Poultry farming - a branch of agriculture

Researchers of the industry believe that poultry farming as a field originated about 4,000 years ago in India. There is speculation that all other breeds originated from the domesticated chickens there. Today, poultry farming is a promising area of agriculture. It is able to provide the population with products in the shortest possible time and bring profit.

The first domestic birds they say were geese. People learned to breed chickens only after them. Later the group of domesticated birds were joined by ducks, guinea fowl, turkeys and quail. Raising poultry is very profitable from both economic and consumer points of view. All poultry products are profitable, whether they are meat, eggs or additional products such as feathers, down, bones, tendons, etc. Significant productivity of birds and early maturity of individuals are among the undeniable advantages.

Innovative technologies today make it possible to open a profitable business in poultry farming. Especially since the demand for the products of this industry is growing every day.

The benefits of poultry farming for the state are also obvious. These are development of small and medium-sized businesses, new markets, providing jobs and quality products. As for scientific definition, poultry farming is characterized as the sphere of agriculture, aimed at poultry breeding, in order to obtain meat and eggs, as well as the secondary products of this activity (feathers, down materials, bones, litter). 

Poultry farming depending on the purpose is subdivided into two types - meat and egg. For the production of meat they breed meat chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys. For the production of edible eggs, egg chickens and quail are kept. Fluff and feather are excellent for use in the light industry. Meat and bone meal is obtained from the production waste. Manure is processed into organic fertilizer for crop production.

All types of poultry are suitable for poultry meat production. Especially popular are broilers - a breed of chicken bred artificially. Their meat has excellent properties. In addition, compared to ordinary chickens, broilers are considered the champions of the rapid weight gain among all birds.

Among chickens, the guinea fowl also stands out. This is a meat breed of chicken. The meat of this bird is similar in taste to that of the partridge. It is nutritious and tender, which is why the guinea fowl is valued by poultry farmers. Poultry farmers willingly breed turkeys, leaders in weight. An adult turkey can weigh up to 20-25 kg. Geese also enjoy some popularity among poultry farmers. In addition to meat, feathers and down of this bird breed are very popular. Dietary qualities of meat and eggs of quail have made them popular in the market especially in recent years.

With regard to poultry egg production, now, despite the fact that the number of large industrial poultry factories in the country is growing, there is a great interest among the population and natural eggs from private farms and organic farms. People are attracted to growing birds on natural feed, without the use of growth promoters and antibiotics. In this regard, experts believe that the opening of small poultry farms can also be very profitable, since the demand for natural products is also observed from businesses - restaurants, retail chains.

As noted by experts, to date, not only demand, but also prices for such organic products are much higher than for industrial poultry. Among the advantages of poultry farming are easy care and feeding the birds, versatility and accessibility of chicken products to all segments of the population.

Experts in favor of engaging in at least part-time poultry reason with relatively small financial cost of keeping birds, in comparison with the breeding, say, cattle.

Regarding the modern development of poultry farming there are different opinions, some suggest that we should engage in consolidation of small poultry farms, and others see a future in organic farms with modern equipment and technology. Whatever it is, we must recognize that poultry farming now takes one of the leading places in the agricultural sector in terms of growth and volume of products sold.

As for world market leaders, today the main poultry meat producers are China, USA, Brazil and Russia. In terms of turkey meat production, the USA, Germany and Brazil are the leaders. Meat ducks, geese and guinea fowl are provided by China, France and Hungary. The main producers of eggs are China, USA, India, Mexico, Russia and Japan. The United Arab Emirates is the world's number one consumer of poultry meat.