Indigenous Family Chicken and Its Eoconomic Importance in Rural Bangladesh

INDIGENOUS FAMILY CHICKEN AND ITS EOCONOMIC IMPORTANCE IN RURAL BANGLADESH

D.C. Paul, M.A. Beg, E.R. Chowdhury and C.K.Podder

Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, Savar, Dhaka-1341, Bangladesh

Abstract

The study was undertaken to obtain some basic information on indigenous fowl in free-range conditions without any feed supplement and on the consumption patterns of chicken and eggs in farm families. It was conducted during January - December 1995 at the Farming System Research Site,Bangladesh, Jessore. A farm family had maintained 11.17 adult fowls in the whole year. A hen laid about 53 eggs per year but declining to 30 eggs when the hen was used for subsequent hatching. Women were the key persons to keep chickens in the homestead. Housing, feeds and medicine were the main expenditure items for poultry keeping. Direct sale and consumption by the family were counted for total income. The highest number of eggs was consumed by the husband, followed by older member(s) of the family and guests. Farmers consumed eggs for nutrition, guest entertainment, need of protein supply, easy cooking and good food. Predators and diseases werethe main hindrance of bird survival. Only a few eggs were rotten per year.

Key Words: Family chicken, income generation, rural economy, Bangladesh

Introduction .

Poultry keeping is one of the most appropriate income generating activities for rural women, especially for landless and marginal farmers (Paul et al, 1990). In Bangladesh there are about 73.7 million poultry of which 61.09 million are chickens (Agricultural census, 1983-84). Huque and Stem (1992) stated that 75.06 and 86.05 percent of eggs and meat respectively came from scavenging birds.

A scavenging desi hen lays 43-45 eggs per year and egg weight about 30-35 gms even if they are not feed at all ( Huque and Huque, 1990, Paul 1992). To keep the quality of local chicken constant some unknown characters like brooding period, dry period, brooding with incubation, laying habit, body weight, age at first laying and economic importance etc. are essential to understand for future research and development. Keeping this idea in mind, the present study was initiated.

Materials and Methods

The monitoring was carried out at the farming system research site, Bagherpara, Jessore during January-December 1990. One hundred and fifty poultry farmers were randomly selected for this study. Thirty farmers from each category (landless, marginal, small, medium and large) were taken for weekly monitoring with a predesigned monitoring schedule. The data were analyzed mainly in tabular method.

Result and Discussion

Poultry population increased with the increase of farm family. Landless, marginal small, medium and large farmers had 9.49, 10.70, 10.33, 12.50 and 13.67 adult birds,respectively . Average farm family had 11.17 birds.

Indigenous hens started laying at the age of of 6-7 months. On average, 12 eggs were laid in a clutch during 15 days. Next the hen had an incubation phase for 14-16 days, followed by a dry period (without egg) of 42-45 days. An indigenous hen produced about 51-57 eggs per year.

When a hen is used for incubation, the brooding period extended about 90 days and dry period was cut short to 16 days. A hen produced approximately 30 eggs per year when they incubated for hatching .

Housing, feed and medicine were the main expenditure items for poultry rearing in rural areas. Though very negligible amounts of feed ingredients were supplied to the scavenging birds yet it was about 50% of total expenditure, followed by housing cost of 45% and medicine cost of 5 percent. More feeds were supplied in the large farm category followed by medium, small and marginal farmers. (Table-1).

Income was estimated form direct sale and consumption of chicken and chicken by-products. Medium farmers earned maximum cash while landless earned the lowest. (Table-2).

Women’s participation (76%) was the highest in all farm families followed by other (8%), daughters (7%), husbands (5%) and sons (3%). Eighty two and eighty percent of the work related to chicken rearing is completed by women in the landless and marginal farm categories. Paul et al, (1990) reported the same result in poultry rearing at the village level.

Egg consumption was highest among husbands followed by parents, guests, wives, sons and daughters (Table-3). The study revealed that per capita egg consumption was about 24 which was higher to the finding of Latif (1981). Increased egg consumption was found with the increase in farm size.

Farmers ate eggs for different purposes such as nutrition, guest entertainment, want of vegetables, easy cooking and good food . Almost 86% of farmers reported that they used eggs for guest entertainment and 64%of farmers consumed for want of vegetables. When time was a constraint, then egg could be cooked. Egg consumption could be increased by proper extension work as food value of egg to the rural producer.

The highest predators attack was found in medium and large farm category due to less attention to the birds while the lowest was in small farm category because of proper care. Farmers reported that 18% eggs rot throughout the year (Table-4).

Conclusion

Increasing trend of chicken population was observed with the increase of farm family members. A hen produced 53 eggs per year but 30 when used for hatching purpose in subsequent clutch. Women principally rear chicken in rural area without disturbing any homestead works. A measurable quantity of money came form chicken rearing in the homestead and met the need for family nutrition and guest entertainment. Functional head of the family consumed highest number eggs followed by older persons and guests. However indigenous family poultry contribute a lot in farm economy in rural Bangladesh.

Table 1. Expenditure for chicken per farm in village birds in Taka in a year.

Farm category / Housing / Feeds / Medicine / Total
Landless / 74 / 53 / 9 / 136
Marginal / 123 / 108 / 7 / 238
Small / 152 / 167 / 18 / 337
Medium / 106 / 178 / 8 / 292
Large / 152 / 190 / 25 / 367
Average / 121.4+33.01 / 139.2+57.58 / 13.4+ 7.83 / 274+91.22

Table 2. Income (Taka) from chicken in different groups of farmers.

Farm category / Cash Income /

Non cash income

/ Total cash income / Total non cash income / Total income
Sale of eggs / Sale of chicken / Consumption
Eggs / Chicken
Landless / 188 / 394 / 132 / 840 / 582
(37)1 / 972
(63)1 / 1554
(100)
Marginal / 262 / 619 / 192 / 640 / 881
(51) / 832
(49) / 1713
(100)
Small / 381 / 492 / 264 / 560 / 873
(51) / 824
(49) / 1697
(100)
Medium / 130 / 397 / 269 / 1360 / 527
(24) / 1629
(76) / 2156
(100)
Large / 362 / 462 / 292 / 720 / 824
(45) / 1019
(55) / 1843
(100)
Average / 260 / 485 / 221 / 804 / 744
(42) / 1026
(58) / 1770
(100)

1Figures in the parentheses indicate percentage.

Table 3. Egg and chicken consumption by farm categories in a year.

Farm category

Egg consumption

Chicken consumption

Husb-and

Wife

Son

Daughter

Guest

Parent

Total

Ingeneral

Guest

Total

Landless

Marginal

128

Small

176

Medium

179

Large

199

Average

43 + 11.53

18.6+6.5

17.2+9.9

14.2+8.9

27.6+10.81

33.4+ 8.29

154+45.18

10.8+6.7

9.8+ 1.64

20.6+7.9

Table 4. Mortality – Number and Cause

Farm category / Chicken / Eggs rotten
Predators / Disease
Landless / 13 / 12 / 16
Marginal / 1 / 11 / 14
Small / 5 / 6 / 15
Medium / 19 / 12 / 12
Large / 23 / 14 / 37
Average / 12.2+9.23 / 11.0+3.0 / 18.8+10.28

References

BBS (1987), The Bangladesh Census of Agriculture and Livestock, 1983-84

Huque, Q.M.E and C. stem (1992), Current status of poultry production and marketing

system in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council, Farmgate, Dhaka.

Latif, M.A. (1981), Prathamic Poultry began, A book on Primary Poultry Science.

Published by Bangla Academy, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Paul, D.C. (1992), Performance of some exotic chicken breeds under free-range condition

in Bangladesh. M.sc. thesis poultry Science Department. Faculty of Animal Husbandry, BAU, Mymensingh.

Paul, D.C. M. F. Haque, M.Z. Abedin, and, M.S. Aktar (1990), Participation of women

in poultry husbandry in rural Bangladesh. Paper presented in the 10th AFSRE Symposium held at Michigan State University, Micihigan, USA during 14-17 October, 1990.