Innovative Technology and Practices Transforming India’s Poultry Farming
Dr. Md. Moin Ansari
University Professor & HEAD
Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology
Bihar Veterinary College
Bihar Animal Sciences University
Patna-800014, Bihar, India.
Abstract
India’s Poultry farming is a viable industrial business and has got significant scope for development. The development of poultry farming through the use of innovative technology and practices immensely contribute to improving the socio-economic conditions of the Indian farmers by making poultry farming more productive, profitable and remunerative.
Key words: Poultry farming, innovative technology, practices, Chicken
Introduction
Poultry farming is the main component of animal husbandry which rears wide variety of domesticated birds viz: chickens (domestic fowl), ducks, turkeys, pigeon, guinea fowl, pheasants, geese, quail and other game birds to produce meat or eggs for food. In India, poultry mostly chickens are farmed in great numbers as they are more commonly available in our country and are of great demands for meat and egg. Chickens raised for eggs are known as layers, while chickens raised for meat are called broilers. According to the World Watch Institute, 74 percent of the world’s poultry meat, and 68 percent of eggs are produced intensively. One alternative to intensive poultry farming is free-range farming using lower stocking densities. Poultry keeping, both, on a small scale and large scale has flourished all over India. Poultry producers routinely use nationally approved medications, such as antibiotics, in feed or drinking water, to treat disease or to prevent disease outbreaks.
Innovative Technology and Practices
Today poultry farming has considered as the fastest growing industry not only in the animal husbandry sector, but of agriculture sector as a whole, thanks are due to new technologies. These innovations continue to drive the growth and development of the Indian poultry sector, ensuring a steady supply of affordable, nutritious poultry products for consumers and help farmers to improve productivity, animal welfare, and sustainability. Some key innovative technology and practices transforming India’s poultry farming making a big difference are:
- Automation and Robotics: automation and robotics should improve poultry farming in many ways like Health and welfare, Productivity, Data-driven decision making, Remote monitoring, Biosecurity, Automatic feeders, Automatic weighing platforms, Egg collection conveyors, Blockchain technology, Robotscan be programmed to diagnose early signs and symptoms of disease occurrence, which can help prevent the spread of viruses and other pathogens. They can also monitor the environment for temperature, humidity, and ammonia levels, which can help improve bird welfare and productivity. It can automate tasks like feeding, egg collection, and cleaning, which can reduce labour costs and improve efficiency.
- Smart sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT): can be used in poultry practice to monitor and control environmental conditions, feed and water birds, and detect disease. Internet of Things (IoT) technologies can automate farm procedures, such as controlling lights and fans. Big sample data analytics tools can be used to analyse the large amounts of data generated by the sensors.
- Precision Farming: Precision farming, also known as precision agriculture or smart farming, is a farming technique that uses technology and data to increase crop yields, reduce resource waste, and improve farm efficiency which involves collecting data, analyzing data, using technology in the of drones, remote sensing, and precision irrigation systems to apply pesticides, fertilizers, and seeds, and to water plants. The goal of precision farming is to help farmers make precise decisions and use resources optimally. This reduces costs, minimizes disease, and improves overall flock performance.
- Genetic Engineering: Genetic engineering can be used to improve poultry production by increasing egg production, growth, feed conversion, disease resistanceand biomedical research. Chickens can be used as an experimental tool for drug manufacturing, preclinical research, and pathological observation. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) technology, which are the hallmark of a bacterial defence system that forms the basis for CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology: This technology can be used to edit genes in chickens.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): By analysing data from sensors that monitor temperature, humidity, ventilation, and lighting conditions, AI algorithms can help farmers create a comfortable and healthy environment for birds, improving their growth and reducing their stress. AI can also optimize the management of healthcare supplies for poultry. Automated systems track feed and water usage in poultry houses, providing farmers with insights into flock health and performance. This data helps optimize feeding schedules, adjust feed formulations, and detect any issues that may affect bird welfare or productivity.
- Blockchain Technology: Blockchain technology can be used in the poultry industry to improve traceability, food safety, and compliance with regulatory standards. It can track individual birds from the egg to the dinner plate, including every input and output at each stage of the supply chain, enable automatic and immediate ordering and payments between suppliers and help to ensure compliance with regulatory standards.
- Sustainable Energy:Sustainable energy in poultry farming can be achieved through a number of methods, including: Biogas (a sustainable alternative to charcoal or LPG gas for brooding, biogas is powered by chicken droppings. This method also manages animal waste and produces organic fertilizer). Solar energy is a clean and efficient sustainable source of energy. Using biogas and solar energy reduces operational costs and the carbon footprint of poultry farming. Photovoltaic (PV) technology is used for lighting, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) in poultry houses. Geothermal energy is generated and stored within the Earth, and can be used to produce heat and electricity. Bakery meal is a good quality bakery by product meal can be used in broiler feeds, particularly in starter diets. Dried cassava peels and rice bran can be used as an energy source for broiler production. Molasses can be used as an ingredient in broiler feeds, but it is a semi-liquid ingredient that requires special handling. The poultry industry is vertically integrated, making it extremely efficient and traceable. Sustainability is a growing focus for broilers, which are one of the fastest-growing protein sources and are raised with minimal resources.
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