PRESENT STATUS OF SONALI CHICKEN FARMING IN BOGRA AND JOYPURHAT DISTRICTS

Abstract

The aim of this study is to review the current status of sonali chicken production, problems and its future prospects in Bangladesh. The study was conducted to review the production system, costing, feeding, management, disease prevalence and others problems and prospects of sonaly chicken and assess the potentiality of sonali chicken rearing in rural areas of Bogra and Joypurhat district of Bangladesh. Data were collected randomly from 70 sonali chicken rearing farmers using a pre-tested interview schedule during February to April 2018 from different areas of Bogra and Joypurhat District. The result revealed that most of the farmers (43%) were middle aged, about (4%) farmers were illiterate, about (43%) wife and (16 %) sons of farmer’s household were responsible for sonali rearing. All farmers reared sonali in intensive system. About 59% farmers used rice husk, 6 % use saw dust and 10% use both rice husk and sawdust for bedding material of their birds house. Most of the farmers (56%) mentioned that the most prevalent disease was mycoplasmosis (80 %), gumboro 22.85% and coccidiosis 51.42%. Newcastle disease outbreak was found in 5% of farms and their chicken mortality was 7.83%. About 54.28% farmers maintain vaccination schedule properly and 44.28% of them maintain vaccination schedule but improperly 1.42% farmers did not maintain any vaccination schedule. The price of day old chick was 14.6 ±4.33 Tk. and 58% farmers sell adult birds at the age of 65.14±3.47. 175-190. Most of the farmers (81.25%) stated that the sonali chicken farming is increasing day by day. On the comparison of sonali with broiler production the study showed that the costing is of sonali production lower than broiler farming and the farmers are more benefited about sonali farming than broiler farming. It was concluded that sonali rearing knowledge of the farmers proper vaccination and such as feeding, vaccination, Training housing, prevention and control of diseases are not satisfactory of this areas, training to the farmers, ensuring proper vaccination, financial and technical support to the farmers, ensuring satisfactory market price of their final products could increase the sonali chicken farming with increased household income and employment to youth, rural women and the small-holder marginal farmers.