Poultry Farming

POULTRY FARMING

Poultry farming is the breeding of fowls for improving the egg production and chicken meat.
Eggs and meat are the rich sources of protein and fats that adds to an important component in human diet.
Thus the fowls are interbred so as to improve the quality and quantity of eggs and chicken.

Poultry breeds developed to improve the egg production are known as layers, while those produced for the meat production are known as broilers.

Egg Layers

Broilers

Poultry breeds:

Indigenous breeds:

Usually in India, four poultry breeds are available. They are: Aseel, Chittagong, Ghagus and Busra. Commonly aseel is used by the poultry breeders.

Indian Breed-White Aseel

Indian Breed-Black Aseel

This breed provides good meat and has high egg laying capacity. They have strong built up and good resistance power. But the drawback is the small size, slow growth, small size of eggs and their number is also less. However the quality of eggs is good.

Exotic Breeds:

They are the breeds from foreign countries and are known for the number of eggs produced by them and their size. Their body size is also small so nutritional and maintenance requirement is also economic. But they are less resistant to diseases. Commonly used exotic breeds in India are White Leghorn, Rhode Island Red etc.

Exotic Breed-White-Leghorn-Hen

Exotic Breed-Brown Leghorn

Improvement of Indian/indigenous breeds:

Cross breeding of Indian and foreign breeds are done for the following desirable traits in the improved species:
Number and quality of chicks
Small broiler parent for commercial chick production
Summer adaptation capacity/tolerance to high temperature
Low maintenance requirements
Reduction in the size of the egg-laying bird with ability to utilize more fibrous cheaper diets formulates using agricultural by-products.

Improved breeds:

Management of poultry farm:

Poultry birds are raised for egg production and flesh content, so their development pattern, requirements and management vary accordingly in terms of nutrition, shelter and disease control.

Poultry Farm

Production and management of Egg Layers:

A layer starts laying eggs at the age of 20weeks and the commercial layers can lay eggs up to 500days. Layers are improved for various desirable characters like: egg number. Sexual maturity, egg weight, body weight, feed efficiency, egg size, egg shape, shell color, shell thickness, internal quality of eggs etc.
Fertile eggs rot rapidly so infertile eggs are desirable as the hens are able to lay infertile eggs also.

Egg Layers

Eggs

Management of shelter for layers:

Care for egg layers vary in different stages, i.e., growing period and laying period.

Shelter:

The shelter should be kept clean to maintain hygienic conditions. The floor should be sloppy for proper cleaning and drainage so as to keep the surface dry. It should by well ventilated.

Space:

Growing period: During growing phase, they require good space as the overcrowding suppresses their growth.
Laying phase: During egg laying period, they need enough space and adequate light. The intensity of light, its duration and appropriate temperature increases the fertility and laying output of the hens.

Water availability:

Clean and cold water facilities should be maintained to avoid heat stress in birds. Lack of water can reduce the egg production in them.

Feeding time:

Feed should be available all the time as they eat in small quantity but frequently. If they are diseased, or under stress or if the food is not tasty, they tend to eat less hence care should be taken. Egg production increases with good feeding.

Lighting:

Duration and intensity of light plays an important role in fowl development because when the lights are off, chickens do not eat and this results in low egg production.
Lights should be checked regularly and cleaned so that they do not get dimmer.
Bulbs should be changed when necessary.
Chickens should be exposed to light for a minimum of 14 hours and a maximum of 17 hours per day. Exposure to light for less than the minimum time required results in a drop in egg production.
When chickens are exposed to too much light, they reach sexual maturity at an early stage and they lay very small eggs.

Nutrition:

Layers should be fed with energy rich diet containing vitamins, micronutrients, minerals etc. Proper calcium and salt level should be maintained in their diet.
Calcium deficiency can result in few and smaller eggs, soft-shelled eggs, shell-less eggs, cracked eggs, eggs losing color and hens having leg problems.
While low salt in the feed can result in a sharp decrease in egg production. Also the chickens will start pecking each other and eating feathers.

Production and management of Broilers:

Broilers

Broilers are the breeds grown in poultry for meat. For this, chickens are raised up to 6-7 weeks in the poultry farms. They are grown to the weight of 700gm to 1.5 kg and sent to market for meat purposes.
They are fed with special diet that can assure the good growth rate and better feed efficiency. Care is taken to avoid mortality and feathering and carcass quality.
When the chickens are grown as broilers, their housing, nutritional and environmental needs become different from that of the layers. At this time, they are provided with the conditions which are favorable for their rapid growth and low mortality.
The food provided to them should be protein rich with adequate amount of fats and high amount of vitamin A and K.

Management of disease in layers and broilers:

Poultry birds suffer from a number of viral, fungal and bacterial diseases. The birds may also be affected by parasites and nutritional deficiencies. The birds can be protected from various diseases by adopting the following measures:
Proper cleaning and sanitation of their living area
Spraying of disinfectants at regular intervals
For Prevention against viral and bacterial diseases, Vaccinations must be given to these birds