Introduction
Dual purpose chickens are those chickens that are reared for both eggs and meat purpose unlike broilers which are reared for meat only and layers chicken for eggs only. In most cases dual purpose chickens are primarily reared for egg purpose during its productive laying years which is around one to three years and then they are slaughtered for meat. In such cases the meat can be quite tough as the chickens are quite old at this point of time but none the less the meat is tastier than broiler meat which is considered too soft or bland for some people. On the other hand male chickens can be slaughtered for meat at any point of rearing period.
The local chicken makes up 80% of the total poultry population in Nagaland. The potential of our local chicken to produce eggs and meat production is very poor with an annual production of less than 70 eggs per hen, egg weight at 45 to 50 grams and low body weight. Therefore, rearing of local chickens in our backyards cannot fulfill our demand for poultry eggs and meat. So, to solve this problem we should rear dual purpose breed of chicken which can produce more eggs and meat in our backyards with locally available feeds like maize, broken grains, cassava, insects, kitchen leftovers, weeds etc.
What are the breeds of dual purpose chickens?
Some of the dual purpose chickens which is found suitable to rear in our backyards are-
Vana raja
Gramapriya
Giriraja
Srinidhi
Rainbow rooster
Kamrupa
Kadanath (Black chicken)
Advantages of rearing dual purpose chickens
1. They can be reared under any system like semi-intensive, intensive and scavenging (free ranging) systems.
2. They produce more eggs and meat as compared to local chickens depending on the breed and system of rearing. Some breed produces more than 4 kilos at maturity and more than 200 eggs per year per chicken under free ranging system.
3. They can be reared with our locally available feeds thus avoiding heavy cost of production on concentrate feeds which are costly to buy.
4. They do not need highly specialized housing but can be reared in houses made from locally available housing materials like wood, bamboo, thatch etc.
5. The eggs and meat are safer to consume than farm eggs and broiler meat which may contain residue of antibiotics and other substances in their eggs or meat that may affect our health in the long run like the risk of cancer and early onset of puberty.
6. They are less prone to parasites, metabolic disorders and other ailments without impairing their production potentials.
7. The eggs and meat of dual chicken are more in price and so a farmer can earn more from rearing it. For an example, the selling price of Kadanath chicken may be up to Rs.1000 per kilo live weight and its eggs sold at Rs.20 per egg.
Conclusion
Chicken meat and eggs are a good source of protein and other nutrients which are good for human health. According to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), each person needs to consume 10.5 kilos of chicken or poultry meat and 180 eggs per year. However, the meat availability in India is about 15 gram per person per day against the ICMR recommendation of 30 gram per person per day. Egg consumption is below 50 numbers in a year against the ICMR recommendation of 180 eggs per person per year. In spite of India ranking third in egg and eight in meat production in the world as per Economic Survey 2021 – 2022, we still need more production to meet our demand. Therefore, introduction of dual purpose chickens in the backyards may provide the boost to egg and meat production as they are easier to rear and producing more as compared to our local chickens which dominates the bulk of poultry population at present.
Submitted by-
Dr. Sarendi Walling
ACTO (Animal Science)
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Mokokchung