System of rearing and marketing practices by the backyard poultry farmers in Jharkhand, India

Abstract:

Study was carried out in the state of Jharkhand, and four districts were randomly selected, namely Ranchi, Deoghar, Simdega and Dumka. Two blocks were randomly selected from each district and a total of 400 farmers were surveyed, with 100 farmers from each district. The study was conducted using a pre-tested structured schedule to understand the rearing and marketing practices followed by the poultry farmers. The results showed that most farmers practiced traditional methods in rearing backyard poultry and a considerable number practiced free-range rearing and used leftover grains for feeding birds. Basic management practices like cleaning of the farm on a daily basis was common. The marketing of the poultry was mainly informal. The descriptive analysis showed that the most emphasized practice was marketing, followed by health care practices, while feeding and housing were moderately emphasized and breeding was the least emphasized practice. The statistical analysis further confirmed that the marketing and housing practices were highly variable between the districts, while feeding, breeding, and health care practices were relatively similar but highly traditional. The results of the study reveal the dominance of conventional practices and highlight the need for interventions to improve the productivity of backyard poultry farmers in the state of Jharkhand.