Many believe rearing improved chicken breeds can help young people overcome unemployment. A hen of an improved breed starts laying at six months and lays 200 to 250 eggs a year, while broilers give one and a half to two kilograms of meat in just two months. Rearing chickens at home with little labour and cost can therefore bring economic gain. Here is what you need to know before starting.
Housing
To keep one or two cocks and hens, the house can be four to five feet high, four and a half feet wide and six feet long. It should contain laying baskets, feed containers and water containers, and must always be kept dry and clean. An open site is best. Spread a three-inch layer of rice husk, sawdust or sand mixed well with half a kilogram of powdered lime evenly over the floor. Turn the sawdust or husk every seven days, and replace it if it becomes damp or caked.
Where to buy birds
Good improved-breed chickens are available in various parts of the country. They can be bought from the Monipur Central Poultry Farm in Dhaka or the Department of Livestock Services sales centre on Krishi Khamar Road. There are also government poultry farms in divisional cities and several district towns, where local people can buy improved-breed birds.
Feed
Chickens must be given a balanced diet every day: 115 grams of balanced feed, plenty of clean water and 25 grams of finely chopped green vegetables or tender grass per bird. You can also make balanced feed yourself.
One kilogram of balanced feed can be made from 400 grams of broken wheat or maize or rice grits, 50 grams of wheat bran, 250 grams of rice polish (without husk), 120 grams of sesame oil cake, 100 grams of dried fish powder and 75 grams of oyster shell powder.
Disease prevention
Vaccinate the birds regularly to keep them healthy. Vaccines against Ranikhet, cholera and pox can be obtained free of charge. Identify sick birds and separate them quickly, and carefully collect the droppings and saliva of diseased birds and bury them. It is also wise to seek expert advice as soon as a bird falls ill.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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