Poultry Courses in India

Poultry is defined as - A domesticated gallinaceous bird thought to be descended from the red jungle fowl. Poultry farming refers to the practice of raising poultry such as chickens, turkeys, ducks and other fowls for acquiring meat or eggs. It is a subcategory of animal husbandry. Poultry courses in India, obviously deal with Poultry Farming and everything associated with it, whether it is research, disease control, breeding, feed and so on. Poultry Farming in India has come of age. Specially developed breeds of egg type chicken are now available with traits of quick growth and high feed conversion efficiency. Fowl are usually fed a combination of maize, soy, rice bran and cereals. Feed alone forms about 60% of the cost of raising poultry. As per NABRAD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) – Production of eggs has been rising at a rate of 8% per annum. India is on the world map as one of the top five egg producing countries with 55.6 billion eggs produced during 2008 (FAO).

There are two types of Poultry farms - 

1.  Breeding farms - Poultry is raised for meat.

2.  Layer farms - Poultry is raised for producing eggs.

Few of the specialized fields - 

• Genetics
• Pharmaceuticals
• Nutrition
• Engineering
• Production
• Food Science and processing
• Agri-Business

Poultry courses in India: Content

• Biology of Fowl
• Classification of Poultry Breeding
• Incubation Practices
• Housing and Equipments
• Management of Chicks
• Fundamentals of Poultry Nutrition

Poultry Course Objectives

• Development of entrepreneurial skills in poultry farming
• Development of rural economy
• To maximise profits and minimise loses
• Development of new techniques and tools.

Poultry courses in India: Basic Requirements

10th/matric passed with Science background. Some courses require candidates to have passed the 10 +2 examination in Science with 55% of marks. One can pursue B.V.Sc., M.V.Sc., M.Sc. or Diploma courses in for a career in Poultry.

Job Prospects in Poultry

Poultry farming is a very versatile industry, adapting itself to a full time or part time job. Its daily operations are so simple, that women, children or elderly can easily manage small poultry units. However it is a volatile business, netting the profit in the quickest time possible while at the same time equally quick to lose. Only the most efficient producer can remain in poultry business for long. Depending on the farm-size, layer (for eggs) farming can be main source of family income or can provide income and gainful employment to farmers throughout the year. Poultry manure has high fertilizer value and can be used for increasing yield of all crops

In spite of the various advancements there is still a need for improvement in the poultry farming in almost every aspect viz., breeding, housing, economic feeding and health control. The preservation and marketing of poultry also require further development. For this, experts are required who are in demand. Poultry specialists can make a career mainly in research, education, business, administration and management. One can also can work in any field like hatchery, breeding, nutrition & feed manufacturing, health & bio-security, economics, products & processing, Management, technical and sale.

Remuneration - In state or central government organizations, candidates can expect salary of between Rs. 30000 or 40000 per month.

Some Poultry Job Types

• Value Addition Technologist
• Feeding Technologist
• Processing Technologist
• Production Technologist
• Poultry House Designer
• Breeder
• Poultry Farm Manager
• Manager – Quality Control
• Consultant
• Education Field Personnel
• Research Personnel

Some Poultry Employment Areas

• Poultry Farms
• Poultry Companies
• Poultry Research and Development
• National Meat and Poultry Processing Board
• Ministry of Agriculture
• Educational Institutes
• Hatcheries
• Veterinary Hospital
• Pharmaceutical Concerns
• Feed Miller Firms
• Feed Production Companies
• Feed Analysis Laboratories