Back Yard Poultry Production in Mahoba: A Socio-Economic Analysis Rawat Sudhir Kumar1, Dwivedi Sudhakar2,*, Narain Sarju3 1Department of Animal Husbandry, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh, India 2Division of Agril. Econ., ABM & Stats., FOA, SKUAST-Jammu, India 3Agril. Extension, BNPG College, Rath (Hamirpur) U.P., India *Corresponding author: dwivedi.sudhakar@gmail.com
Online published on 16 September, 2015. Abstract Almost every household keeps semi-intensive back yard poultry production in the backyard as a tradition, both for food and for the generation of additional income in mahoba. Recent studies have shown that improving husbandry and management practices on the house can increase the return of the back yard poultry farmer significantly. A survey was carried out on households with back yard poultry on the social and economic importance of back yard poultry production on the mahoba in 2012. Results showed that on an average, the back yard poultry farmer was 45 years of age, 33% were illiterate, 36% of the farmers were women, and the family consisted of 5.5 members. Besides their main occupation, animal husbandry was the main side activity of 61% of the households. 78% of the respondents reared chickens firstly for income, 11% for home consumption, 7% for cultural reasons, and 4% simply for game. The profit obtained from the sale of chickens and eggs, and the monetary value of sale and home consumption of these commodities represented 14% and 21% of the total income of the family, respectively. 62% of the households wished to expand back yard poultry production as they found this system of production more profitable than the rearing improved commercial broilers and layers. All the poultry sellers who marketed the back yard poultry found their business profitable, and wished to expand it. They priced the birds by their appearance, offered  85/kg live weight, and sold them at 110/kg live weight to consumers in Mahoba. Back yard poultry had a guaranteed market, especially for being free intensive birds, and for their rustic taste. Top Keywords Back Yard Poultry, Income, Mahoba, Marketing, Socio-Economics. Top |