What is poultry farming?
Poultry farming is the agricultural practice of rearing domesticated species of birds for the purpose of producing eggs and/or meat for food.
The most popular species of bird raised for poultry farming throughout the world is chicken.
Today, in 2020, poultry meat and eggs are the world’s primary source of animal protein.
Popularity
It is estimated by FAO STAT that 110 million tonnes of chicken meat is consumed each year, globally.
Because of its general affordability by comparison to other meats, chicken is readily accessible regardless of income.
Favoured qualities of chicken include:
- low in fat,
- easy to rear,
- culturally & religiously accepted by many
Farming poultry (chicken, in particular) is a popular choice of startup farming enterprise for many beginner agripreneurs.
By-products
Aside from chicken meat and eggs, poultry production is also valued by industry for:
- manure
- down (feather)
- shells
Each category of by-product has its practical use either in manufacture (feathers) or as agricultural input for fertilizer, for example.
Economic value holds consistently making poultry farming an attractive business prospect.
Poultry farming glossary
- Broiler Chicken
- A broiler chicken is a male or female chicken reared for the purpose of producing meat for our consumption.
Broilers are reared from ‘day one’ of hatching until they reach the desired weight.
They are then slaughtered and either consumed or sold for consumption.
- Layer Chicken
- A layer chicken is a hen (female chicken) which is kept for the purpose of laying eggs for our consumption.
Female chicken naturally begin laying eggs at the age of physical maturity.
This is estimated to be around 20 weeks old.
Healthy layers will be expected to lay an egg per day. This generally holds true 80 out of 100.
