She supplies the eggs and sells the mature birds to hotels and various supermarkets in Nyeri town. She also sells chicks to other farmers who come from as far away as Laikipia, Meru and Kirinyaga.

“My husband, a former police officer, then went to the bank and got me a loan of Sh400,000 with which I bought a hatchery, brooders, a water tank and water traps. I also installed electricity and constructed cages.”

It is here that she was introduced to the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation improved kienyeji chicken, now just referred to Kari Kienyeji after the institution’s former name.

In another separate cage, Leah started cross-breeding the local Kienyeji chicken with the cocks from the Kuroiler, Dorep and Kenbro chicken breed which are known to gain weight faster than the local Kienyeji.

She then transfers them from the chicks cage to a cage where they can move freely until they are four to six months when they are ready for sale.

They can also be sold as three-week old chicks. They go for Sh150 each. The remaining chicks are then reared until three months before she allows them to mix with other chickens.

She notes just like the Improved Kari Naivasha indigenous chickens, her cross-bred indigenous chickens have very few health problems after being vaccinated and their eggs are larger than the local Kienyeji chickens.

She, however, warns that farmers who are cross-breeding their chickens should always ensure that the locally cross-bred ones are kept in separate cages from the original breeds to ensure they don’t extinguish the original traits.