Artificial insemination (AI) has brought a revolution to the modernisation of Bangladesh's poultry sector. The report goes inside Diamond Chicks, one of the country's largest poultry companies, where day-old chicks are produced by fully scientific methods under the direction of entrepreneur Kaiser Ahmed.

Artificial insemination fertilises hens' eggs without natural mating, and a single cockerel can successfully breed 80 to 100 hens. The report shows semen being collected from cockerels and inseminated live, and explains the method's advantages.

The farm follows strict biosecurity before entry, and its parent stock is expensive breeding stock brought from France. The hatchery collects 85,000 hatching eggs a day. Eggs spend 18 days in modern incubators, are candled to check the embryos and hatch at 21 days. Male and female chicks of layer and coloured birds are separated and vaccinated, and the company produces 40 to 50 million improved chicks a year.

The report also discusses the volatile market for day-old chicks and the poultry industry's large contribution to Bangladesh's economy and food security, along with Kaiser Ahmed's story and the history of Omega Farm.

Source: Shykh Seraj, Hridoye Mati O Manush. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.