Incubator for Poultry Production-A Sustainable Resource for Rural Women Entrepreneurs

Rural poultry farming is considered a profitable enterprise in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands due to the sale of eggs and meat. Approximately 75% of farm families have 6 to 12 Rural Birds in their backyard. Rural birds lay 40 to 80 eggs per hen per year, with 31 percent consumed by the family, 57 percent sold, and only 12 percent used for hatching.

The Broody Hens are used for stock multiplication. Women are in charge of all aspects of rural poultry production. This highlights the important relationship between women and rural poultry, as well as its role in ensuring the livelihood security of the rural farming community. However, the Rural Poultry Chicks' non-availability is regarded as a problem.

However, the scarcity of Rural Poultry Chicks is regarded as one of the major impediments to the development of Rural Poultry Farming in the Islands. Furthermore, there is no commercial supplier of Rural Poultry Chicks on the Islands.

The ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute, Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands conceptualized the idea of "By the Farmers to the Farmers" using the Mini Incubator-cum-Hatcher for continuous production and supply/availability of Chicks to address the issue of non-availability of Rural Poultry Chicks in the Islands.

The Institute also organized a series of hands-on training and demonstrations for rural women on the selection of fertile eggs, cleaning and hygienic handling of fertile eggs, operation of a Mini Incubator, and a scientific package of practices for improving rural chicken production. The ICAR-CIARI, Port Blair, trained a total of 2,202 farmers from 25 villages in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Minicoy, Lakshadweep on the operation of the Mini Incubator.

A total of 7 Mini Incubator-cum-Hatcher Units (240 Eggs Capacity) were established as part of the community-based demonstration under the DBT-Biotech Kisan Hub Project at various villages in South Andaman and North & Middle Andaman Districts. 

The three units were also established as the Incubation Facility at the ICAR-CIARI, Port Blair, KVK, Sippighat, and Regional Station, Minicoy, Lakshadweep. Farmers formed a backward and forward link to ensure the long-term production and distribution of rural poultry chicks. They were also given Exposure Visits and Demonstrations Programs to help them disseminate the technology's use to other farmers.

Joyshana, Meenakshi, Rani Anbumlar, and Binitha Singh from South Andaman and Asima Roy from Middle Andaman initiated the Micro-Enterprise on Mini Incubator for hatching and began selling the Rural Poultry Chicks on a commercial basis.

Over a two-year period, approximately 1,000 farmers, including 650 farm women, used the Mini Incubator Facility to hatch their own chicks. The adopted farmers produced and distributed approximately 25,000 chicks and ducklings to the other farmers.

Farm Women Micro-Entrepreneurs earn Rs. 11,000 to Rs. 13,000 per month from the Hatching Facility with the Mini Incubator, their own sustainable resource for Rural Poultry Chicks, and the continuous sale of Rural Birds and Eggs. Their Net Income is significantly greater than their previous Monthly Income. Entrepreneurship via the Mini Incubator has become a sustainable source of income for their families.

Source - ICAR