Kerala's Indigenous Chicken Breed Has Potential to Transform the State's Agricultural Fortunes

The Kerala Veterinary and Animal Science University's (KVASU) conservation effort on the Thalassery chicken, a bird indigenous to the state, recently reached a major milestone. The project won the renowned Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources Award 2021 for its efforts. 

With some even claiming that the revival and wider acceptance of the breed might lead to a revolution in poultry farming in Kerala. The Thalassery breed is believed to have almost doubled the average egg output and is perfect for rural poultry farming. 

Kerala has remained a poultry-deficient state for the past four decades. Despite several government initiatives, development in the poultry farming sector has remained stagnant, like other sectors in the agricultural sector. The state has an annual consumption of about 650 crore eggs, but a production of 120 crore. The annual egg consumption has a demand worth Rs.650 crore in the state. 

In 2015, a group of veterinary scientists from Kerala Veterinary and Animal Science University (KVASU) working in the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) cell in Mannuthy decided to research and make efforts to conserve promote the indigenous Thalassery chicken. 

"Usually, hens begin producing eggs when they are 6-8 months old and produce up to 60-80 eggs each year. The Thalassery chicken (a breed with black feathers, grey legs, and a red comb and wattle) begins producing eggs at 4.5 months of age and can lay 160-170 eggs each year. An egg weighs about 43 grams on an average.

The hens have high immunity against local pathogens and are appropriate for rearing in households. They can be fed with food waste and grains,” Dr. C.S Suja, an assistant professor in AICRP cell. 

Since 1976, the center has been working on the project of developing location-specific breeds for village poultry conservation. The project aimed to increase the adoption of indigenous breeds in remote tribal areas in order to improve livelihoods and entrepreneurship. Poultry output in the state has declined over the last five years for a variety of reasons, including the high cost of maintaining birds and concerns over bird flu. The research center preserved six generations of this breed of bird, with around 650 to 700 females and 200 males in each batch. 

The research team, directed by Dr. Sankaralingam and including Dr. P Anitha, Dr. Binoj Chacko, Dr. Beena C Joseph, Dr. S Harikrishnan (and Suja), has also produced a new breed, the Thriveni—a new crossbred between Thalasserys, White Lagoon, and Rhode Island Red chickens. The Thalassery breed has also been genetically characterized and sent to the Centre.

According to Dr. Suja, one of the most difficult aspects of selecting breeding Thalassery chickens is capturing birds from their natural habitats and adapting them to life in cages, which is a painful transition. 

"Gene sequencing of accessible populations, as well as those from the field, is a time-consuming technique. Funding is also required for the lengthy processes and indexing," she noted. 

However, there is optimism that the success of producing and promoting Thalassery chickens may spark a revolution in the rural Kerala poultry farming sector. Thalassery chicken meat is also in higher demand than broiler chicken, which accounts for 95 percent of the domestic meat market.