Classification of Breeds of Poultry
American Class
Eg. New Hampshire, white Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, Wyandote II.
Mediterranean Class:
English Class
They are mostly utility breeds noted for their excellent flushing properties. Eg. Australorp, Cornish, Sussex, Orphington.
Asiatic Class
They are large bodied with heavy bones feathered shanks and poor layers.
Indian breeds
Eg. Aseel (Fighting purpose), Chitlagong, Kadacknath (Resh is black in colour) Bursa
Commercial Broiler strains
Plymouth Rock
Leghorn
India has made considerable progress in broiler production in the last two decades. High quality chicks, equipments, vaccines and medicines are available. With an annual output of 41.06 billion eggs and 1000 million broilers, India ranks fourth largest producer of eggs and fifth largest producer of poultry broiler in the world. The broiler production has also sky rocketed at an annual growth rate of about 15 percent at present. Broiler farming has been given considerable importance in the national policy and has a good scope for further development in the years to come.
Advantages of Chicken farming
Initial investment is a little lower than layer farming. Rearing period is 6-7 weeks only. More number of flocks can be taken in the same shed. Broilers have high feed conversion efficiency i.e. least amount of feed is required for unit body weight gain in comparison to other livestock. Faster return from the investment. Demand for poultry meat is more compared to sheep/Goat meat.
Native breeds of egg type chicken in India
Breed
|
Body weight
(20 weeks) |
Age at sexual maturity (days)
|
Annual egg production (No.)
|
Egg weight at 40 weeks (g)
|
Fertility
|
Hatchability FES (5)
|
Aseel
|
1220
|
196
|
92
|
50
|
66
|
63
|
Frizzle
|
1005
|
185
|
110
|
53
|
61
|
71
|
Kadaknath
|
920
|
180
|
105
|
49
|
55
|
52
|
Naked neck
|
1005
|
201
|
99
|
54
|
66
|
71
|
Aseel
Aseel is noted for its pugnacity, high stamina, majestic gait and dogged fighting qualities. The best specimens of the breed, although rare, and encountered in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rsjasthan. The most popular varieties are peela (golden red), yarkin (black and red), Nurie 89(white), kagar (black), chitta (black and white silver), Teekar (brown) and Reza (light red). Although poor in productivity, the birds of this breed are well-known for their meat qualities. Broodiness in most common and the hen is a good sitter and efficient mother. They possess pea combs which are small but firmly set on head. Wattles and ear lobes are bright red, and the beak is hart. The face is long and slender, and not covered with feather. The eyes are compact, well set and present bold looks. The neck is long, uniformly thick but no fleshy. The body is round and short with broad breast straight back and close - set strong tail root. The general feathering is close, scanty and almost absent on the Brest. The plumage has practically no fluff and the feathers are tough. The tail is small and drooping. The legs are strong, straight, and set well apart. Standard weight (kg): Cocks, 4 to 5; hen 3 to 4; cockerrels, 3.5 to 4.5; pullets, 2.5 to 3.5.
*(Image: Tamilnadu aseel breed)
Karaknath
The original name of the breed seems to be Kalamasi, meaning a fowl with black flesh. However, it is popularly known as Karaknath. The eggs are light brown. The day-old chicks are bluish to black with irregular dark stripes over the the back. The adult plumage varies from silver and gold-spangled to bluish-black without any spangling. The skin, beak, shanks, toes and soles of feet are slatelike in colour.The comb, wattles and tongue are purple. Most of the internal organs show intense black colouration which is pronounced in trachea, thoracic and abdominal air-sacs, gonads and at the base of the heart and mesentery. Varying degrees of block colouration are also seen in the skeletal muscles, tendons, nerves, meninges, brain etc. The blood is darker than normal blood. The black pigment has been due to deposition of melanin, The flesh although repulsive to look at, is delicious. A medium layer, lays about 80 eggs per year. The bird is resistant to diseases in its natural habitat in free range but is more susceptible to Mareks disease under intensive rearing conditions.
(Source: Dr.Acharya, Handbook of Animal Husbandry).
(Source: Dr.Acharya, Handbook of Animal Husbandry).
