Backyard poultry is one of the most effective methods to assure the availability of poultry eggs and meat in rural areas even in remote villages also.

3.  “It is time that our farmers turn their attention to other areas such as
animal or poultry rearing to generate additional income.These extra
activities always ensure some amount of money flow in a farmers hands.
They act as parachutes when the flight to a good harvest fails.”
Dr.V A Parthasarathy,
Director Indian Institute of Spices Research,
Kozhikode, Kerala.

4. 1. Unique characteristics of Indigenous breeds
a) Hardiness
b) High resistance to common diseases
c) Heat tolerance
 Frizzled feathers
 Naked neck
 Fibrinomelanosis
d) High medicinal value
2. Low input – feed cost, shelter, labor
3. Preference of country birds
4. Nutritional security

7.  Backyard poultry is one of the most effective methods to assure the
availability of poultry eggs and meat in rural areas even in remote villages
also.
 The eggs are small(40 to 45 g) and color of the eggs is brown or tinted,
attractive to consumers. Less fat content in meat makes it acceptable to
even aged people. The eggs and meat fetch premium price due to unique
flavor and consumer acceptability.
 It requires minimum land, labor and capital.
 It does not demand special housing, feeding, skilled management as the
illiterate people, ladies and children can manage the birds.
 Feeding of the backyard poultry is made easy by using household wastes,
farm products and green vegetation, besides free scavenging for waste
grains and insects.
 More beneficial to small, marginal farmers, landless laborers , tribal and
backward classes.

8.  Initial rearing can be started with limited expenditure and the production
cycle continues from generation to generation without recurring expenditure.
 Rural people also use birds for religious ceremony.
 It provides additional and regular source of income.
 It will certainly improve the economic status of majority of the rural/ tribal
families from lower socio-economic groups.
 Products obtained from these poultry are the cheapest source of animal
protein to fight malnutrition of rural people.

10.  Decrease in backyard space.
 Multicrop production.
 Insecticides on crops.
 Non availability of suitable germplasm for backyard poultry.
 Sluggishness of upgraded birds.
 Local laws : may not permit to rear adequate number of birds.
 Lack of knowledge.
 Preventive measure may not be available.

11. 1. The night shelter with adequate protection.
2. Depending on the number of birds reared,
i. 2 to 3 hens – a coop.
ii. 10 to 15 birds – small mud hut, 1.2m3.
iii. 50 and more – 3*2.3m for night shelter.
6.2*6.2m with fencing of 2m height ( if rearing is done nearby
residence).
3. If the rearing is on farm field – birds can be let loose in field on fallow
land after crop harvest.

13.  Scavenging behavior reduces feed requirement – birds will have an access
to insects, white ants, green grass, grass seeds, waste grains etc..
 Less supplementary feed requirement than intensive unit.
 Feed supplementation during morning and evening hours – develops habit
to reach owners place for egg laying and night shelter.
 Supplementary feed requirement varies between 25 to 50 g/bird/day.
 For better shell quality – supplement shell grit @ 5-7 g/bird/day during
laying period.

14.  Energy feeds –
broken rice
rice polish
rice bran
tapioca meal
 Vegetable protein –
groundnut cake
coconut cake
soyabean meal
 Animal protein feed –
fishmeal
poultry waste meal
meat meal
 Minerals and vitamins –
ready made vitamin mixture
dicalcium phosphate
 Fillers –
deoiled rice bran
wheat bran
 Green meals –
dehydrated green meal, lucerne leaves.

18.  Minimum health care measures – sturdiness.
 Birds have to be protected from common diseases like Ranikhet and Fowl
pox by proper vaccination.
 Periodical deworming every 2 months should be practiced.
 Using coccidiostat during rainy season.

19.  Productive lifespan of improved varieties are just half.
 As improved varieties have no broodiness the traditional chick production
have come down.
 Ban on killing of stray dogs and unscientific slaughter houses was a great
threat to rural poultry production.
 Mortality due to RD was high during the period.

20.  Increased labor cost and feed cost gives limited scope for large poultry
farms and so backyard poultry production should be encouraged.
 There should be projects to protect our own desi birds as they are well
acclimatized to our environment.
 University should conduct studies on the desi breeds, conserve them for
future and evolve new varieties suitable for backyard poultry rearing.
egg production alone should not be the only criteria but also the colour
of the bird, disease resistance, adaptability and broodiness should be
considered.

21.  ‘Kaveri Kudumbasree’, a SHG under the leadership of Ms.Preethi sunil at
Narinada in Chakkittappara Panchayat in Kozhikode is a role model in
successful backyard poultry using improved breeds.
 Ms. Preethi sunil and 13 other members if the group belong to poor
agricultural families and depend on their husbands economically.
 As the breeds are poor layers, they did not get sufficient eggs for meeting
their own family needs.
 During one of their visits to KVK, they discussed the problems faced with
local breeds.
 KVK conducted a 2 days training program on shelter and feed
requirement, improved breeds of poultry, identification of common
diseases of poultry and methods of vaccination.
 After this practical orientation, these women members started rearing
breeds such as Grammashree and Kalinga Brown that are disease resistant,
they now know how to identify common diseases in birds and treat them at
the initial stage.