Socio-Economic Condition of Farmers and Management Practices in Poultry Farming at Chakaria Upazilla in Cox’s Bazar District

Abstract

The study was governed to identify the socio-economic condition of the poultry farmers and management practices of poultry farm (broiler and layer) at Chakaria upazilla, Cox’s bazar. Total 40 poultry farms (20 broilers and 20 layers) were selected from five unions under Chakaria upazilla. The mean farm size (Number of bird), number of family member, number of educated person per farmer family and amount of land (acre) per farmer were 4336.84±541.99, 6.16±0.47, 1.26±0.23 and 3.51±0.4 with range; 1500-10000, 3-10, 0-3 and 0.2-5.6 respectively in broiler farms and 5252.63±708.61, 4.79±0.27, 1.37±0.21 and 4.1±0.45 with range; 1200-1000, 3-7, 0-3 and 0.45-6.3 respectively in layer farm. This study exposed that comparatively rich farmers are more involved in farming, 57.5% of the farmers have their own investment in farming, very few of them have taken training (27.5%), more than half (55%) had taken farming as main occupation, 50 % of the farmer have no loan, most of the farmer (62.5%) have poor level of knowledge about poultry farming but have high managemental skill in 37.5% of the farmer. Although the percentage of illiterate farmer is lower (15%) but number of high educated farmers also minimum. Average number of boys and girls per farm owner attend to primary school 0.7 and 0.5, high school 0.75 and 0.45, college 0.1 and 0.07 and university 0.01 and 0.01 respectively.About 30% of the farmers have good health status. Per bird annual Cost Benefit Ratio is higher in the layer farming (1:1.66) in comparison with broiler (1:1.17), hence it is revealed that layer farming is more profitable. The outcome of this study is that, management practices of layer farms are somewhat better than broiler farm.