From Contractor To Poultry Farmer – Rajendra Kumar Turns Lockdown Tide Around Into Profits
Rajendra’s father was in the army. As for
Rajendra, his early childhood was in the same city, where he finished his
education and pursued electrical engineering. He later went abroad to work in Saudi
Arabia for over 8 years, later returning home to his family in the year 2002.
He was the one to buy the land for the farm, got it constructed and built for
fresh poultry. However, his family refused to start up a poultry at the time.
They believed that for a respectable family as theirs, working on the poultry
farm didn’t look right.
With the lockdown, years later since the
construction of the farm, Rajendra faced the brunt of the same as most of us
did. With no money in hand and a job that couldn’t pay the bills staying
indoors away from the covid strain, all seemed lost. It was also a long time
back that he had built a chicken farm but hadn’t made any efforts to start it
as there was no rush or need for it during the time. Looking down at the scarce
options left in front of him, Rajendra chose to get the chicken farm going.
Talking about the breeds that he raised, he
noted how he could acquire more profit with the Kadaknath and FFG breed of
chicken. The market rate for the former is very high as is and a good income
could be sourced from it. As good as that may be, his area sales for the same
breed were not as high. On the contrary, FFG chicken breed were the ones that
were high on demand.
Kadaknath as a breed have made a name for
themselves in the whole world and are widely known. The ones from Madhya
Pradesh have their own geographical indication (GI) tags. The way one could
identify a Kadaknath breed is that fact that the chicken is black all over, inside,
and out having their flesh and blood both be black. Their meat is also
considered to be very beneficial with their high protein and iron content with
a considerably low cholesterol content. These would be extremely beneficial for
people with diabetes or heart problems.
Getting down to the rates and pricing of
the chicken, the market rate for the Kadaknath breed is around INR 70 to 100
whereas its eggs sell for INR 30 per egg. When you convert the same in
kilograms, the breed sells for INR 1000 per kg. With demand for the breed
rising in the winters, it is a profitable business for the poultry farmers in
the season.
The farm is as huge as covering 1.5 acres
of land with poultry of around 4,000 breeds of Kadaknaths and 500 FFGs.
Starting from around October or November till late March, the sale for the two
breeds makes a solid fortune after which there are more of eggs to sell.
Indian cricket legend, MS Dhoni, after
retiring from the game has since also involved himself in poultry farming and
the likes of it. It was then when he ordered some Kadaknaths from Madhya
Pradesh that even the discussions on the breed started gaining familiarity.
Rajendra also explains how even you can
start a small poultry farm of your own with simpler arrangements at hand. A
shed could be turned into a garden and feeding can be done just once a day. The
Kadaknath breed also doesn’t need a lot of maintenance. Their staple food
consists of berseem and millet grass. Sufficient sunlight and a good amount of
space for the chicken to move around is suitable. Getting the chicken vaccinated
on a regular interval is also advised.
A facilitated way to collect eggs and keep
the poultry safe from outside unsuitable weather such as rain and extreme heat
is also necessary. All this and a lot of care for the chicken will be good
enough for one to raise their own poultry.
manju
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