Backyard poultry farming for meat and egg production: rural enterprise

Abstract

Twenty farmers selected from each village for 6 villages of the district and skill based training on various aspects of backyard poultry farming. Participants enriched with sound knowledge were distributed with 25 Vanaraja & Grampriya chicks per person. The records of mean body weight of Grampriya and Vanaraja at different week interval. The body weight of crosses differ significantly (p < 0.05) after 4th week of age from their parents. The body weights of crosses were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than Hazra (Desi) birds and nearly similar to Vanaraja birds at different period of age attaining the sexual maturity in different groups of poultry birds. Vanaraja matures at the age of 141.62 days, Hazra (Desi) bird at 186.47 days and Grampriya at 158.32 days. The pullet egg weight of Vanaraja, Hazra (Desi) and Grampriya were 38.75, 30.82 and 34.94 g, egg weight at 40 weeks of age were 55.87, 42.89 and 51.26 g and increase in egg weight were 17.12, 12.07 and 15.42 g respectively. The hatchability percentages were 87.56%, 89.36% and 85.72% on fertile egg set and 68.23%, 68.92% and 64.74% on total egg set basis respectively in Vanaraja, Grampriya and local desi birds.