In the state of Himachal Pradesh, poultry farming has shown vast potential of self employment opportunity and augmenting the nutritional status of the rural population by enhancing the availability of high quality proteins in the diet at a reasonable cost. In the recent years, one unfortunate trend of decreasing per capita availability of pulses, the only major source of proteins for the large majority of population has emerged. The protein gap in the nutritional demand has to be bridged rapidly, and the egg provides an affordable alternative source. Its per capita availability has grown up from 5 to 41 per year between 1950’s to present. Besides this, poultry meat is also playing its part in making proteins of animal origin available to the farmers of the state. Therefore, increasing the egg and poultry meat production will also lead to strengthening the economic base of the rural farmers.

The poultry farming in Himachal Pradesh play an important role in improving the socio- economic status of rural population particularly the landless because poultry farming require minimum capital and ensures quick returns. There by improving the quality of life of the rural poor. The sale of eggs on day to day basis helps in increasing crop production through purchase of essential inputs such as seed, insecticides, etc. Poultry droppings are an excellent source of farm manure.

In Himachal Pradesh, the poultry production output corresponds to the backyard poultry production because people prefer poultry units of small size i.e. 50 to 100 birds each rather than bigger units. These backyard units are becoming popular as it provides supplementary income as well as nutrition of high order without incurring extra expenditure. This has been further made successful with the introduction of hybrid birds by the department of Animal Husbandry through the Poultry Development Project running in the state. The poultry project look after the poultry development work through various poultry farms/ extension centers and hatcheries which caters to the demand of the farmers for the supply of day old coloured strain dual purpose chicks. Birds of various age groups are also supplied to the farmers as per their demand. The hatcheries were not able to cope with the ever increasing demand for the chicks/ birds prior to the introduction of the Centrally sponsored scheme mainly due to very old and worn out machinery and equipments compounded by the poor condition of the sheds and buildings which housed the hatcheries/ farms.

With the introduction of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme, the hatcheries and the farms of the state have been strengthened in a phased manner so that the demand of the rural population for the chicks of both egger and broiler strain could be met easily. Poultry population stood at 11,04,476 in 2012 while the egg production stood at 1075.477 lakhs numbers according to the 2013-14 sample survey. The topography and the climatic condition of the state are such that here small sized poultry farms are more successful than the large sized ones. A peculiar feature of poultry farming in the Himachal Pradesh is the bulk production of eggs and broilers in the urban and sub-urban areas which leads to higher costs of egg and poultry meat in the rural areas than in the towns. The department of Animal Husbandry running Backyard Poultry scheme with the following objectives to offset the present trend and make the poultry birds available at the village level so that the farmers are not only able to increase their economic status but also use the poultry produce as a source high grade animal protein in the diet so as to cope up with the protein-calorie malnutrition.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES :-

1. To provide good diet to the people of the state. The per capita availability of eggs in Himachal Pradesh is mere 13 eggs per annum as compared to all India average of 41 eggs per annum. Large rural population faces the problem of protein–calorie malnutrition, thus needing animal proteins with high biological values which can be met through eggs and poultry meat.

2. To augment the income of the rural people where poultry farming along with the livestock rearing is being carried out as a mixed farming complementary to the crop production.

3. To increase the employment opportunities for the rural population since most of them are unemployed or grossly underemployed, hence to generate self- employment.

The poultry in Himachal Pradesh corresponds to Poultry farms established in the government and in the private sector. The thrust in the private sector, of late, is mainly due to the introduction of the Backyard Poultry scheme by the department especially in the rural areas of the state. The department of Animal Husbandry is running BACKYARD POULTRY SCHEME:-

The Animal Husbandry Department has introduced Backyard Poultry Scheme under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme “Assistance to the State Poultry farms” which is a 80:20 scheme where the state poultry farms were strengthened. Now under National Livestock Mission, various departmental poultry farms will be strengthened in a phased manner. The chicks of low input technology type are being produced at the departmental hatcheries. These chicks are reared for 2-3 weeks at different government poultry farms/ extension centres prior their distribution in the field. Incase, there is demand for day old chicks then the same are also provided to the farmers.

Since the medium and the large poultry farms have come up of late in the state due to the efforts of the department whereby training and other help in the form of project reports for the opening of such units is being provided to interested poultry farmers. Therefore, the department has been trying to give more attention to the small and marginal poultry farmers who have specific requirements w.r.t. the strain of the poultry birds being provided. This is important because with the limited resources such group of poultry farmers need a disease resistant strain with local availability. This was ensured under the Backyard scheme where low input technology bird of coloured strain but disease resistant type are supplied to the farmers of the state @ Rs. 28.00/-chick of 2- 3 weeks age to prevent the early mortality. This scheme has been an instant success because it not only supplement the income of the poor farmers of the state but also provide nutrition of high order to them which is ample clear from the ever increasing demand for coloured chicks. Against chick distribution target of 3,60,000 under Backyard Scheme, the department distributed 3,69,724 chicks amongst 11,386 beneficiaries. The farmers can book their demand for the chicks at any veterinary institution nearest to their dwelling. Under the Backyard Poultry scheme a unit consists of 20-50 chicks of 2- 3 weeks old. Interested beneficiaries are selected on the first come first serve basis through Veterinary institutions in the field.

There is also provision of training to the farmers opting for the scheme where the beneficiaries are being provided 6- days training at the government poultry farms and 15 days training at the Government hatcheries, free of cost.

NODAL AGENCY :-

Development of the Poultry sector in the state is being looked after by the Deputy Director, Poultry Development, Directorate of Animal Husbandry, Shimla-5. The Deputy Director, Poultry Development who has been designated as Nodal Officer under the Centrally sponsored scheme is ably assisted by the Technical Officer (Poultry) along with existing staff of the Poultry Project in the running Poultry Schemes efficiently under the able guidance of the Director, Animal Husbandry, Himachal Pradesh.

INFRASTRUCTURAL FACILITIES :-

To minimize the problems and difficulties of the farmers of the state and to develop the poultry sector in the State of Himachal Pradesh, the department of Animal Husbandry through the office of the Deputy Director (Poultry) has taken steps to increase poultry production in the State through the establishment of two hatcheries and poultry farms/extension centers in the various districts of the state. The chicks are being supplied to the poultry farmers through poultry farms and the extension centers. The farmers/ poultry breeders are also imparted training in poultry farming at the Government Poultry Farms so that these farmers are able to establish their units on a sound footing.

POULTRY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IN HIMACHAL PRADESH- AT A GLANCE:-

INTRODUCTION:-

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES :-

NODAL AGENCY :-

INFRASTRUCTURAL FACILITIES :-