With the growing demand for eggs and chicken products, poultry management and farming hold out immense work possibilities, writes Usha Albuquerque Although the commercial breeding of chickens has been known to farmers for over 300 years, the concept of poultry farming as an organised industry is relatively modern. In India, its practice has undergone a metamorphosis in the past three decades---from a small backyard operation of the mid-sixties, to the well structured, market-oriented enterprises of today.

The Indian poultry industry, with over 1,00,000 poultry farmers producing 30 billion eggs every year, and 30 million broiler sold every month, ranks fifth in the world's with an annual growth rate of around 20 per cent.

A number of factors have contributed to the increasing popularity of poultry farming as an occupation in this country. The first is the huge and growing demand for a low-priced source of protein-rich nutrients provided by eggs and chicken. The minimal space requirement and low maintenance costs are other factors. Besides, poultry farming is not a high-investment business, encouraging many to set up entrepreneurial ventures. Chickens adapt easily to almost any conditions, and the profits are substantial.

Poultry farming involves breeding and or raising chickens for various purposes. There are three major types of poultry farms, each catering to a different market segment. These are:

Breeding farms which hatch and raise poultry for sale to other farmers.

Broiler farms which breed or buy chicks for their meat. Day-old chicks are procured , and kept for six weeks, until they are ready to be marketed.

Layer farms which raise day-old chicks of light breed for five or six months, after which they start laying. They are kept for their eggs for a year, after which they are culled.

Successful poultry farming is essentially a matter of good management. Farmers must ensure that they are supplied with good quality chicks, give them a balanced feed, most importantly, protect the chicks against disease, and market the produce.

Feeding and disease control play a vital role in poultry farming. The feed is the most important input, and accounts for approximately 70 per cent of the farmer's expenditure. It must be balanced to avoid nutritional deficiency diseases.

Precautions must also be taken to keep diseases and pests at bay. This requires a constant vigil, periodic administration of prophylactic vaccines, and observing of the norms of basic hygiene.

Marketing is another essential component in this field. Owners of broiler farms usually prefer to market directly to shops and hotels, in order to avoid middlemen. In layer farms, the production of good quality eggs, their proper storage and timely marketing require close attention.

Good farm management can make all the difference between success and failure.

Many farmers specialise in areas such as breeding of chicks, artificial insemination, vaccination, and research on feed formulae to enhance productivity, design and layout of sheds and so on.

Specialised training is essential for a successful career in poultry farming. A bachelor's degree in veterinary science and animal husbandry is useful but not essential. The B.VSc will give you the professional knowledge and training to prevent and control disease, and handle the breeding of birds in a scientific manner. For the Bachelor's in Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, you require to have completed plus two with physics, chemistry and biology.

However, there are short-term specialised poultry farming courses for which no specific eligibility is required, although science students are preferred.

The Institute of Poultry Management (IPM), Pune, is possibly the only specialised institute in India offering full-fledged programmes in poultry farming and management. The IPM maintains its own farms and hatchery to enable students to gain extensive hands-on experience.

It also runs a disease diagnostic and feed analytical laboratory to acquaint its students with the various disease prevention methods and feed formulae that may be altered in practice, to maintain a high viability on their farms. The course also includes marketing and farm management.

There are also government poultry farms in different states that provide training and extension services to entrepreneurs and poultry farmers.

Along with academic training, some business acumen, marketing skills, patience, organisational and managerial skills are also necessary. So too is a willingness to work hard and under difficult conditions.

A small miscalculation, the slightest market fluctuation, or even a run of bad luck, can account for heavy financial losses. This is a full-time job, that carries with it all the hard work and the hazards faced by the self-employed.

On the plus side, there are quick returns in this business and, of course, the sense of achievement gained from running a successful enterprise.

On the completion of training, you can work in any large professionally run poultry farm or hatchery, a feed production company or feed analysis laboratory. However, most prefer to set up their own poultry farms.

The relatively low start-up investment and space requirement in poultry farming as compared with most other industries makes this a popular avenue for the majority of specialists in this field. Space requirements are calculated at 1 sq. ft. of covered area per chick and expenses include construction of chicken coop, equipment, electricity, cost of chickens, feed for six weeks, medicine and labour. Layer farms require approximately 2.5sq. ft. covered space per layer bird.

In every state in India, the government provides for regular visits from its poultry extension staff, who help farmers in their day-to-day working.

India's expanding population and the changing consumption pattern has ensured a substantial market demand for poultry products, Dietary habits have altered with a growing consciousness for protein-rich foods. Thus, the potential of this sector is almost unlimited. For those with limited capital, who wish to start out on their own, and are unafraid of hard work---poultry farming seems the right career to pick.

— The writer is a noted career expert