MORE YIELD: The birds lay about 180-190 eggs in a year.

Agricultural experts have always been advising farmers to grow multicrops instead of monocrops and rear cattle, goats and poultry along with their crops, because even if the crops fail, the animals and their produce will help the farmers overcome their financial losses.

Hardy birds

Compared to cattle and goats, which require a hefty investment, farmers can rear country chickens (having coloured plumage) as these birds are hardy, require less space for growing and fetch a good price for their meat and eggs.

The development of a hybrid chicken breed named Swarnadhara by researchers at the Department of Avian Production and Management (DVPM), Hebbal, Bangalore will go a long way to meet the above criteria.

High egg production

Swarnadhara chickens have a high egg production potential along with better growth compared to other local varieties and are suited for mixed and backyard farming, according to Prof. K. Venkat Reddy, Associate Professor, Department of Poultry Science, Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fishery Sciences University (KVAFSU), Hebbal, Bangalore.

The bird can be reared for its eggs and meat. It attains maturity from the 22-23rd week after hatching.

Hens attain a body weight of about 3 kg and the cocks about 4 kg. "Swarnadhara hens lay about 180-190 eggs in a year. This breed yields 15-20 eggs in a year more than Giriraja chicken breed, which was released by the University in 2005.

(For information on Giriraja chicken breed refer The Hindu, Farmers Note Book dated December- 22-2005.)

"Compared to Giriraja breed, Swarnadhara breed are smaller in size with a lighter body weight, which makes them easier to escape attacks from predators such as jungle cats and foxes.

Source: The Hindu