SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITION OF TURKEY FARMING IN GOPALGANJ AND FARIDPUR DISTRICTS

Abstract

The aim of the study is to review the socio-economic condition of turkey farming in some parts of Bangladesh. The study was also conducted to observe the problems of turkey farming and its future prospects in Gopalganj and Faridpur districts of Bangladesh. The survey focused mainly on characterization of farming system, flock size, feeding, price of turkey chick, feed price, marketing, disease prevalence, mortality and others problems and prospects of turkey farming and assess the potentiality of turkey rearing in the different areas of Gopalganj and Faridpur district in Bangladesh. Data were collected randomly from 30 turkey rearing farmers using a pre-tested interview schedule during August to October 2018 from different areas of Gopalganj and Faridpur district. The result revealed that most of the farmers (46%) were young age, about (2%) farmers were illiterate, about (50%) farmers himself were responsible for turkey rearing. Most of the farmers reared turkey in intensive system and some farmers reared turkey in semi-intensive and freerange system. About (14%) farmers used rice husk, 6% use saw dust and 10% use both rice husk and saw dust for bedding material of their bird house. Most of the farmers (13%) mentioned that the most prevalent disease was mycoplasmosis (44%), colibacillosis (30%), fowl cholera (14%) and mortality was low average (11%). About (73.33%) farmers maintain vaccination schedule properly and 20% of them maintain vaccination schedule but improperly and 6.67% farmers did not maintain any vaccination schedule. The price of turkey poults range was about 100-250 tk.and about 43.33% farmers sell adult birds at the age of 16-17 weeks. It was also observed that many factors responsible in limiting the spread of turkey farming such as low marketing facilities, poor fertility and hatchability, insufficient capital, theft, inadequate housing and lack of technical information on turkey production and disease attacks were deterrents to indigenous turkey production and appear to be the most significant limiting factors to back yard raising of turkeys. It was concluded that necessary technical information and others supports about turkey rearing should be supplied to interested turkey farmers and proper steps should be taken for creating marketing facilities of turkey. Government should play a vital role to solve these problems.