FARMER'S NOTEBOOK
Tiding over difficult times by broiler kid rearing practice
M.J. PRABU
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A net income of Rs. 1,650 to 1,850 can be easily realized in three months
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— Photo: IISR
Quick returns: Some of the women who are practising the broiler technology with their animals.
WHAT DOES a farmer do in times of financial crisis?
Not many operate bank accounts or possess ATM cards. During crises he sells some of his farm animals to tide over the exigency.
“ATM cards”
“Farmers rear cattle, goats, poultry and pigs for additional revenue. In fact, these animals have been described as “ATM cards” for the agrarian community.
“In times of urgency, selling a goat or chicken to meet the immediate needs is a practice among many of our farmers,” says Dr. V.A. Parthasarathy, Director, Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR), Kozhikode, Kerala.
Shrinking farmlands and labour shortage due to migration, are taking their toll not only on crops but also farm animals.
Difficult times
With fast dwindling pasture lands, maintaining animals such as cattle or goats proves difficult.
Though farmers in some areas practise stall fed rearing, the expense incurred in feeding the animals burns a big hole in their pocket.
“Our scientists, after a long study, developed a new technology called broiler kid rearing where goat kids reared in sheds attain a better body weight and fetch remunerative income for farmers,” he says.
This method benefits landless labourers and small farmers. In fact a group of women formed a self help group and are benefiting from this new concept, says Dr. Dr. S. Shanmughavel, Subject Matter Specialist (Animal Sciences), IISR.
According to him, the kids selected for broiler technology (age, less than one month) continue to feed on their mother’s milk till they start feeding on green fodder (it takes about one month for the kids to start feeding on green fodder, from the date of birth).
Weaning the kids
The kid should be weaned from its mother and housed in a shed with partitions.
The shed must be built in such a way that it is airy with plenty of sunlight. Farmers must see to it that they clean the sheds regularly.
Instead of green fodder, feed concentrate must be given to the animals. About 5 gms of concentrate feed (goat feed) plus an equal amount of rice gruel per day should be given to each animal.
Feed limit
The feed quantity must be gradually increased depending on the feed intake by the kids.
Normally a kid consumes 250 to 500 gms of feed and an equal quantity of rice gruel per day towards the later stages of growth.
In addition to the above feed, feed supplements should also be provided to them. Liver tonic (5-10 ml) along with 5-10 ml fish oil mixed with the feed must be given to each animal.
Deworming
The first deworming should be done on the 45th day of rearing as broiler.
The deworming should be repeated every month, till the kids are sold. Plenty of pure drinking water must be always made available during the period.
Under the traditional system of feeding green fodder, each kid attained a maximum weight of 10 kg within 6 months, whereas in the broiler technology, each animal gained 24-26 kg in 3 months.
Expense details
The expenditure towards feeding a kid under broiler goat production comes to about Rs. 750. A net income of Rs. 1,650 to 1,850 (at Rs. 100 per kg of meat) can be easily realized.
For more details contact Dr. S. Shanmughavel, Subject Matter Specialist (Animal Sciences), Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Peruvannamuzhi Post, Kozhikode: 673 528, Kerala, email: kvkcalicut@sancharnet.in and kvk@spices.res.in,
Phone:0496-2662372
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