eChapters

Care and Management of Meat-Type Chickens (Broilers)

Broiler Overview

• Broilers are unisex young chickens raised specifically for meat production. They are typically grown to reach a body weight of 2.0 to 2.5 kg within 5 to 6 weeks, consuming 3.0 to 3.5 kg of feed, resulting in a feed conversion ratio of 1.50 to 1.75.

• Broiler meat is flvored for its tenderness, high-quality protein content, low fat and cholesterol levels, superior flavor, and juiciness.

• The broiler production cycle is divided into three phases based on the birds’ physiological and production needs: broiler starter (0-10 days), broiler grower (11-21 days), and broiler finisher (22 days to marketing).

Brooding is a crucial phase in poultry management that involves the care of day old chicks during the early stages of their lives. Due to their underdeveloped thermoregulatory systems, chicks cannot maintain their body temperature and thus require external warmth. Proper brooding ensures the healthy growth and development of the chicks. The brooder unit typically includes several key components and considerations.

Brooding of chicks

1. Floor brooding

• Floor brooders (canopy/hover brooder or infra-red bulb brooder) are used to keep specific area(s) within the shed at the desired temperature.

• In canopy or hover brooding method, an umbrella-like canopy with two or three incandescent bulbs (40 to 100 W) each, depending on the season) are fixed at the centre, is inverted and hung in such a way that the birds can move freely in and out of it.

• The bulbs, when put on, heat the air and the hot air is trapped by the canopy preventing the escape of hot air thereby providing warmth to the chicks.

• The height of the brooder should be around 6 inches during the first week.

Housing of Poultry

Proper housing is essential for successful poultry farming, as it directly impacts the health, welfare, and productivity of the birds. Well-designed poultry housing not only provides protection and comfort but also ensures efficient management and optimal environmental conditions for the flock. This chapter explores the key aspects of poultry housing, including its purpose, site selection, and layout considerations.

Purpose of Poultry Housing

• Protection and Comfort: Provides a safe environment that shields birds from predators, harsh weather, and other external threats.

• Health and Welfare: Ensures optimal health and well-being by preventing diseases and reducing stress.

• Management: Facilitates easy and efficient management of the flock in a controlled and scientific manner.

• Cost Efficiency: Reduces overall production costs through efficient resource management.

Poultry rearing systems vary in scale and complexity, each suited to different production needs and environments. This chapter explores the main poultry housing systems, detailing their advantages and disadvantages to help in selecting the most appropriate method for various farming scenarios.

Housing Systems of Poultry

Generally, there are four types of housing systems in poultry, they are

1. Free range or extensive system,

2. Semi-intensive system,

3. Folding unit system and

4. Intensive system.

Desi chickens reared under backyard systems face several constraints such as lower productivity, higher incidence of disease outbreaks, high mortality rates during the early stages of life, and predation. Despite these challenges, the demand for rural backyard poultry is high, particularly among tribal households in rural areas. Small rural producers typically rear colored birds and produce brown-shelled eggs from Desi backyard poultry, catering to the requirements of rural consumers.

To address these issues, there is a need for specific rural poultry production programs. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, initiated a project to upgrade indigenous low input technology birds through the All India Coordinated Research Project on Poultry (AICRPP) in various parts of the country. This initiative aims to evolve improved rural backyard poultry breeds.

India’s indigenous poultry breeds play a crucial role in rural livelihoods, providing a sustainable source of nutrition and income. These native breeds are well-adapted to the local environmental conditions, demonstrating remarkable resilience and disease resistance. Despite their lower production potential compared to commercial breeds, their economic value and cultural significance make them indispensable in the rural context.

Indigenous Fowls of India

• India has a population of 217.80 million indigenous (Desi) chickens, representing 25.57% of the total poultry population (851.81 million) in India (BAHS, 2023, GOI).

• A total of 20 indigenous chicken breeds, 3 duck breeds, and 1 geese breed have been registered under the ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetics Resources (NBAGR) to date (Table 4.1 & 4.2).

• Indigenous fowls are typically reared under a backyard system, often referred to as “backyard poultry,” with minimal focus on housing and feeding.

Poultry Breeding

Poultry breeding is a scientific practice aimed at enhancing the genetic traits of birds to improve their productivity and quality. Historically, poultry farming began as small-scale backyard operations, but it has now evolved into a major industry. This transformation has been driven by the development of superi or breeds for both egg and meat production through advanced breeding and selection techniques. Modern poultry breeds exhibit significantly improved productive capacities, such as higher egg production and better meat quality, compared to their ancestors. Successful poultry breeding requires a deep un derstanding of the qualities and capabilities of various breeds, allowing breed ers to select and combine desirable traits to achieve specific goals, whether for size, weight, egg production, meat quality, or a combination of these factors.

• Poultry production has transitioned from a small-scale backyard venture to a significant industry.

• This growth has been largely driven by the development of superior breeds for egg and meat production, utilizing modern breeding and selection techniques.

Genetic Classification of Poultry

Understanding the genetic classification of poultry is essential for breeders and farmers to optimize the performance and standards of different commercial breeds. Here’s a detailed overview:

Evolutionary Background

• In the process of evolution, cold-blooded (poikilothermic) reptiles are considered the ancestors of birds.

• Birds are warm-blooded (homeothermic) feathered creatures adapted for hot and dry climates in their terrestrial habitats.

Chromosomal Categories

• Sex Chromosomes: Carry genetic material that determines the sex of an offspring.

• Autosomes: Non-sex chromosomes that carry the bulk of genetic information.

History of poultry production

Domestication of birds has a long history, with evidence of their existence and use dating back thousands of years. Here are some key points:

• Chickens: Archaeological evidence suggests domesticated chickens existed in China 8,000 years ago and later spread to Western Europe, possibly via Russia. The cockfighting in India 3,000 years ago indicates their cultural significance. Modern domestic chickens (Gallus domesticus) evolved from the wild red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus), native to India and Southeast Asia.

• Pigeons: The domestic pigeon (Columba livia f. domestica) is considered the world’s oldest domesticated bird.

• Geese: Domestic geese (Anseranserdomesticus in Africa, Europe, and West Asia; Ansercygnoides in East Asia) were domesticated in Egypt over 4,000 years ago and have significance in Roman mythology.

Location

Bundelkhand is a geographical and cultural region and also a mountain range in central & North India. The hilly region is now divided between the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh with the larger portion lying in the latter state. Bundelkhand region is situated between Vindhya range in south and Indo-Gangetic plain in north and lies between 23º10’ and 26º27’ N Latitude and 78º4’ and 81º34’ E Longitude, covering an area of 70,747 sq km. It spread over two states viz. Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and comprises of 14 districts. It is spreading over of seven districts of Uttar Pradesh viz. Jhansi, Lalitpur, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Banda and Chitrakoot and similarly seven districts of Madhya Pradesh viz. Sagar, Panna, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Damoh, Datia and recently formulated Niwari district (Fig. 1). The language spoken in Bundelkhand is Bundelkhandi and Hindi. The total population of Bundelkhand as 2011 census is 1,83,35,044.

India ranks first in goat population with 148.88 million goats and 10.14% growth rate (DADF, 2019). Goat meat contributes around 37% of the total meat produced from the livestock sector in India which comes from the 42% of goat population annually (GOI, 2019). Goat has served as source of livelihood support and financial security to large section of society, especially to the resource-poor farmers. However, in the current scenario, this small ruminant farm animal has tremendous potential to be projected as the “Future Animal” for rural and urban prosperity. Rapid transformation of backyard goat farming to “commercial goat industry” is taking place in the country. The perception of goat as “poor man’s cow” to “preferred livestock species” is fast changing; therefore, to meet this transformation goat rearing system is shifting gradually from extensive low input system for livelihood purposes to semi- intensive and intensive rearing system for commercial purposes in India (Ramachandran et al., 2019). Due to their higher resilience capacity to climate change and better adaptability goats play significant role in ensuring food security. Goats have traditionally been a significant asset and source of protein for rural communities inhabiting arid and semiarid regions of the world. It is an endeavour of millions of small holders who rear animals on crop residues and Common Property Resources. The small holders produce milk, meat, fibre, skin etc for the community with virtually less capital investment, resources and formal training. They are conventionally raised on grazing resources. However, these resources are gradually shrinking over the periods both in terms of quality and quantity. On the other hand, there is continuous rise in the demand of meat which led to further deterioration of available grazing resources.

In India, agriculture is the primary occupation and source of income for the vast majority of the population. More than 58% of the population depends on agriculture for their living. Indian agriculture has been expanding for a long time with the help of related industries like sheep, goat, cow, chicken, and egg production. The world’s largest livestock population resides in India. For rural residents, the livestock industry is one of the most significant sources of revenue and employment. Agriculture and livestock are highly interdependent, with agriculture providing crop waste, a primary source of feed for livestock, while livestock provide manure and draught power to agriculture. The fact is that agricultural production and livestock raising work together to fully utilise a farm. In terms of giving families in rural and urban regions nourishing food, livestock is also crucial.

Because it is so straightforward, raising sheep and goats is more popular among landless, small, and marginal farmers who rely on common grazing and forest lands for food. Some of the factors responsible for the concentration of sheep and goat rearing among these categories include low capital intensity, prolific breeding, superior chevon/mutton quality, early sexual maturity, high-quality skin, low kidding intervals, good adaptability, no religious taboo against consumption, and steady returns.

Among the small ruminants, goat is perhaps the most useful animal providing milk as well as meat. It is also superior in converting the feeds to meat and other products in a short period than most of the other livestock (Pandit&Dhaka,2005). Goats contribute milk, meat, fiber, skins and manure to the subsistence of small holders and landless rural poor. Goat meat accounted for almost 37 per cent of the total meat production in the country (Chandra, 2002). Importance of goats lies in the fact that human population is increasing very rapidly creating increasing demands for animal protein foods on the one hand and the feed resources for large ruminants are decreasing due to shrinkage of grazing lands on the other.Goats make important economic contributions in India. They are so vital to a large human population that their contribution to national economy cannot be overlooked. Goats require relatively much lower investments and facilities in terms of housing, feed, labour and health care. There is quick pay of dues because of fast multiplication and early maturity. Further, the risk involved in goat farming is much lower compared to other livestock and crops production.In Gujarat state, Population of milch goat has shown increasing trend as it was 23.36 lakh in 1951 and in year 2019 it found 48.68 lakh, which shows 47.98%, increased. As per the previous livestock census i.e. 2012, goat population declined by 1.84 percent which shows goat farming should give emphasis to enhance rural farmer’s income.

The livelihood in rural India mainly depends on agriculture in the form of various land-based enterprises like crop farming, livestock rearing etc. But the landless people in the villages depend mainly on agricultural wages. These landless rural resource poor possess own labour as the only abundant factor which is free to them and they try to use it to its maximum for their survival and thus concentrate on animal husbandry. Goats are kept as a source of additional income and as an insurance against income shocks of crop failure. In addition, the rural poor who cannot afford to maintain a cow or a buffalo find goat as the best alternative source of supplementary income and milk. Goats represent a more liquid form of capital than cattle and are readily tradable, hence goats are called as “poor man’s cow” in Indiabecause it will produce milk, meat and manure like cow at very low costs.Goats are also perceived to be a less risky to invest into compared to sheep. Goat rearing has significant effect in augmenting farmers’ income. Goats preferentially select plant parts that are higher in digestibility when stocking density is low. Tolerance of goats toward bitterness may play an important role in maximizing grazing capacity and in biological control of weeds. Goats will sustain and produce well under low fodder, low water and extreme adverse climate and it will produce well in terms of milk, meat, manure and hide. Goats are docile, good tempered, cooperative animals easy to rear by women, land less labour and children and they will thrive well on shrubs, bushes and kitchen waste. They are known as moving ATM because they will provide financial assistance to farmer thought the year in all situations.

The domestication of animals started during Neolithic period. Initially goats and sheep, subsequently cattle and pigs, and lastly draft animals such as horses and asses were domesticated. Thus, goats and sheep were the earliest domesticated animals and rearing of these animals has been centred on food, religion, culture and economy from the ancient times. India’s ruminant biodiversity is enriched with 34 breeds of goats (ICAR-NBAGR-2023). At the world level, India ranks second in the goat population and third in sheep population. Even with such impressive genetic resource availability, goat rearing still continues to be a backward profession, primarily in the hands of poor, landless or small and marginal farmers who own either an uneconomical land holding or no land at all. Goats are a source of meat, milk and fibre. The ability of goats to utilize minimal forage, and survive under harsh conditions, makes them a very valuable asset for subsistence farmers. Morbidity and mortality are the two important factors resulting in heavy losses in goat production and improvement programmes. Diseases in goats result in mortality which ranges from 5-25% in adults and 10-40% in kids. In addition, losses due to morbidity result in low productivity. Prevention of disease is always better than cure as it is a lot cheaper. Goat farming is still traditionally oriented and the traditional management systems still hold the key in small ruminant production. Ample information regarding Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) still exists in the farming communities, which helps them in practicing successful goat farming. Even though considerable literature pertaining to treatment of animals using indigenous medicines/herbals is available, references on indigenous husbandry practices in sheep and goat farming are lacking.

Goat production for milk and meat is an age old practice and goat is one of the first animals to be domesticated by man. Throughout the world goat is considered as ‘poor man’s cow’. Central Institute for Research on Goats has projected it as ‘Future Animal’ for rural and urban prosperity (Chakrabarti, 2019). In Switzerland goat is nicknamed as “Swiss baby’s foster mother’ (Chakrabarti et al, 2014). Prasad et al., 2013 opined that among various livestock production enterprises, goat farming is one of the important enterprises, which supports the rural households by providing gainful employment and steady income for the rural masses. The households cultivating less than 2.0 ha of land (marginal and small) are the custodian of more than 76% of the total goats in the country (Singh et al., 2018). The Small ruminants are also important in a diversification strategy that aims to reduce market and climatic risks and optimize the use of available resources (Ayo-Enwerem et al., (2017). Goat farming is an important component in smallholder farming systems in Tripura. Goat rearing has grown from backyard farming to the localized cluster based intensified entrepreneurship activity throughout the state. Goat meat is considered in state is a high value product due to high market price than the any other meat available in the state. Also animals are mostly liked by the native people because of their varied adaptability and presence of lean meat. Goat farming becomes very popular in Tripura because of availability of abundant grass and fodder resources throughout the state. It becomes a significant food source due to its ability to convert poor quality of feed into valuable human food. At present total goat population of the world is more than one billion and 90% are available in developing countries.

Small ruminants (goat and sheep) rearing are considered as natural farming based on two grounds, i.e., (i) their survival on natural resources and are climate resilient, (ii) out of pocket expenses are minimal (Nardone et al., 2004). These animals contributes as livelihood and income augmentation sources for resource poor farmers and immensely contributes by providing milk, meat, f iber, skin, and manure. Goat rearing is done for milk and meat, while sheep is reared mainly for wool and meat purposes and limited use of milk. Goat milk has very high demand globally because of its nutraceutical properties and easy digestibility than bovine milk (Clark et al., 2017), overcome problem of lactose intolerance (Pal et al., 2017), and its nutritionally similarity to human milk (Rai et. al., 2022).

The health benefits of goat milk such as anti-hypertensive, overcome dengue fever, probiotic, antioxidant, antimicrobial properties, and good for gut health are widely recognised by the researchers. The market price of goat milk is almost three times the price of cow milk in different parts of Asia highlighting its income augmentation potential form marginal and small farmers (Liang & Paengkoum, 2019).

Along with raw milk sales, India has an opportunity to expand the processing of goat milk into value-added products which might be highly competent in the international market (Devendra and Liang, 2012). The goat milk products which have export market are: frozen yoghurt, fortified or flavoredmilk, ice cream, butter milk, dried milk or condensed milk product, whey protein concentrate, ghee etc.

Goats are important components of livestock industry and play a vital role in the socio-economic structure of the economically-week rural community. Goats have been reared as domestic animals across the world. In India, goat keeping constitutes an important business of small and marginal farmers and the landless due to multifold advantages. These are short generation interval, high rate of prolificacy, easy management and marketing as compared to larger ruminants. Goat milk got the nutritional merit of the animal food products in shape of the animal protein. It is highly nutritious, contains essential vitamins and minerals and is an ideal food for the entire family. Though there are 28 registered goat breeds in India (NBAGR, 2017) constituting 26.4 per cent of the world population and are reared very few are having considerable milk producing animal of the country. Goats are highly efficient in converting food stuff, live vegetation, grasses and leaves forage crops, agro-industrial waste and byproducts and even waste cereals unfit for the human consumption to edible milk. Goat milk possesses 19 amino acids in its protein. It has 11 fatty acids in its butter fat, 6 vitamins, 8 enzymes, 25 minerals, 1 sugar, 5 phosphorus compounds, 14 nitrogenous substances all of which are suspended or dissolved in the fluid milk. Goat milk is as close to perfect food as possible in nature. Its chemical structure is amazingly similar to mother’s milk.

Goat is considered as KAMDHENU of small and marginal farmers in India. Agroforestry plays a very important role in three phase goat production system for the demand for natural/organic livestock product. Three phase goat production system i.e. extensive system, semi-intensive system and intensive system are very much supported by agroforestry systems. Goat farming contributes significantly to the family economy, sustainable livelihoods and poverty.

Agroforestry is a collective name for land-use systems and technologies where woody perennials (trees, shrubs, palms, bamboos, etc.) are deliberately used on the same land-management units as agricultural crops and/or animals, in some form of spatial arrangement or temporal sequence. In agroforestry systems there are both ecological and economical interactions between the different components. Agroforestry can also be defined as a dynamic, ecologically based, natural resource management system that, through the integration of trees on farms and in the agricultural landscape, diversifies and sustains production for increased social, economic and environmental benefits for land users at all levels. In particular, agroforestry is crucial to smallholder farmers and other rural people because it can enhance their food supply, income and health. Agroforestry systems are multifunctional systems that can provide a wide range of economic, sociocultural, and environmental benefits. (FAO, 2015)

Goat (Capra hircus) is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (C. aegagrus) of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. It is one of the oldest domesticated species of animal, according to archaeological evidence that its earliest domestication occurred in Iran at 10,000 calibrated calendar years ago. Beginning approximately 10,000 years ago, Neolithic farmers in the Near East started keeping small herds of goats for both their meat and milk, as well as for clothing and building with the hair, bone, skin and power. Undoubtedly, goat farming at the time was natural resource based and is organic in nature. Mechanical (1880–1930) and chemical (1920–1950) revolutions in agriculture, significantly influenced the modern day livestock farming predominately in non-organic form. Biological advances in the genetically modified organisms in the 70s further complicated the researcher–producer–consumer dynamics. As of today, there are over 750 million goats scattered throughout the world. Goats are found in nearly every country on the planet and in nearly every climate, each one with a different purpose. There are more than a thousand adapted breeds in existence. Goats have been used for milk, meat, fur, and skins across much of the world.