Backyard poultries, a big hit in rural areas in Anantapur

Andepalle (Anantapur): Rajamma of Andepalle village in Kalyanadurgam mandal and a band of other women raising country fowls are a happier lot today with their earning supplementary income to their husband's erratic earnings. Faced with uncertainty in her husband's irregular earnings, she grabbed the opportunity provided by the Department of Animal Husbandry which launched the 'Mana Natu Kodi' scheme with the aim of promoting Rural Backyard Poultry to present alternative and supplementary livelihoods especially for rural women.

Rajamma is earning a handsome amount through the backyard poultry set up in the backyard of her household with 45 chicks. The chicks have now graduated into fully grown hens. About 40 hens and 5 cocks make a unit of the backyard poultry. The department of Animal Husbandry had sanctioned 1,560 units to an equal number of households spread in several mandals. Rainbow Roster, an improvised variety of country fowls, were supplied to the beneficiaries.

Deputy Director of Animal Husbandry B Sanyasirao told The Hans India that the birds attain maturity from 22nd week after hatching. Females attain a body weight of about 3 kg and the males about 4 kg. They also lay about 100 to 125 eggs a year. No special care is required to grow them. They can be raised as free roaming birds and can be fed with locally available feeds. Being good scavengers, they feed on a variety of insects and green foliage. They can also be fed on farm and kitchen wastes. The birds are resistant to major infections. A pair of country fowls fetches anywhere between Rs 400 to Rs 500 depending on its weight. Each hen lays 160-180 eggs per year.

Rajamma and Anjamma of the village says the country fowls are in great demand and most of their hens are being purchased by landlords in the village and in the mandals. There is a huge market in towns and metro cities if one raises them on a commercial scale, she adds. At any given time, they can sell a couple of hens and get Rs 500 to meet family expenditure. The government is also giving Rs 1,500 to build a night shed for chickens. The chickens cost Rs 68 each and the beneficiary only need to pay Rs 18 for a chick while the rest is provided by the government as subsidy. While the total unit cost is Rs 4,560, the beneficiary pays only Rs 810. Sensing the huge demand, the department has urged District Collector Veera Pandian to sanction 3,400 more units. The Backyard Poultry Scheme is a big hit in the rural areas and supplementing male earnings.