Mirza Farhan Mashuk Fahim is a class 12 student at Nohata College in Mohammadpur upazila, Magura. Alongside his studies, he has built a native (deshi) chicken farm at his home. The farm is small for now, but the young man plans to set up a large mixed farm in future.

Fahim said he started in 2017 with just five chicks. From there his flock has grown to more than 130 birds. Chicks are hatched on the farm using an incubator, and he sells eggs from time to time. The birds are fed paddy, wheat, fresh grass and some bought feed.

There is always demand for native chickens in the market, he said. These birds sell wholesale at Tk 350 a kg, and the profit is good: after all costs he earns Tk 5,000 to Tk 7,000 a month. The farm also meets his family's need for protein.

"Native chickens carry little risk, and disease is low. If you know a few things, there is no problem. Young people in our country can easily take up this kind of venture," Fahim said.

He added that he wants to use technology to build a mixed farm in future, which would create self-employment for many jobless young people in the area. Following his example, many unemployed youths in the area are already turning to this work, he said.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.