WBCADC is running 3 nos. of Poultry Hatchery units in the districts of Coochbehar (Balarampur Project), Hoogly (Boinchi Project) and at Howrah ( Bagnan Project). In these Projects, parent birds of Rhode Island Red (RIR) variety are being reared. The hatching eggs from the parent birds are hatched in the incubator machines of the respective Projects. After hatching the Day Old Chicks (DOC) are sold by the Projects to the individual farmers or to the Government aided programme like Backward Village Development Programme, RastriyaKrishiVikashYoyona (RKVY), MahilaKisanSashaktikaranPariyojana or to the other programme.
Besides the RIR chicks, we have also tried with successful results Vanaraja, Kalinga Brown and other breeds in the Backyard system of Poultry rearing at villages. As per the suitability, availability and as per the demand in the locality to be grown in future, we have a plan to include Kadaknath Chicken, Krishibro, Gramopriya, developed at KVK Jhabua, Director of Poultry Research and Central Avian Research Institute, Izatnagar, U.P.
To the poorer section of the villagers, Backyard Poultry adds to a remunerative subsidiary income for their livelihood. Besides this, the enterprise helps to add some protein in their meals which gives protection from the malnutrition of their growing up children and expected mothers. WBCADC with her limited capacity is in the mode of serving the villagers to improve the livelihood of the poorer families in the villages.
Besides this, some Projects like Kalna-II, Siliguri-Naxalbari, Debra and some of the DOC producing Projects undertake the programme to produce reared pullets from DOC stage to 28 days old stage to distribute / sale the chicks to the intended farmers or SHGs. These rearing units many a times rear both RIR and Vanaraja variety as per the demand by the developmental agencies. Vanaraja varieties of poultry birds are especially suitable in the “JangalMahal” the red and laterite tract of our state.
Production of DOC and reared pullets of the above varieties are not commercial proposition like the production of broiler birds or rearing of layer birds which have a ready demand of meat and eggs in the market and to earn sizable amount of profit. But WBCADC through this humble approach of producing the chicks suitable for backyard poultry likes to serve the villagers to improve their livelihood with the adoption of improved technology of introduction of improved breeds replacing their low producing indigenous breeds.
In WBCADC there are 4 nos of Pig Breeding units in the districts of Darjeeling (Siliguri-Naxalbari Project), Bankura (KVK, Sonamukhi) ,Purulia (Saharjore Project) and Nadia (Haringhata). The Large White Yorkshire and Ghongroo are the breeds reared at Siliguri-Naxalbari Project and T&D breed at KVK, Sonamukhi, Saharjore and Haringhata Projects. The capacity of these units ranges from producing 50 to 200 piglets per annum. This year WBCADC SiliguriNaxbari Project Supplied Piglets to different Development Boards of Hilly region like Lepcha Development Board WBCADC Haringhata Project Supplied Piglets to ARD Department of different District like Hooghly, Nadia, Birbhum, North 24 Pargana’s, Jalpaiguri.
Pigs are being reared by the members of the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community since the time unknown. Some of the Scheduled Caste (SC) families in the villages also prefer to rear Pigs. However, in practice, the pigs are reared in semi-intensive farming system but with little care to the health and other aspect of the animal farming. The traditional practice is to rear pigs of low producing indigenous verities. Pig meat generally known as pork is very much familiar among the SC & ST communities.
Pigs convert inedible feeds, forages, certain grain byproducts obtained from mills, meat by products, damaged feeds and garbage into valuable nutritious meat. Most of these feeds are either not edible or not very palatable to human beings. Pigs grow fast and are prolific breeder, giving birth to 10 to 12 piglets at a time. It is capable of producing two litters per year under optimal management conditions.The carcass return is quite high ie. 60-80 percent of live body weight. The faeces of pigs is used as a manure to maintain soil fertility
With a small investment on building and equipment, proper feeding and sound disease control programme the farmer can profitably utilize his time and labour in this subsidiary occupation
These factors are now attracting the rural youth irrespective to the caste and creed to establish the pig farm with their own for self employment. At present the focus of pig farming is having more than one dimension.
With this perspective, WBCADC is now working with the production of location specific suitable pig breeds viz. Large White Yorkshire and Ghoongroo at Darjeeling district, T&D and Ghoongtoo at Nadia, Bankura and Purlulia districts. Besides the establishment of WBCADC’s own pig farms, the attempt has been taken to establish Pig Breeding farms at the SHG levels in the villages with the financial assistance from RKVY. In near future, more and more Projects may be taken under Pig Breeding programme. Production of quality- piglets in the WBCADC Projects is gaining much priority.
As a part of our Integrated Farming, most of the Projects are being equipped with on-campus goat farms. These farms serve the purpose of organizing practical training on goat farming. Mainly Black Bengal variety of goats is being reared in these farms. These farms produce quality kids for the selling to the individual farmers / SHGs.
Besides this in our Off-Campus programme, WBCADC establishes a number of Progeny Goat Farms at SHG level in different villages across the state. These farms are coming into production with the supervision of the technical experts from the implementing WBCADC Projects.
At KumariKanan, under Ajodhya Hills Project, Purulia one medium sized goat breeding unit is coming up. Here initially 90 nos. ofshe goats and 10 nos. of he goats will be reared to produce the off-springs for selling to the individuals as well as to the SHGs for their further prolification.
It is a well-known fact that, Black Bengal variety of goats is the pride of Bengal. Therefore, it has been principally agreed to rear and to proliferate the unique breed for the benefit of the villagers as well as for the consumers who like the meat, hide and others available from the animal.
It is also an established fact that the availability of goats in the rural Bengal is abandoned. But due to some ignorance in the part of the farmers, this unique variety could not maintain its purity in the villages. The main reason is the crossbreeding with the other Indian breeds. In this area of gap of knowledge, our attempt is upscale the knowledge and skill of the villagers to introduce the goat farming with scientific practices and to earn effectively to sustain the farming in the villages. Our on-campus farms are the demonstration farms to show the farmers how to keep the goats with improved practices and to earn substantially.
Thus the capacity building of villagers to handle the goat rearing enterprise most successfully, WBCADC through her 21 nos. of Projects and one KVK is trying for a small stepping to improve the goat husbandry in the villages and to protect the Black Bengal breed from being extinct. If more and more hands join with us, we hope, our small effort may make a history in our state.
Inclusion of more and more dedicated technical experts in the field of Animal Husbandry at WBCADC will help the organization to march forward with vision of improving the livelihood of the poor villagers through animal husbandry practices.
Livestock Disease control camps: These camps are being organized in the villages with the help of the Block Livestock Development Officer (BLDO).
Immunization Programme: Camps are being organized in the villages with the help of BLDO of the respective blocks to protect the animal and birds from the contagious diseases like, PPR in goats, Ranikhet Disease in poultry birds, Duck Plague in ducks and others.
Extension meetings: The technical personnel in the Projects organize extension meetings with the villagers regarding the improved practices in animal husbandry.
Capacity Building of the stakeholders : The WBCADC Projects and KVK at Sonamukhi, Bankura organize training programmes to up-scale the knowledge and skill of the farmers, farm women, members of SHGs and for the rural youths in the areas of Backyard Poultry, Goatary, Pig Farming and others.