BACKYARD POULTRY REARING AS A TOOL IN POVERTY REDUCTION IN RURAL INDIA

BACKYARD POULTRY REARING AS A TOOL IN POVERTY REDUCTION IN RURAL INDIA

COMPILED & Edited by DR. RAJESH KR. SINGH

Mandal et al described nicely while giving a definition to backyard poultry production system. According to them it is a low input or no input business and is characterized by indigenous night shelter system, scavenging system with little supplementary feeding ,natural hatching of chicks , poor productivity of birds, local marketing  and no health care practice.

Poultry development in the country has taken a quantum leap in the last three decades. The development owes to various factors which include growth in income and urbanization, progresses in processing technology and improvements along the marketing chain.

India is an agrarian country with 833 million (68.84%) people living in rural areas as per the population of India 2011 census.  It is said that more than half of rural households depend on manual labour for livelihood and faced unemployment, hunger, malnutrition and low standard of living. Amidst all these problems, Backyard Poultry Farming is emerging as a source of income generation as well as a source of required protein to low income families in the form of eggs and meat.

 

Backyard poultry farming, a traditional system of poultry keeping is mainly practised in rural areas in India. It is a low input business and is characterized by rearing poultry birds in small numbers in backyards under free range system whereby poultry birds scavenge for good. Natural process of hatching is practiced and there is lack of poultry health care.

Livestock and poultry provide a major contribution to India’s economy.  In rural economy poultry farming contributes an important role especially for the socio-economic development of the weaker section of the society in India. It generates self employment, provides supplementary income and supplements protein rich diet at relatively low cost. In the state, the source of egg and meat production is mostly from exotic layers and broilers as well as the traditional local breeds. The high yielding layers and broilers cannot survive under sub-optimal nutritional and managerial condition within stressful environment. The local breeds are very low productive with laying capacity of 20-30 eggs per year and very slower growth. These breeds need to be replaced by superior breeds phenotypically similar to existing poultry population.

Backyard poultry farming primarily involves country chicken birds. Today’s popular breeds include a number of genetically improved varieties of indigenous low-input technology (LIT) birds such as: Vanaraja, Aseel, Kaveri, Chhabra, Giriraja, Gramapriya, Kuroiler and Rainbow Rooster.
According to the Indian government’s National Action Plan for Eggs & Poultry -2022 (NAPEP), backyard poultry accounts for 20 percent of India’s poultry sector, which is worth over Rs 800 billion (around £8.5 billion). The 19th Livestock Census of India estimates that across the country, around 30 million farmers are engaged in backyard poultry farming.

 

Traditionally, native chickens (NC) were the mainstay of poultry production in rural and tribal areas in the country. Mostly free range and backyard systems of production with little or no proper housing are followed for NC production across the country. Free range and backyard systems are of low input and low output systems. NC production is gaining attention in recent years due to higher demand for their meat and eggs. This can be attributed to their desirable flavour and perceived health benefits due to their slow growth, low fat content and lack of antimicrobial usage as growth promoters. The increasing demand of NC is particularly higher in urban areas due to the increasing purchasing power and growing population in cities.

Therefore, there is a huge scope for increasing NC production in the country as they can play a vital role in bridging the gap in the requirement and supply of poultry meat and eggs. NC possess unique attributes such as attractive multicoloured plumage, hardiness, ability to adapt to low input suboptimal rearing conditions and harsh environment, broodiness, perceived desirable taste and flavour of meat and eggs, aggressiveness to protect their young ones, higher genetic diversity, etc. Rearing of NC generates subsidiary income by utilizing minimum inputs and minimum human attention. It also helps in women empowerment, social up-liftment and providing household nutritional security to the rural/tribal people as mostly women and children are involved in rearing. Furthermore, they cater to the needs of consumers who are willing to pay higher prices for coloured birds and light brown shelled eggs of NC.

Poultry development is one of the fastest growing subsectors of Animal Husbandry. From being a household activity, Poultry farming in India has transformed into a very scientific and commercial operation. The interventions of the corporate sector along with policy environment provided by the Government of India / State Governments from time to time has led to this transformation.

The scale, technology, management and capital requirement for commercial poultry is beyond the reach of small and marginal/ BPL farmers. At the same time there is a niche market for Desi or indigenous birds reared in natural environment. Desi or indigenous birds reared in the backyard are generally poor performers in egg and meat production. With improved strain, these poultry birds, can give excellent result when raised in backyard. The activity can be taken up by beneficiaries from BPL families, SHGs, landless, small and marginal farmers for supplementary income and nutritional support. To obtain maximum profit from indigenous poultry birds, these strains have been improved and are giving excellent result when raised with low inputs. Some of the improved varieties developed are Vanaraja, Giriraja, Girirani, Krishna – J etc.

Rural population living in India constitutes 72.2 per cent of the total population, which is predominantly occupied by poor, marginal farmers and landless labourers. Backyard poultry production is an old age profession of rural families of India. It is the most potent source for subsidiary incomes for landless and poor farmers. It is an enterprise with low initial investment but higher economic returns and can easily be managed by women, children and old aged persons of the households. Now-a-days, poultry meat and eggs have been the best and cheapest sources for meeting out the per capita requirement of protein and energy for rural areas of India.

Though India has shown a tremendous growth in poultry production over decades but rural poultry farming is still lagging behind and always found neglected. As it is the best alternative for the small scale farmers to subsidise the income with negligible input, this farming system needs an upliftment with recent advancement of research in the field of rearing of chicks, balanced feeding, disease control and efficient marketing system for the egg and meat. Now-a-days, the backyard poultry can easily start with good egg laying birds of RIR (Rhode Island Red), Chabro, Punjab Red and Partapdhan breeds.

Backyard poultry production system is a low input business and is characterized by indigenous night shelter system, scavenging system, natural hatching of chicks, poor productivity of birds, with little supplementary feeding, local marketing and no health care practice. Poultry development plays a crucial role in increasing egg and chicken meat production. Indian demand for poultry products will be enhanced at 4.8 per cent where as the supply of poultry products will grow at 5.2 per cent per year over the decade which is faster than for any other type of animal product. The production of agricultural crops has been rising at a rate of 1.5–2 per cent per annum, where as eggs and broilers has been shown to rise at a rate of 8-10 per cent per annum but the growth has been mainly restricted to commercial poultry. In India, growth in the livestock sector can definitely contribute to poverty reduction, because of the peoples lived in rural areas depends on livestock for their daily livelihoods. It has also been observed that the demand for the animal protein source is increasing rapidly in developing countries.

Raising of local poultry breeds in backyard is an important source of livelihood for the rural people. Small holdings containing 2-3 hens per unit were found to be more efficient producer of eggs compared to those with 5 or more hens per unit. Main interest of the poultry farmers having backyard poultry is not production of eggs as returns are very low from sale of eggs. They hatch all their eggs and sale them as birds because of broodiness habit of these breeds.

ackyard Poultry Farming is emerging as a source of employment opportunities and additional income to rural households which improves the socio-economic life of the people. It brings more income with low investment in terms of feeding cost, labour cost, shelter provision and veterinary care when compared to commercial poultry farming. Poultry Birds reared under backyard system can easily sustain on kitchen waste, worms, insects, weeds, grains, rice etc.  It is eco-friendly and easy to maintain backyard farming as wood and bamboo can be used to make shelter for the poultry birds. It provides quality food in the form of egg and meat, control pests and the growth of weeds, reduces food wastage and also provides women empowerment since backyard birds are managed by them, overall improving the rural economy especially rural and tribal people.

The demand for local egg and chicken and duck in the local markets and towns is high as locally reared poultry birds have low cholesterol and provides the necessary nutrients and protein to the people especially women and children.

It has been said that commercial birds have poor immunity against common poultry diseases and Commercial poultry production is capital intensive. As production is inversely proportional to the viability traits, the nutrient absorbed mostly diverted for growth in commercial chicken. Indigenous birds reared in rural areas are resistant to many diseases and pests and do not require high level of inputs pertaining to feed and healthcare to maintain production and check mortality.

However, in rural areas, lack of scientific knowledge or poultry management gives rise to the condition for loss in poultry farming. Vaccination for New Cattle Disease may curtail this loss. There is lack of technical knowledge and inadequate veterinary care to rear poultry birds against outbreak of diseases and predators.

Conventional and improved varieties of backyard poultry birds

 

In rural poultry farming, birds are raised under a traditional extensive unscientific scavenging system without special management practices of feeding or housing and the flock size ranges from 5 to 50 birds. In rural areas, chicken reared in backyard are generally Desi type which are low producing with respect to egg and meat. The desi chicken breeds adopted in free- range backyard conditions for centuries contribute about 11% of total egg production in India. Their contribution to the total egg output was stagnant for the last few decades due to their low productivity i.e. annual egg production: 50-60 nos. Usually non-descript desi birds are reared but in some areas, local breeds and crossbreds derived from them are also reared. Specific improved varieties of birds are now available for rearing for meat or eggs and few varieties for both (dual purpose). Rural poultry farming should involve rearing of improved chicken varieties under free range, semi intensive or intensive conditions34 . Understanding the importance of backyard rural poultry farming in India, several research organizations have developed different backyard chicken varieties which have successfully been reared by farmers from many parts of the country. These improved varieties include Gramapriya, CARI-nirbhic, CARI-Shyama, Vanaraja, Gramalaxmi and Nicobari. Out of these the first four are of dual purpose whereas rest are egg type

 

Advantages of backyard poultry farming

A lot of advantages are there for which rural poultry farming should always be backed up by Government and non government oraganisations. Gives employment to the rural small scale and marginal farmers. ii. Provides additional income to the rural households. iii. Aids in enhancing the soil fertility in backyards (15 chickens produce 1- 1.2 kg of manure/ day). iv. Products from rural poultry farming fetches high price compared to those from intensive poultry Farming. v. Provides egg and meat with almost no or very less investment through backyard poultry farming in free range system. vi. Birds reared under free range conditions give eggs and meat of low cholesterol concentration compared to those produced under intensive poultry farming. vii. Lessens protein malnutrition in susceptible groups like pregnant women, feeding mothers and children.

 

There are many advantages of rural poultry farming system which are given follows:

• Gives employment to the rural small scale and marginal farmers.
• Provides additional income to the rural communities.
• Aids in enhancing the soil fertility in backyards (15 chickens produce 1-1.2 kg of manure/day).
• Products from rural poultry farming fetches high price compared to those from intensive poultry farming. Almost double the rates of brown shelled eggs in the local market.
• Provides egg and meat with almost no or very less investment through backyard poultry farming in free range system.
• Birds reared under free range conditions give eggs and meat of low cholesterol concentration compared to those produced under intensive poultry farming.
• Lessens protein malnutrition in susceptible groups like pregnant women, feeding mothers and children.

Advantage of backyard poultry farming

1. A unit can be started with very small size with low initial capital investment
2. Low feed cost due to use of Agricultural by-products, farm and kitchen waste etc.
3. Quality of chicken and egg is better as the birds are raised in stress less environment with natural input.
4. Egg and birds can be sold in local market with high price, because there is a growing demand for local chicken.
5. Resistance to diseases, better adaptability to extreme climatic conditions, can thrive on poor management and housing arrangements
6. Source of supplementary income and better utilization of family laboures who are not able to perform other agricultural works
7. Due to low maintenance, acceptability among the landless labourers or marginal farmers and women members of Self Help Groups is higher

Present status of NC in India

 

According to a report by management consultants McKinsey & Company, as cited in the NAPEP, India’s per-capita chicken consumption is set to grow from 3kg to 9.1kg by 2030, on account of people’s rapidly changing consumption behaviour. This suggests an even greater scope for backyard poultry to grow as an increasingly important part of India’s poultry sector.

Egg production in the country grew at the rate of 6.16% annually from 2008-09 to 2018-19 and 8.51% in 2019 with a total of 103.32 billion eggs produced in the year 2018-19. The per capita availability of eggs in the country was 79 eggs per annum in 2019 (BAHS 2019). Native chickens (NC) contributed about 14.4% to the total egg production of the country in the year 2016. However, their contribution reduced to 11.96% in 2017, to 11.83% in 2018 and further to 11.5% in 2019 (BAHS 2019). This decline in contribution of NC to total egg production is despite the fact that the population of NC increased from 106.7 million (2016) to 109.22 million (2019). This may be due to increase in the population as well as productivity of improved commercial layers and also due to stagnation in the productivity of native chickens. The total egg production from commercial poultry is reported to be 84.91 billion and that of backyard poultry (both improved crosses and native chickens) is 18.41 billion amounting to 82.2% and 17.8% of total egg production, respectively in the country. Although the data on contribution of NC to total poultry meat production is not available but their contribution to the total meat production could have marginally increased as their population increased during the period.

Native chicken breeds

NC comprise mostly of non-descript types in the country. However, till date a total of 19 breeds have been recognized and registered as native breeds of chicken in India. They are Aseel, Kadaknath, Ghagus, Nicobari, Ankaleshwar, Bursa, Chitagong, Denki, Daothigir, Haringhatta Black, Kalashthi, Kashmir Faverolla, Miri, Punjab Brown, Tellichery, Mewari, Kaunayen, Hansli, and Uttara (http://www.nbagr.res.in/regchi.html ). Some of the lesser known NC ecotypes such as Tripura black, Titri, Teni, Brown Desi, etc were also reported. NC with major genes of tropical adaptability features such as naked neck and frizzle genes (Frizzle fowl) are also available. Among NC most popular breeds are Aseel, Kadaknath, Ghagus and Nicobari. These breeds are witnessing high demand due to their unique attributes. Some of the important NC breeds mentioned below were characterized in detail for production traits.

1. Aseel:It is the most popular breed of India and it is known for aggressive behaviour, fighting quality and majestic gait. Its breeding tract is located in coastal Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh states. Seven varieties of Aseel breed such as Peela (Golden red), Yakub (black and red), Nurie (White), Kagar (black), Sabja (white and golden or black with yellow or silver), Teekar (brown) and Reza (light red) were reported (Panda and Mohapatra 1989). Furthermore, farmers of coastal Andhra Pradesh rear different ecotypes of Aseel breed and such ecotypes of Aseel breeds were recently collected from their home tract and are being characterized and conserved under semi-intensive system of rearing at ICAR-Directorate of Poultry Research (ICAR-DPR), Hyderabad. The annual egg production of Aseel breed was 64 eggs (Rajkumar et al 2017).
2. Kadaknath: This breed is also known as ‘Kalamashi’in Hindi due to its black coloured flesh. This black colour is due to hyperpigmentation associated with fibromelanosis (Fm) gene (Arora et al 2011). In this breed all body parts including blood and flesh are black in colour. Three varieties of this breed were reported viz., Jet black, Golden and Penciled based on plumage colour pattern. The home tract of this breed is inJhabua and Dhar districts of western Madhya Pradesh. The meat of this breed although appears to be repulsive for sight has delicious flavour (Panda and Mohapatra 1989) and is reported to have high protein (22 to 25%) content (Mohan et al 2008; Haunshi et al 2013). Its body size is small. The annual egg production of Kadaknath was in the range of 93.6 to 105 eggs (Singh and Prasad 2005, http://www.icar.org.in/cari/native.html.
3. Ghagus:It is a medium sized bird with good mothering ability and broodiness character. Male birds of this breed are morphologically characterized by the shining bluish black feathers on breast, tail and thighs. Neck is covered with golden yellow feathers. Female birds have mostly brown coloured plumage. (Haunshi et al 2015a). Its native tract is located in Kolar district of Karnataka and border areas of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka (Anonymous 2011). They are known for high incidence of broodiness (Up to 66% of the flock) and good fertility (91.5%) and hatchability (90.8% on fertile eggs set). Annual egg production recorded was 116 eggs with egg weight of 47.62g at 72 weeks of age (Haunshi et al 2019b).
4. Nicobari:Nicobari breed was evolved by the Nicobari tribes in the Nicobar group of Islands. They were mostly reared in free range conditions by the tribal people. They are brownish matty coloured, medium sized birds with compact body, short legs, single comb and pink or red coloured wattles. They have short and thick necks, bulged breast and long saddle feathers. Nicobari fowls are classified as dwarf birds with short shank of 3.7 cm length at 10 weeks of age (Chatterjee and Yadav 2008). Annual egg production recorded was 169.1 with egg weight of 46.16g at 72 weeks of age (Haunshi et al 2019b).
5. Miri:These are small sized compact birds reared mainly by Miri (Mising) tribes of Assam. Its native breeding tract is located in upper Assam districts. Egg production up to 40 weeks of age was 33.59 eggs with egg weight of 38.67g at 40 weeks and age at first egg of 147 days. Body weight at 40 weeks of age was 1507 and 1214g respectively in male and female birds (Haunshi et al 2009).
6. Mewari:The home tract of this breed is Mewari region of Rajastan. Mewari breed is light to dark brown colour plumage with long arching tail feathers, single comb and yellow shank and skin. Adult weight is about 1.9 kg in cocks and 1.2 kg in hens. Annual egg production ranges from 37 to 52. Egg weight is about 53 g (Yadav et al 2017).
7. Hansli: This breed is predominantly reared in Mayurbhanjand some parts of Keonjhardistrict of Odisha. Birds of this breed phenotypically resemble to Aseel breed. The 20 weeks body weight of male and female birds was reported to be 1629 and 1318g respectively (Behera et al 2017).
8. Uttara: It is the latest breed to be registered in breed registry of NBAGR, Karnal. Its native tract is located in hill districts of Uttarakhand state. It has black coloured plumage, feathered shanks, single comb and white skin. The twenty weeks body weight was 1295 and 1129g in male and females respectively. They produce about 137 eggs in a year (Kumar et al 2018).

Characterization and conservation of NC breeds

Registered NC breeds are characterized and conserved to prevent further loss of genetic diversity and some native breeds are being improved. In situ conservation is the most ideal and preferred method of conservation of biodiversity of any germplasm. However, due to increasing urbanization there is increasing pressure on agricultural land leading to high cost involvement and hence it is becoming difficult to conserve some of the NC breeds at their native tracts. Therefore, in vivo-ex-situ conservation of NC available across the country needs to be taken up for conservation and utilization purposes. Identification, characterization and registration is a continuous process as newer breeds are being identified and registered as per the ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources guidelines (http://www.nbagr.res.in/guidelines.html). It is pertinent to survey, collect and characterize the NC from remote, hilly, forest and tribal areas where no exotic crosses are introduced so far to identify newer breeds or ecotypes of NC.

 

Challenges for native chicken production

Although there is a huge scope for production of NC due to various advantages associated with rearing of them but it faces several challenges as detailed below.

1. Poor growth and production potential

Growth performance of most of the NC is very low as the body weight of most of the NC is reported to be in the range of 1.4 to 1.8 kg for cocks and 1.0 to 1.4 kg for hens at about 20 weeks of age. It was reported that most of the NC produce around 60-80 eggs in a year in three to four clutches with average egg weight of 35-45 g. They also mature late and their average age at first egg often ranges from 25 to 28 weeks (Table 2). Therefore, there is an immediate need for improvement of NC for both growth and production traits in order to make rearing of NC more remunerative and to enhance the availability of meat and eggs of NC in rural and tribal areas. The experience at ICAR-DPR with Aseel improvement program clearly shows that NC can be improved both for growth and egg production without affecting their original breed characteristics and adaptability to backyard farming.

2. Losses due to predation and theft

Predation in free range or backyard system is one of the major causes of losses of chicks especially in early part of life. Although adult birds can run fast and fly to some extent to escape from predators but young chicks are vulnerable to predation. In one study it was observed in Tanzania that main causative factor for loss of chicks during first six weeks of age was predation (55%) followed by disease incidence (30%), ecto-parasites (5%), management factors (6%) and unidentified (5%) causes (Alfred et al 2012). Although there are systematic studies on losses of chicks due to predation the situation is almost similar for NC production in India. Losses due to predation and theft can be overcome by taking appropriate measures such as proper housing using locally available materials and elimination of predators by trapping and repelling.

3. Incidence of diseases

Among various diseases, Newcastle disease is the major cause of heavy losses in chicks and adult birds in free range conditions (Kornel 2008). Fowl pox is another viral disease that causes losses due to morbidity and mortality in free range and backyard poultry farming. Fortunately vaccination of birds can prevent the incidence of both diseases. Farmers need to be educated and encouraged to vaccinate their birds with the help of nearby veterinary clinics of state animal husbandry departments. Incidence of emerging and re-emerging diseases causes complete loss of native germplasm from the affected areas. Incidence of parasitic diseases is another major cause that affects the performance of chickens under backyard system of production due to poor growth and egg production (Bhat et al 2014).

4. Non availability of inputs in user required form

Non availability of inputs like medicines and vaccines in small number of doses near rural and tribal areas is one of the hindrances for NC production in the country. Thermo-stable vaccine for Newcastle disease is already a reality in Africa and Southeast Asia (Kornel 2008). Development of such vaccines using virus strains endemic in the country will go a long way in the control of the Newcastle disease. Non availability of chicks or hatching eggs of improved NC is another constraint for improving the backyard poultry production.

5. Loss of genetic diversity

Globally this is a gravest concern as 30% of poultry breeds were at risk and 9% are already extinct as the proportion of breeds at risk and extinction are highest in chickens as compared to other livestock species (Hoffmann 2009). Situation is more or less similar in India as well. Despite having various advantages, NC is being replaced with exotic germplasm (improved crosses/hybrids) to improve the productivity of backyard poultry farming. Several crossbred varieties which look like NC (Coloured plumage and brown eggs) were developed using exotic improved chicken breeds (Khan 2008). These improved crossbred varieties are being introduced in large scale through government sponsored schemes and also by private players. Therefore, NC breeds are increasingly facing the threat of genetic erosion due to large scale introduction of high yielding varieties or crosses. The way forward to overcome this challenge is to discourage the introduction of varieties in home tracts of recognized breeds of NC. For this the home tracts of all NC breeds need to be identified, demarcated and notified so that improved varieties can be propagated in non notified areas for improving the productivity of backyard farming.

 

Up Gradation/Improvement of Indigenous Chickens for Higher Production

The diversity in agro-ecology, climatic conditions and variation in the purpose of chicken rearing in different regions and production environments in the tropics are believed to contribute to the current high diversity in chicken genetic resources in these areas. However, genetic improvements in the tropics on native indigenous chicken genetic resources are either rare or non-existent . Instead in most instances developing countries uses high yielding commercial lines developed for intensified management system for crossbreeding with native fowl to increase the egg and meat production of native chicken by exploitation of heterocyst. India has well developed breeds through long term crossbreeding and selection using local chicken population as foundation stocks .

Breeding programme targeting improvement of indigenous chicken should focus on within breed selection rather than crossbreeding with commercial chicken breeds. This would help to maintain the indigenous chicken unique attributes which are appreciated by producers and avoid genetic erosion and dilution and contribute to their conservation . Research in village poultry in different countries has revealed that the genetic potential of village chicken is generally not the major constraints to their production .The breeding programme to improve the performance of indigenous breeds of chicken through selection is of great help to the farmers in the rural areas to improve their earing from indigenous birds. Though improvement through selection is slow, the change in production will be permanent in nature and maintain the unique characteristics of native/indigenous breeds.

 

Scope for Improved Indigenous poultry broiler farming

The activity provides supplementary employment opportunities and nutritional security for the rural poor under Backyard poultry production system. In India, backyard poultry, produces 30 to 35% of the eggs and is important for livelihood and nutritional securities of the rural poor. There is a scope to promote clusters or small holder’s poultry estates by backyard poultry farmers in rural areas. The lower costs of input and the higher market prices offered for local poultry, backyard systems provides better returns. Improvements in management practices by rural poor will reduce disease and mortality incidences in rearing indigenous birds and would increase their profitability and offer good scope for further development in the years to come.

Government initiatives

Government of India is encouraging conservation of indigenous poultry breeds for producing poultry birds suitable for backyard poultry. More focus is being given to provide appropriate support to indigenous poultry farming in the form of financial assistance, genetic stocks and improved technologies, scientific advice, extension/awareness. Central Poultry Development Organisations (CPDOs) located at four regions viz. Chandigarh, Bhubaneswar, Mumbai and Bengaluru are working on improved breeds of birds for backyard poultry which can survive at the farmer’s doorstep, provide training to backyard poultry farmers and conduct feed analysis. Kalinga Brown, Kaveri, Chhabro and Chann are the varieties / strain of Low Input Technology birds (Chicken) developed by these CPDOs. Based on demand they supply hatching eggs, Day old chick of parent / commercials of these varieties to the States / UT’s and individual farmers. Some state governments have also come forword to promote improved desi poultry through backyard poultry low input technology birds. Under National Livestock Mission (NLM), the chicks/ birds suitable for rearing in the backyard are reared in the mother units upto 4 weeks and are further distributed to the BPL beneficiaries in atleast two batches under, Rural Backyard Poultry Development (RBPD).

 

Project formulation for bank loan

Technical

Housing management for backyard poultry farming

A small unit for rearing of improved indigenous birds for meat purpose can be established as backyard unit by landless families, SHG members. Since indigenous birds are more resistant to diseases and adverse climatic condition as compared to hybrid birds, they can be reared in the shed made from low cost housing material like wood, bamboo, grass, thatch etc. Area of 1sqft per bird is sufficient. Overcrowding of birds should be avoided. The sheds should be constructed on well raised land and non-water logging areas. The shed should be well ventilated ands Floor should be in elevated land or above ground level (minimum 2ft) and free from water crack, easily cleaned, rat proof.

Management of birds

• Birds are generally reared on free range system. The birds are let loose in day time for foraging and sheltered in shed at night.
• After purchase, brooding arrangements are required to be provided to the day old chicks in first week. Brooding can be done by using any heating source – electric bubs, bukhari. The floor should be covered with 1-2 inches of paddy/ wheat straw to avoid injuries to birds.
• Similarly, birds are to be protected from attack of predators.
• The shed should be cleaned regularly to prevent dampening and thereby fungal and microbial infections.
• For better health care in backyard poultry farming the birds should be vaccinated against diseases at proper time. Deworming for internal and external parasites also should be done to maintain a healthy flock.

Feeding Management

The birds are to be fed with good quality concentrate feed to attain the desired marketable weight. The feed can be prepared by the farmers by mixing the available feed ingredients. The feed should be stored in clean, dry, well ventilated room and care should be taken that fungal infection is not occurred. The birds are to be fed a per schedule avoiding over and under feeding. Generally these birds are having habits of scavenging for feeding. However, to avoid feed losses it is desirable to provide feed in locally available feeder. Birds are to be always provided with fresh and clean drinking water. Water should be always available at birds and it should be ensure that birds do not enter the waterers.

Financial

Financial assistance available from Banks for Indigenous Poultry broiler farming

As indicated earlier, improved indigenous poultry farming activity is accepted by small and marginal farmers, landless poor and women members of Self Help Groups as their livelihood activity.It is being financed by banks under various schemes/ programmes. Since the activity is generally taken up on small scale, investment/ capital cost required is very less. A model economics for improved indigenous broiler farming with a unit size of 100 birds in ‘All In All Out’ batches is given below. This is indicative and the applicable input and output costs along with other parameters observed at the field level may be incorporated.

Lending terms – General

Outlay: Outlay of the project depends on the local conditions, unit size and the investment components included in the project. Prevailing market prices / cost may be considered to arrive at the outlay.

Margin Money: Margin depends on the category of the borrowers and may range from 10% to 25%.

Interest Rate: Banks are free to decide the interest rates within overall RBI guidelines. However, for working out financial viability and bankability of model project, the rate of interest is assumed at 12.00% p.a.

Security: Security will be as per RBI / NABARD guidelines issued from time to time.

Repayment of loan: The loan repayment is determined, on the basis of gross surplus generated in the project. Usually the repayment period of loan for broiler farming is 5 years without moratorium.

Insurance: The birds and other assets (poultry shed, equipment etc) may be insured. Wherever necessary Risk/Mortality fund may be considered in lieu of poultry insurance.

A model project of 100 Improved Indigenous broiler birds on ‘All in All Out’ batches is given in Annexure I. This is indicative and the applicable input and output costs as also the parameters observed at the field level may be incorporated.

 

Management of backyard poultry birds

Feeding: In backyard poultry farming, the feed cost is considered to be minimum. The birds collect the required protein, energy, minerals and vitamins etc. From snails, termites, leftover grains, crop residues and household wastes. Feed ingredients like broken groundnut straw and wheat grains can also be given to the chicks. The chicks may be supplied with extra concentrate ration@30-60 gm/day/chick for better performance. The chicks need balanced feed during the initial 6 weeks of age under brooder by providing balanced chick feed during the early period of growth. The average body weight of 1.5 to 2.0 kg will be attained up to 5 weeks and if required should be provided with supplemental calcium sources like lime stone powder, dicalcium phosphate (DCP), stone grit, shell grit at 4 to 5 grams/bird/day.

Ingredients for balanced ration

Ingredient	0-8 week old birds	9-20 week old  birds	More than 20 week old birds
Maize	52	45	46
Soybean	18	–	15
Groundnut oil	13	13	8
Rice polish	–	35	–
Deoiled rice polish	15	–	22
Fish meal	–	06	–
Limestone	–	–	7
Dicalcium phosphate	2	01	02
Salt (g)	200	–	300
Vitamins (A,B,D,K) g	15	15	15
B complex	20	20	20
Vitamin B12	15	–	–
Trace minerals (g)	50	50	50
Coccidiostat	+	–	–

 

Floor space: The chick should be provided sufficient feed and floor space. Overcrowding results in stress and mortality chick requires 8 square inches of feeding space. During the 6^th week, 1 sq. ft. floor space per chick must be provided to avoid overcrowding.

Space requirement for poultry

Age  (Weeks)	Floor space  (sq. ft)	Feeding space  (cm)	Watering space (cm)
0-4	0.5	2.5	1.5
4-8	1.0	5.0	2.0
8-12	2.0	6.5	2.5

Ventilation: Supply of fresh air to the chicks is highly essential. Brooding will cause depletion of oxygen and build up of carbon dioxide, ammonia etc., the airtight curtains should be avoided. It is recommended to keep a gap of 3.5 inches between the ceiling and side curtains to facilitate gas exchange between the house and environment. In extreme weather conditions, windows, doors and fans need to be effectively used to maintain optimum ventilation.

Beak trimming: Trimming of beak is an important managemental practice. This is done to
prevent cannibalism and wastage of feed. Beak trimming is a sensitive operation and it
should be done by trained people. The beak trimming is done at 3^rd week and one third of upper beak should be trimmed.

Litter management: Litter management place a vital role in controlling the disease in the flock. When birds are housed on deep litter, placing of waters and their maintenance should receive due attention to keep the litter dry. The litter should be stirred at regular intervals
depending on the environmental temperature, humidity, ventilation fecal moisture content, quality of water system.

Health issues: Rural chicks need brooding care during the initial 6 weeks of age. After 6 weeks, they can be let free for scavenging in the backyard. The excess males can be reared separately and marketed for meat purpose. The night shelter should have good ventilation and protection from predators and plenty of clean water should be made available. The birds must be vaccinated against Marek’s and Ranikhet diseases. There should be periodic de worming at 3-4 months intervals.

Importance of local breeds in backyard poultry farming system

Smallholder backyard poultry production utilizing local breeds is expected to come under serious competition with the commercial poultry sector and if not well planned the genetic resources of local poultry shall be lost. Conservation of local poultry breeds along with improvement for traits like meat and eggs will increase competitiveness to survive in the market. The socio-religious use of local poultry breeds, superior adaptability in their habitat, ability to perform in low input production system and the production system which is similar to organic production will be the competitive advantages of backyard system over commercial poultry production. Poultry keeping in backyard gives very high return as the investment is very low. The local breeds of poultry/indigenous poultry genetic resources are held in high esteem even after 50 years of industrial poultry production because of the following reasons:-

• Local poultry breeds exhibit superior adaptability in their habitat and possess the ability to survive, produce and reproduce on low plane of nutrition and sub-optimal management.
• The inputs required are very small, as they scavenge their feed requirements and are raised with little veterinary care.
• They possess the ability to protect themselves from predators.
• All the local breeds show broodiness and hatch their own chicks making the system auto generating.
• People have a preference for eggs and meat of indigenous poultry compared to those realized from farm-bred chickens consequently eggs and meat from local breeds are sold at a premium price.
• Cock fighting is a popular sport for the ethnic tribes and the local breeds are superior to exotic breeds in fighting.
• Use of coloured bird for socio-religious use.

Points kept in mind for backyard poultry farming

• Trainings:Poultry farmers must approach to Krishi Vigyan Kendra’s to obtain the basic training on backyard poultry farming. This is very useful for rearing of chicks, feeding, housing and disease management.
• Exhibitions:Through regular exhibition of local poultry breeds in Kisan Melas, Animal Camps, Livestock Championship and other poultry exhibitions. This helps in the selection of good quality birds.
• Breeding of local poultry breeds:Since most of the small holder poultry farmers are poor, Government should extend assistance to improve the poultry farming system by providing good quality chicks to the backyard poultry and suggest for multiplication of birds at their own level from these good quality hens. Within a time frame the skills are to be transferred to farmers at village level. Attempt, however, should be made to retain broodiness in the local stocks since it makes the system auto generating. These hens are used for producing the chicks at home level.
• Record keeping:In order to improve egg production there is a need to record the performance of individual hens for egg production. It is not a problem to obtain this information since each hen lays her egg in a separate nest regularly. This will provide information on laying capacity and hatching performance for each hen. Those hens with higher egg production and hatchability should be selected to reproduce next generation.
• Vaccination schedule: Follow the vaccination schedule given below:

Age of birds	Name of vaccine	Name of disease	Doses	Route of vaccination
Day old chicks	HVT MD Vaccine	Marek’s disease	0.2 ml	s/c or i/m
4-7 days	F-1/Lasota	Ranikhet disease	One drop	Eye or nostril
14 to 18 days	Intermediate plus	Gumboro  disease	–	Drinking water
35 days	F-1/Lasota	Ranikhet disease	One drop	Eye and nostril
6 to 7 weeks	Chicken embryo adopted	Fowl Pox	0.5 ml	Wing stab method
8 to weeks	Strain killed vaccine	Ranikhet disease	0.5 ml	s/c or i/m

 

• Extension services:Extension support for health care, input supply, market linkages and other aspects should be readily available at village level. The people should participate in the health care and breed development programme.

Majority of the farmers expressed their willingness to increase their poultry activities, although the highest proportions of the farmers were medium producers. In order to increase poultry production at the farmers’ level, a systemic training program should be organized specifically for rural communities. Additionally, extension and motivational work along with technical support should also be conducted in the villages to en-courage farmers to rear and consume more backyard system of poultry production, since this is a means of sustainable livelihood of poorer sections of the society and will help in food production, food security and providing employment to rural peoples. Lack of technical knowledge, lack of suitable germplasm, decrease in availability of natural resources of feed and inadequate veterinary support is the alarming constraints of the traditional backyard poultry production system.

Reference-On Request