example, if feed prices rise, accountability means acknowledging you failed to stock up when prices were low, then creating a plan to buy in bulk next time.
If an employee ignores biosecurity rules and your flock dies, accountability means accepting you hired and trained poorly—then improving your hiring and training process.
Mastering accountability forces you to create systems and solutions that strengthen your farm, ensuring mistakes are not repeated. It’s a powerful habit not just in business but in life.
6.RESOURCEFUL
Being resourceful doesn’t mean having plenty of resources; it means making the most of what you have.
Imagine you need to travel from Nairobi to Mombasa but can’t afford a plane ticket. What do you do? You take a bus. You still reach Mombasa, just in a different way. That’s resourcefulness—finding alternatives when things get tough.
On your layers farm, money may run out, customers may switch suppliers, or markets may slow down. Will you give up, or will you find creative solutions to keep moving forward?
Resourcefulness often awakens your creativity.
You begin to see possibilities where others see dead ends. That ability keeps your farm alive and thriving when others fail.
7.READER
If you’ve reached this part of the blog, congratulations—you’re already a reader!
And that’s an essential quality.
Elon Musk once said he learned how to build rockets by reading two books a day. Similarly, farmers who continuously learn stay ahead of the curve. Reading exposes you to new concepts, tools, and opportunities that others miss.
Even dedicating 10 minutes a day to reading about best poultry farming practices can compound into significant knowledge over time.
With today’s fast-changing agriculture industry, staying informed is crucial to staying competitive.
Start with reliable sources: books, research papers, credible blogs, newsletters, and even worksheets like the ones we offer at Secret Layers.
(If you haven’t already, sign up for our free Layer Starter Kit,weekly poultry tips and tutorials- It’s totally FREE)
Here are other reliable sources:
https://www.kalro.org for poultry research and farmer insights
https://kilimo.go.ke for poultry news updates
You now have the blueprint for being a successful layer chicken farmer.
Find out about The 5 Things You Should Know Before Starting a Layer Poultry Farm:
Being like DR. STARR—having Desire, Resilience, Spirituality, Teamwork, Accountability, being Resourceful, and becoming a Reader—makes you more than just a farmer.
It positions you as a successful, future-ready poultry entrepreneur.They are the qualities of a successful layer chicken farmer you’ve been looking for – the ‘cheat code’ for success in the poultry business.
These qualities may seem personal, but they directly influence how you run your farm, how you handle challenges, and how quickly you grow.
Start working on them today. Build the poultry business mindset first, then apply the skills. Combine your character with knowledge and watch your layers farm thrive—regardless of market challenges.
And if you haven’t already:
> 📩 Register below for free for access to Secret Layers resources:
✅Beginners’ guide
✅ Printable Purpose Planner
✅Regular Layer Chicken Digest Tips
See you next Friday!
Carlos Deche
carlosdeche4040@gmail.com
secretlayerke@gmail.com
secretlayers.co.ke