SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF FARMERS AND COMMON MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN POULTRY FARMING AT GAZIPUR DISTRICT IN BANGLADESH

Abstract

The study was conducted to identify the socio-economic status of the poultry farmers and common management practice of poultry farm (broiler and layer) in Gazipur, Bangladesh. Total 40 poultry farms (20 broiler and 20 layer) were selected from Kaligonj upazila under Gazipur district. The mean farm size (Number of bird), number of family member, number of educated person per farmer family and amount of land (Acre) per farmer were 4336.84±541.99, 6.16±0.47, 1.26±0.23 and 3.51±0.4 with range; 1500-10000, 3-10, 0-3 and 0.2-5.6 respectively in broiler farms and 5252.63±708.61, 4.79±0.27, 1.37±0.21 and 4.1±0.45 with range; 1200-1000, 3-7, 0-3 and 0.45-6.3 respectively in layer farm. This study revealed that comparatively rich farmers are more involved in farming, 57.5% of the farmers have their own investment in farming, very few of them have taken training (27.5%), more than half (55%) had taken farming as main occupation, 50 % of the farmer have no loan, most of the farmer (62.5%) have poor level of knowledge about poultry farming but have high managemental skill in 37.5% of the farmer. Although the percentage of illiterate farmer is lower (15%) but number of high educated farmers also minimum. Average number of boys and girls per farm owner attend to primary school 0.7 and 0.5, high school 0.75 and 0.45, college 0.1 and 0.07 and university 0.01 and 0.01 respectively. Majority of the farmer (87.5%) have own tube-well as a source of drinking water and most of them (67.5%) use sanitary latrine. About 30% of the farmers have good health status. Per bird annual Cost Benefit Ratio is higher in the layer farming (1:1.66) in comparison with broiler (1:1.17), hence it is revealed that layer farming is more profitable. One of the outcome of this study is that, the common management practices in layer farms are somewhat improved in comparison with broiler farm.