Poultry farm management

Poultry is the rearing, breeding, and caring of domesticated birds like chicken, ducks, turkey, etc. for their meat or their eggs. However, the most preferred bird in the poultry industry is the domestic fowl or chicken that is Gallus domesticus. Poultry started over 5000 years ago but was never practiced on a large scale and remained as a household activity. However, poultry as an industry started only during the 1950s. Poultry birds generally known as fowls are of two types.

These are broilers and layers:

Broilers

Broilers are chickens that are specially prepared for their meat. These birds usually grow very fast In poultry, the male birds are reared for their meat. Females can also be read for meat but generally, they are reserved for laying eggs. Boilers are usually grown for a period of six to seven weeks during which they attain a weight of 1.5 to 2 kgs. Broilers usually are produced by crossing White Plymouth rock with White Cornish. Some varieties of broilers include Anak-2000, Hub-chick, Rose Vencob, Caribro-91, etc.

Layers

The second type of poultry birds are called as layers. These are the female fowls that are reared only for laying eggs. Generally, a female fowl lays eggs twice a week. In order to boost up the egg production, the fowls are injected with hormones. However, the eggs produced by this method are unfertile and are considered as vegetarian eggs. The fowls selected as layers are vaccinated regularly and their overall health is monitored. The fowls are debeaked from time to time in which the tip of the beak is trimmed to avoid and minimize injury during a fight with other birds. These birds are given a fresh balanced diet completed nutrients.

Now we talk about the life cycle of a laying fowl.

First stage: this stage is known as the brooding stage. The newly hatched chicks are very delicate and are unable to regulate body temperature. So, the chicks are kept in a special room called Brooders. Here the temperature is maintained constantly at 950 Fahrenheit and high care and quality food are supplied to them. During this period, the fowls gain weight very quickly, this period lasts for 6 to 8 weeks.

Laying stage: After the brooding stage comes to the laying stage. The mature female starts laying eggs after 22 weeks and continue for 12 to 15 months. When the layers are not able to lay a sufficient number of eggs, they become uneconomical and are, therefore, sold to slaughterhouses.

Poultry breeds

American breeds: Plymouth Rock, New Hampshire, Rhode Island Red, Wyandotte, etc.

British Breeds: Australorp, Sussex, Cornish, Red Cap, etc.

There are also some Cross-breed varieties of chicken that have high egg yielding rates like HH-260, Poona pearl, Grama Priya, Keystone, High line, etc.

Some chicken can serve both broilers and layers. They are known as Dual-purpose breeds like Plymouth Rock, New Hampshire Rhode Island Red, etc.

Care of poultry and poultry farm management

For the proper functioning of a poultry farm certain aspects have to be kept in mind. First of all, the farm should have safe environment with proper enclosures along with proper ventilation. Second, for rearing and breeding, only disease-free breeds of poultry birds should be selected. Third, the farm should have proper feed and water facility. Four, proper health and hygienic conditions should be maintained and regular screening for disease outbreak should be done.

Poultry feed

The fowls are generally fed on food grains like bran of rice and wheat. Oil cakes, fish meal, bone meal, green vegetables, vitamins, minerals, and salt.

Poultry diseases

To have a healthy flock of chickens the poultry farmers should maintain proper hygienic conditions. These help to reduce the risk of infections and diseases from getting spread. However, due to intensive poultry farming and unhygienic conditions, fowls tend to get infected with a number of diseases.

Birds flu: It is also known as Avian Influenza. It is a viral infection spread from bird to bird. It is caused by H5N1 influenza virus. It’s deadly to most birds, and its deadly to humans and other mammals that catch the virus from birds. Since the first human case in 1997, H5N1 has killed nearly 60% of the people who have been infected. Till date no safe vaccine and medicine is available to eradicate the virus. As the virus is capable of undergoing repeated mutations.