Poultry is a domesticated bird reared at the farmer�s home for food. Family poultry production carried
out at a small scale, mostly with indigenous poultry. But the poultry industry commercially produces
chicken such as broiler and layer to meet the consumers demand for meat and egg respectively. A few
other species like duck, pigeon, quail, goose, turkey, guinea fowl, sonali and indigenous are
available throughout the year. Poultry industry has two types of production such as production of
non-fertile eggs and meat for human consumption.
Commercial Poultry means nurturing commercial species to lay more productive egg or produce meat on
the enclosed floor or in the cage for commercial purposes. The parents of commercial broiler/layers
are called parent stock. Differentiating meat producing traits through genome sequencing developed
more meat productive strain is called commercial broiler. On the other hand, differentiating egg
producing traits through genome sequencing developed high egg producing strain is called commercial
layer.
To obtain animals destined for egg or meat production, the participation of a breeder farm is
required. The breeder farm is a fundamental system within the poultry industry that produces animals
destined for egg production (laying birds) or meat production (broilers). This farm produces hatching
eggs for delivery to the hatchery.
Fertilised eggs collected from parent stock or breeding farms is delivered to hatcheries. Obtained
fertilise eggs are hatched at specific temperature and humidity with the help of broody chicken or
incubator. After hatching 21 days produced chicks are called day old chick. Usually, balanced
nutrition is provided to these chicks up to 72 hours.
The resultant chicks are removed from the broody chicken or incubators. Broiler chicks are dispatched
for growing up to the farm and female Layers are dispatched to special farm whilst they mature to egg
laying age. Broilers are reared for about seven weeks to be matured gaining weight 2 kg and
slaughtered for meat. A broiler hen are certainly capable of laying eggs, but is butchered before pass
egg-laying age. Layer birds attain maturity around 24 weeks and laying eggs up to 80 weeks of age.
According the nature and colour of egg, layer hens are of two types such as white egg laying hens and
Brown egg laying hens. Laying hens are leaner and grow slower than broiler hens. They are able to
produce eggs regularly for about a year and then slaughtered for meat.
Changes in the poultry industry started in 1934 with the introduction of improved breeds through
Government initiatives. A private sector company named �Eggs and Hens� pioneered modern poultry
farming as early as 1954 in erstwhile East Pakistan. A medium sized breeder operation was start up
under the aegis of Biman Poultry Complex after independence with an initiative by Government.
Development was gradual until the mid1980�s. But commercial poultry production has been growing
rapidly in Bangladesh since early 1990 by using improved genetics, manufactured feeds and management.
As of 2017 about taka 300 billion has been invested in the poultry industry. Poultry feed is made
mostly from imported soybean and soy meal. The poultry industry has two primary production stages
hatching and growing apart from the processing and distribution stages. It consists of four main areas
of production: broiler, egg, pullet and breeder bird.
Before 2000, industries were dependent on imported parent stock, but with the beginning of the
millennium, the parent and grandparent stock operation are started locally to meet the countries
demand. Breeding starts with pedigree stock or pure line stock, which produces the eggs that become
the Great Grand Parent (GGP) stock � the start of the commercial process or first generation. These
birds then produce fertile hatching eggs that become the Grand Parent (GP) stock, who in turn produce
Parent Stock. If anyone want to breed and produce hatching eggs than he has to raise parent stock. The
birds using for breeding purpose are called parent stock.
Poultry product processing industry has been developed due to the development of poultry industry. The
demand for the poultry product processing items such as precooked, poultry meat patties, nuggets or
other boneless products, sausage, meat ball etc. has greatly increased both in home and abroad along
with development of feeding industry. Besides, eggs are essential for production of vaccine,
pharmaceutical commodities, soap, shampoo etc. Therefore, poultry product processing industry can be
considered as forward linkage industry and poultry feed industry can be considered as backward linkage
industry of poultry industry.
The two major commercial firm broiler and layer that constitute the poultry industry that produce meat
and egg respectively. With the development of poultry industry employment would be generated in other
sectors. Meat and eggs are not only important poultry products. A significant by-product is manure,
which has robust economic value, whether sold or directly applied to crops by farmers. Feather can
also be sold. There is scope to use poultry waste to produce value added products such as fertilizer,
bio diesel, animal feed, electricity, biogas, bone powder, and biodegradable plastics. Other sectors
such as producers of raw ingredients, feed mills, pharmaceutical industries, equipment suppliers,
manpower in the processing and handling of meat and eggs, the distribution network and revenue in
associated taxes from all these poultry related businesses support economy of the country.
Poultry can be considered as a tool of poverty alleviation, food security and income generation.
Therefore, poultry industry plays a vital role in obtaining benefits of creating employment
opportunity, poverty alleviation and in fulfilling the daily protein requirements of humans through
meat and eggs. Breeds of chicken can be selected by Poultry Industry which are more profitable to the
industry and supply to the consumers at reasonable price as well. Since poultry processing industry
has been developed with poultry industry, export incentive for the processed poultry product may be
given to the industry after examining all the situation.
- Abdul Quaiyum, Former member, Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission, Ministry of
Commerce