Poultry Farming

Poultry farming is the rearing of avian species — chicken, ducks, turkeys, geese, quail and guinea fowl — for meat, eggs and feathers, with chicken and duck the two most commercially farmed birds; commercial poultry farming is also a genuinely profitable enterprise. Of more than 100 chicken breeds, the commonly farmed ones fall into five purpose-based categories. Egg layers, farmed mainly for eggs, include Leghorn (India's most popular commercial breed, originally from Italy — small, compact, single-combed, white/brown/black, maturing early at 5–6 months, thriving even in dry areas) and Chittagong (found mainly in West Bengal, golden/light-yellow with a long yellow beak, a good and tasty egg layer). Broiler types, known for fast growth and tender meat, are exemplified by White Plymouth Rock, an American breed with all-white plumage well suited to intensive confined-farm growth. Dual-purpose breeds, farmed for both meat and eggs, are exemplified by Brahma, known for its massive, heavily-boned, well-feathered body and pea comb, with Light and Dark Brahma varieties. Game breeds, historically bred for cockfighting, are exemplified by Aseel (white or black, found across India, prized for stamina, pugnacity and fighting qualities and for meat rather than egg-laying, since hens are poor layers but good at incubating). Ornamental breeds, kept partly as pets, are exemplified by Silkie, whose distinctively fluffy silk-and-satin-textured plumage comes with black skin and bones, blue earlobes and five toes per foot (versus the usual four), and whose calm, friendly temperament makes it easy to keep and popular at poultry shows. Poultry is reared under several systems — Free range, Organic, Yarding, Battery cage and Furnished cage — of which Battery cage dominates large-scale commercial farms, while Free range, Organic and Yarding are the eco-friendlier, market-preferred options. Rearing itself proceeds through defined stages: selecting an active, bright-combed, non-obese layer; selecting fertile, medium-sized, dark-brown-shelled, freshly laid eggs (washed, cleaned and dried) for hatching; incubation (maintaining eggs until the chick emerges after 21–22 days, either naturally under a hen, which limits numbers, or artificially in an incubator, which scales up); brooding (caring for chicks for 4–6 weeks post-hatching, natural or artificial); and providing moisture-proof, rat-proof, easily cleanable housing and a diet balanced in water, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. The main products are eggs (India's primary poultry-farming goal) and meat, both rich protein/vitamin sources; by-products include feathers (used for pillows and quilts) and nitrogen/potash/p …