Overview

Although the commercial breeding of chickens has been known to farmers for over three hundred years, the concept of poultry farming as an organized industry is relatively new. In India, its practice has undergone a metamorphic change in the past two decades-from the small backyard operation of the mid-sixties, to the well-structured, market-oriented enterprise we know today.

The present worth of India's poultry industry stands at approximately Rs 63,400 million and provides direct employment to over 6,00,000 people, and self employment to another 1,00,000. Egg production has crossed 28 billion per year and the number of broilers has increased from 230 million in 1987, to 330 million in 1993, indicating an annual growth rate of 20%.

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 minimum space requirement and low maintenance costs is another. Besides this, chickens adapt easily to almost any condition, and the profits are substantial.

For those with limited capital who wish to start out on their own and are unafraid of hard work, poultry farming is the right career to choose.