GENETIC RESOURCES FOR FAMILY POULTRY PRODUCTION IN INDIA

Dr.A.K.Thiruvenkadan and J.Muralidharan, Dr.R.Rajendran and Dr.R.Saravanan

Professor and Head Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding

Veterinary College and Research Institute Orathanadu-614625, Tamil Nadu, India

Email:drthirusiva@gmail.com

Traditional backyard poultry keeping has been practised since time immemorial in different

parts of the world. Worldwide, this backyard poultry sector consists of chickens (63 %), ducks

(11 %), geese (9 %), turkeys (5 %), pigeons (3 %) and guinea fowls (3 %). Raising of local poultry

breeds in backyard is an important source of livelihood for the rural people of India. The growing

demand for indigenous eggs and low investment in backyard sector provides opportunity for the

rural poor particularly, women for more gainful supplementary income generation opportunities for

the family. Backyard poultry in India is characterized by small flock size consisting of 5-10

predominantly non-descript birds maintained in extensive system under zero input conditions, but

fetch the owners much needed animal protein and supplementary income. These birds are entirely

raised in the backyards, spread across all categories of households. They largely subsist on

scavenging in gardens, village alleys and surroundings of the farms by feeding on crop residues,

insects, worms and green forage. The most preferred quality chicken meat and egg come from

backyard poultry sector, which is sold at a premium market price. Small farming families, landless

labourers and people who are below poverty line are able to raise the indigenous chicken with low

inputs and harvest the benefits as eggs and meat via scavenged feed resources. Both heavy- and

light-type native breeds exist in natural habitats. In heavy types, the adult female body weights are

between 2.0 and 3.0 kg, whereas in light breeds, body weight ranges from 0.9 to 1.5 kg. The

importance of backyard poultry is well recognized by Government of India and special programmes

are formulated for its promotion. In addition to native chickens, there is a growing demand from

the farmers for the exotic hybrids suitable to family production system. Hence, efforts have been

diverted into producing simply-housed, dual purpose breeds and hybrids with the improved

production profiles. Utilization of native chicken breeds for the development of suitable

scavenging chicken has resulted in great success in our country. These hybrids are readily accepted

by the rural farmers owing to their similarity of the typical appearance of the local birds and

characteristically very low operational cost but significant returns under the existing methods of

rearing in the rural areas. Hence, the commercial hybrid cross between a native breed and an exotic

breed would be a good proposition for the ideal replacement of native scavenging chicken in the

backyard poultry keeping. The introduction of different exotic crossbreds like Vanraja, Giriraja,

Nadanam, Grampriya, Hitcari, Upcari, which resemble indigenous fowl in body conformation,

multi coloured plumage, dull shanks, pink skin and single comb, to scavenging in small scale

poultry operations by both public and private sector organisations, have generated new

opportunities for poultry production in rural areas. These improver birds have more economically

viable characteristics which are of great importance for village production of eggs and meat.

Promoting improved strains of birds would make an impact on development programmes for small

scale poultry keeping. The availability of leaner, tastier and less watery poultry meat has attracted

the attention of the semi-urban and urban consumers, resulting in more local hatcheries adding a

semi-commercial component in the rural poultry keeping. The ‘quick return’ scheme for raising

meat chickens and the ‘gradual return’ scheme for egg production, whilst maintaining traditional

scavenging husbandry practices using replica indigenous or synthetic hybrid prototype birds, has

generated new hopes in rural-based family poverty alleviation programmes.

Key words: Family Poultry production, indigenous chicken breeds, backyard

1. INTRODUCTION

Traditional backyard poultry keeping has been practised since time immemorial in different

parts of the world. Worldwide, this backyard poultry sector consists of chickens (63 %), ducks (11

%), geese (9 %), turkeys (5 %), pigeons (3 %) and guinea fowls (3 %) (Besbes, 2009). In most of

the developing countries, indigenous poultry genotypes constitute between 80 and 99 % of the

poultry populations that are kept in villages (Sonaiya and Swan, 2004). There are two forms of the

traditional backyard systems:

• Unimproved backyard system: Use of low-input, low producing native birds, brooding,

scavenging, no regular water or feed supply, little or poor night shelter, no vaccination and

medication .

• Improved backyard system: Use of genetically improved birds, scavenging, regular water,

supplementary feeding, improved shelter, care of chicks in the early age, vaccination against

prevalent diseases and deworming (Gueye, 2005).

Being called ‘Family Poultry’, ‘Smallholder poultry’, ‘Scavenging poultry’, or “Village

poultry” the different systems of poultry rearing with various levels of intensification are now

adopted by poor, marginal as well as richer members of the society with intensification according to

their economical status and requirements (Singh, 2007). .

Raising of local poultry breeds in backyard is an important source of livelihood for the rural

people of India. The growing demand for indigenous eggs and low investment in backyard sector

provides opportunity for the rural poor particularly, women for more gainful supplementary income

generation opportunities for the family. Backyard poultry in India is characterized by small flock

size consisting of 5-10 predominantly non-descript birds maintained in extensive system under zero

input conditions, but fetch the owners much needed animal protein and supplementary income.

These birds are entirely raised in the backyards, spread across all categories of households. They

largely subsist on scavenging in gardens, village alleys and surroundings of the farms by feeding on

house hold waste, crop residues, insects, worms and green forage. The most preferred quality

chicken meat and egg come from backyard poultry sector, which is sold at a premium market price.

The importance of backyard poultry is well recognized by Government of India and special

programmes are formulated for its promotion (Khan, 1984; Sonaiya, 1996). Therefore, different

states in India have taken steps for strengthening of Departmental Poultry & Duck farms under

Centrally Sponsored Scheme and District Poultry Hatcheries under SGSY Infrastructure

Development Fund in order to promote the low input technology birds in the backyard sector.

Through this, the States expects to enhance food security at household levels and improve

nutritional status (Khan, 2002).

2. GENETIC RESOURCES FOR RURAL POULTRY

2. 1 Indigenous Breeds of Chicken in India

India is rich repository of chicken genetic resources with 18 breeds of fowl along with

various indigenous breed crosses. The breeds habituated in different agroclimatics zones of India

have evolved more through natural selection than through deliberate intervention by man. These

breeds are important to rural backyard poultry keeping due to their better adaptability and better

disease resistance (Khan, 1984; Sonaiya, 1996; Kitalyi, 1996; Sheldon, 1998). Small farming

families, landless labourers and people with below poverty line are able to raise these chickens with

low inputs and harvest the benefits as eggs and meat via scavenged feed resources (Robert and

Gunaratne, 1992; Sonaiya, 2005). Both heavy- and light-type native breeds (Tables 1 and 2) exist

in natural habitats. In heavy types, the adult female body weights are between 2.0 and 3.0 kg,

whereas in light breeds, body weight ranges from 0.9 to 1.5 kg .

Table 1. Classification of indigenous breeds of chicken

Breed

Type

Breeds and distribution area Characteristics

Heavy Type

Aseel (Central India), Chittgong (Eastern India), Deothigiri (Assam), Danki (Andhra Pradesh); Ghagus (Karnataka), Tellichery (Kerala), Punjab Brown (Punjab).

Body weight Male - >=3.0 kg Female - >=2.0 kg. Egg Production : 30-60 eggs

Light Type

Ankaleshwar (Gujrat), Bursa (Gujrat, Maharashtra), Hirranghatta Black (West Bengal), Kadaknath (Madhya Pradesh), Kashmir Faverrolla (Kashmir), Miri (Assam), Naked neck (West Coast), Nicobari (Andaman Nicobar), Kalasathi (Andhra Pradesh) and Tani, Titri (Uttar Pradesh)

Body weight Male - 1.6 to 2.0 kg Female - 0.9 to 1.4 kg. Egg Production : 40 - 90 eggs

Source: Khan (2008)

Table 2. Performance of Indigenous chicken breeds

Parameters Aseel Danki Punjab

Brown

Ghagus Kadaknath Kashmir

Favorolla

Naked

Neck

Body weight -Cock (kg)

4.00 3.1 2.2 2.16 1.60 1.9 1.8

Body weight -Hen (kg)

2.59 2.2 1.6 1.433 1.13 1.4 1.0

Age at sexual maturity (days)

196 180-240

150-180

150-180

180

210 201

Annual egg production (number)

92 25 -35 60-80

45-60 105 60-85 99

Egg weight (40 week) (g)

50 46.16 46

40.25 49

45.76

54

Fertility (%) 66 - - - 55 - 66 Hatchability FES (%) 63 60-85 60-80 81.36 52 64

71

The special features of these native breeds are:

• Well adapted to traditional backyard farming

• Low or no inputs and survive well on scavenging and leftover feed

• Hardy and better resistance to diseases

• Thrive well in harsh conditions and from predation

• Good mothering ability

• Adaptive advantages of coloured plumage, smaller body size, alertness and fighting

qualities

• Tastier meat when compared to broilers.

• Supplementary source of income to the rural poor and contribution to family nutrition

In spite of the above advantages the major limiting factors are:

• Low egg production and

• Slower growth rates

Because of the above shortcomings in rearing of the native breeds, there is an increasing

demand from the farmers for the exotic hybrids suitable to family production system. These birds

need to be multi-coloured and their eggs must be brown for the better acceptability from the

farmers. More importantly, they must have the ability to grow fast and produce fairly good number

of eggs. In addition, they should have the ability to evade predators, disease resistant and thrive

well in village free range conditions with the scavengeable feed resource. Hence, efforts have been

diverted into producing simply-housed, dual purpose breeds and hybrids with improved production

profiles.

2. 2 Commercial Hybrids Developed in India The need for development of varieties suitable for backyard production in India was

visualized by poultry breeders during eighties and the research in this field has been made for

production of the improver varieties suitable for the rural areas under backyard environment. A

large number of commercial hybrids both for eggs and meat have been developed and tested with

good success by the various institutions in India (Table 3) and Bangladesh and similar approaches

are being practised in China and African countries. In India, the release of Giriraja variety can be

viewed as the first initative by poultry breeders to develop varieties suitable for backyard rearing.

Due to heavy demand from the farmers for the improved varieties, many institutions developed

different hybrids (Table 3) suitable for backyard production viz. Vanaraja and Grampriya (Project

Directorate of Poultry, Hyderabad). Nandanam chicken-I and Nandanam broiler-II (Tamil Nadu

Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu), Gramalakshmi and Gramasree

(Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Pookot,Kerala) and Cari–Nirbeek, Cari–

Syhma, Upcari, Hitcari (Central Avian Research Institute, Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh). Majority of

these chicken varieties resemble the native chicken, grow fast and produce more number of eggs

(Table 4), require low input (like feed, management, health care, housing, etc.) and sustain different

vagaries of the climatic and environmental changes (Khan, 1994; Khan, 2008; Singh, 2002).

Table 3. Commercials hybrids developed in India for backyard poultry rearing

Name of hybrid Type Feather

pattern

Place of origin

Duel/meat Giriraja White Plymouth Rock x

Red Cornish x New Hampshire

Graded Brown Karnataka Veterinary and Fisheries University, Bidar,

Karnataka Vanraja Red Cornish x Random

bred meat control Graded Brown PDP, Hyderabad, Andhra

Pradesh Nandanam Chicken 1 Developed from Rhode

Island Red breed Mixed Brown

TANUVAS, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Nandnam Broiler 2 Breed cross Mixed Brown Gramalakshmi Australop X White

Leghorn white in colour with black speckles

KVASU, Pookot, Kerala

Caribro-Vishal Broiler cross White

CARI, Izatnagar Cari-Rainbro Broiler cross colourd broiler Caribro-Dhanraja Broiler cross Multi-coloured Caribro-Mritunjai Broiler cross Multi-coloured Caribro-Tropicana Broiler cross Multi-coloured

Egg type

Cari-Nirbheek Aseel x Delhem Red Brownish

CARI, Izatnagar

Cari-Shyama Kadaknath x Delhem Brown Cari-Devendra Synthetic broiler line x

Rhode Island Red Graded Brown

Upcari Frizzel x Delhem Red Multi Colour

Hitcari Naked Neck x Delhem Brown Cari-Sonali WLH x RIR Whitish Brown Cari-Priya Superior male and female

lines of White Leghorn White

Grampriya Random bred control population x White Leghorn

Whitish Brown PDP, Hyderabad, Andhra

Pradesh

Gramsree WLH x RIR Whitish Brown KVASU, Pookot, Kerala Source: Ayyagari, 2001; Singh, 2002; Khan, 2008

Table 4. Performance of broiler hybrids of India Name of the

hybrid

Body weight

at 7-10

weeks (kg)

Dressing

percentage

Livability

percentage

Feed

conversion

ratio (6

weeks)

Egg production

Giriraja 1.3 - 1.4 - 95 - 98 2.4 120-150/500 days Vanaraja 1.12 - 1.57 - 95 - 98 - 147 eggs /annum Gramalakshmi 1.7 - >96 - 180-200 eggs Caribro-Vishal 2.0 to 2.2 75-80% 97-98 1.7 to 2.10 -

Cari-Rainbro 1.6 73% 98-99 2.3 -

Caribro-Dhanraja 2.0 to 2.2 80% 96-98 1.75 to 2.10 -

Caribro-Mritunjai 1.8-2.0 75-77% 97-98 1.7 to 2.10 -

Caribro-Tropicana 1.8 74% 97.0 1.9 -

Source: Ayyagari, 2001; Singh, 2002; Khan, 2008 Table 4. Performance of layer hybrids TRAIT Cari-

Nirbheek

Cari

Shyama

Hitcari Upcari Cari-

Priya

Cari-

Sonali

Gramapriya

Body weights at 20 weeks (g)- Male

1800-2000 1800-2000

1800-2000

1600-1900

- - 1200

Body weights at 20 weeks (g)-Female

1200-1400 1050-1200

1200-1400

1185-1300

- -

Age at sexual maturity (days)

174 167 168 162 17 to 18 weeks

18 to 19 weeks

Annual egg production (number)

160-180 180-200 180-200

190-210

> 298 eggs*

> 280 eggs*

180-200*

Egg weight at 40 weeks (g)

53 54 59 58 57 54 53-55

Survivability (%) after 6 weeks

90-95 90-95 >90 >90 96 96 >96

Source: Ayyagari, 2001; Singh, 2002; Khan, 2008 * Up to 72 weeks

Utilization of native chicken breeds for the development of suitable scavenging chicken has

resulted in great success in our country. These hybrids are readily accepted by the rural farmers

owing to its similarity of the typical appearance of the local birds and characteristically very low

operational cost but significant returns under the existing methods of rearing in the rural areas.

Hence, the commercial hybrid cross between a native breed and an exotic breed would be a good

proposition for the ideal replacement of native scavenging chicken in the backyard poultry keeping.

The promising features of these commercial hybrids are

• Colour of the bird: A majority of people in rural areas has a strong liking for coloured birds,

not from the aesthetic point of view but from the survival point of view. Compared to white or

light coloured birds the coloured birds escape from the predators by being camouflaged by their

colour. Because of the multi-coloured plumage pattern the commercial hybrids phenotypically

look like their original native breed

• Morphology and temperament of the bird: Due to their relatively lightweight, long shanks,

high stamina and aggressiveness, the commercial hybrids are capable of protecting themselves

from predators. In backyard areas where there is always presence of predators, a lighter

chicken with long shank and strong wings has a greater chance of escaping from predators by

running fast and flying till they reach a safer place.

• Productivity of the birds: The commercial hybrids have improved productivity (both egg and

meat) with larger size coloured eggs under free-range conditions in rural and tribal areas. They

lay brown coloured tinted eggs, which is having great demand in the market In addition, the

commercial hybrids have better feed efficiency even with diets containing low energy and

protein and it can perform better in backyard conditions by eating green grass and insects

available in the fields.

• Disease resistance: The commercial hybrids are sturdy and resistant to most of the common

poultry diseases because of their high immune competence.

• Adaptability to the tropics: They can perform better even in adverse environmental

conditions and better adaptable to the backyard/free range rearing. They have better survival

rate and thrive under low or negligible input cost.

• Self Propagation: Self propagation capability is also an important characteristic of these

commercial hybrid germplasm. This is an essential requirement for the scavenging bird. In

remote areas and due to financial constraints of the weaker members of the population it might

not always be possible to get the replacement chicks from the hatchery. Broodiness may

therefore be considered as one of the important characteristics which is essential for self

propagation.

3. BENEFITS OF BACKYARD POULTRY REARING

The traditional free range system is the main component of the family poultry production

and is based on limited inputs which result in low outputs. Hence, broiler/layer hybrids have been

introduced to replace the non-descript low producing birds under this system of managment. The

benefits of the family poultry production are

• Generation of self-employment, women empowerment and gross increase in family income

• Ready availability of cheap source of protein to combat the malnutrition.

• Source of backyard eggs to the nearby panchayats

• The egg and meat production has been increased. 4. FUTURE NEEDS

Most of the work in backyard poultry breeding was carried out at ICAR /SAU research

institutes and the genetic material is available only in limited quantity . In future when scaling up is

planned, research institutes may not be able to meet the demand. Hence, Public-Private

Partnership (PPP) initiatives need to be planned for future.

Improved varieties so far available also need supplementary diet, health care and

prophylactic measures for optimum performance. Hence developing location specific package of

practices for each of the variety is need of the hour.

As the requirement of individual farmer is very small and are scattered in an operating area,

promotion of chick rearing units as separate enterprise for rural youth may yield desirable results in

scaling up the backyard poultry production.

5. CONCLUSIONS

The introduction of different exotic crossbreds like Vanaraja, Giriraja, Nadanam,

Grampriya, Hitcari, Upcari, which resemble indigenous fowl in body conformation, multi coloured

plumage, dull shanks, pink skin and single comb, to scavenging in small scale poultry operations by

both public and private sector organisations, have generated new opportunities for poultry

production in rural areas. These improver birds have more economically viable characteristics

which is of great importance for village production of eggs and meat. Promoting improved strains

of birds would make an impact on development programmes for small scale poultry keeping. The

availability of leaner, tastier and less watery poultry meat has attracted the attention of the semi-

urban and urban consumers, resulting in more home hatcheries adding a semi-commercial

component in the rural poultry keeping. The ‘quick return’ scheme for raising meat chickens and

the ‘gradual return’ scheme for egg production, whilst maintaining traditional scavenging

husbandry practices using replica indigenous or synthetic hybrid prototype birds, has generated new

hopes in rural-based family poverty alleviation programmes.

6. SELECTED REFERENCE

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areas. Proceedings of a Seminar on Appropriate Poultry for Adverse Environments. Hyderabad, India; pp. 15-23.

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