Evaluation of growth performance and economic viability of meat type crossbred chicken variety in farmer’s fields under intensive management

The performance and economic viability of the meat type crossbred was evaluated under farmer’s field conditions under intensive system of rearing. A total of 1000 chicks of the crossbred were provided to 10 farmers with 100 chicks each and advised to rear under intensive system with ad libitum feeding on broiler chicken diet up to 12 weeks of age. A batch of 100 chicks from the same hatch was reared at the institute to compare their performance with field performance. The body weights at different ages did not differ significantly between the farm and field conditions. The shank length was significantly (P<0.05) higher in birds reared under farmer’s field conditions. The mortality rate was also lower (6.2%) in field conditions. The birds were marketed in three major modes, per bird basis (cock), individual bird on weight basis (retail) and groups of birds (wholesale) on weight basis. The cocks were sold at premium rate of Rs. 350-500 per bird, the retail prices varied between Rs. 200-250/kg and bulk wholesale prices between Rs. 150-180 per kg live weight. The Cost benefit ratio (CBR) of the crossbred variety was 1.86 with return on investment (ROI) of 86.2%. The cost of production, gross and net income per bird was Rs. 172, 320 and Rs. 148, respectively. A farmer can earn a net income of Rs. 90,000-120,000 per annum as an additional income by rearing these birds in three to four cycles in year offering a promising scope as an alternative for native chicken farming.