Dr. Parveen Kumar
Almost every family in our Panchayat is engaged in rearing and breeding of poultry birds; told Abdul Waheed, a progressive farmer from Kabbi Panchayat. He answered this when asked about what was unique among the farming community of his village. Although poultry refers to rearing and breeding of birds like Chicks, Turkey, Goose, Duck, Pheasant which are raised for meat, eggs, feathers; but here it refers to chicks and hens only. The Panchayat has seven wards and in almost every ward one can find poultry farming being taken as an allied enterprise. Although the no. of birds vary from 10-15 with most of farmers’ to hundreds with farmers’ like Abdul Waheed, Umar Din and Azad Ali, yet the positive thing is that it is there with every household.
About 11-12 kilometers away from district headquarters of Ramban is situated Panchayat Kabbi; having a population of about 1500-1800 which is accounted to by some 600-650 households. Most of the population is engaged in farming. As with most of the district which is 95% rainfed; farming community in this Panchayat too depends upon timely rainfall for successful cultivation of different crops. Over the last few years, the Panchayat is witnessing climatic uncertainties. Pre-monsoon showers are now absent and rainfall is untimely and often not sufficient. In the previous kharif season too, farmers had to go for resowing of maize thrice due to repeated failure of seeds to germinate in absence of adequate moisture. In Rabi season, wheat is grown along with some oilseeds and fodder like oats. Vegetables are also grown here. Livestock and Goatry are also taken up as enterprise diversification strategy. With average size of land holdings very less, agriculture is largely subsistence in nature.
Abdul Waheed with his birds in village Kabbi
When I started discussing with Abdul Waheed regarding rearing of chicks in such large numbers, he told me that it fetches him handsome returns. Besides the family labour is used which does not puts a burden on him as compared to the money he had to spend due to work done through hiring of labour from outside. I also came to know that he is earning in lakhs from poultry. At present he has 1000 broiler birds which he rears only for meat purpose. He purchased them at the rate of about rupees 50-55 per bird. After two months the birds attain a weight of two kilogram and is then sold at the rate of rupees 130 per kilogram. For two months, each bird consumes three to four kilogram of feed. The feed mostly consist of pre starter which is given for the first 15 days and then the starter which is given after 15 days. The pre-starter costs fifty per kilogram and starter costs 40 per kilogram. It means on an average a bird consumes feed worth rupees one seventy during two months and after two months gives return of rupees 260-270 (is sold at the rate of rupees 130 per kilogram). The total rearing cost per bird thus stands at rupees 200-220/- (excluding his own labour costs) giving a net profit of rupees 50-60 per bird to Abdul Waheed. Thus 1000 no. of broilers means a profit of rupees 50,000-60,000 even after some other miscellaneous costs are added to the total cost of rearing. In the entire year, he earns more than one lakh from broilers because one cycle of growth and their marketing is completed in two to three months.
Moving on to hens which he rears for eggs as well as meat, varieties reared by him are Black Australorp, Rhode Island Red, Sonali which have good egg lying capacity and some of them can lay can lay as much as 240-250 eggs in a year. Black Australorps are one of the best heavy breeds of chickens. Basically, it is an Australian breed of dual purpose. It derives from the British Black Orpington. It achieved world wide popularity in the 1920s after the breed broke numerous world records for number of eggs laid and has been a popular breed in the western world since. Sonali is a cross-breed of Rhode Island Red cocks and Fayoumi hens. It has a similar phenotypic appearance to that off local chickens. After 70-75 days it attains a weight of one kilogram. Similarly Rhode Island Red (RIR) is also a dual purpose breed and a good choice for village peoples for rural backyard poultry farming. Each eggs fetches him rupees ten. Again the one day old chicks are purchased by him at the rate of rupees 55-60 per bird. He purchases them from J.S Hatcheries at R. S. Pura in Jammu. The sale of eggs and cocks for meat purposes also give him a net income of 50,000 to 60,000 (after deducting the cost of rearing) per annum.
On the whole, he earns rupees two lakhs from poultry in a year, Similar is the case with other farmers who have taken poultry on large scale. Farmer with less no. of hens also found this subsidiary occupation as good one. It does not need much investment. They just free their birds in their backyards and birds themselves find their feed from the open fields. When needed, they also sell their hens at good price besides their eggs are also a regular source of income for them.
Besides, Abdul Waheed also gets technical assistance and inputs support from KVK-Ramban. He also gets hand holding by Department of agriculture and other line departments.
(The author writes on agriculture and social issues)
