Organic Poultry Farming

Dr K Rashbehari Singh
Contd from previous issue
Mention any additional certificates or accolades  your product have attained,  approach local stores, restaurants, local grocery, health food stores, or organic markets to stock your organic products and develop mutually beneficial agreements with those establishments to continuously promote and sell the organic products.     
Record keeping: It is critical in organic poultry farming to keep records in order to provide them to the certifying organization for inspection. The  records, regarding  source of animals, organic feed ingredients, feed supplements and feed additives purchased,  organic feed formulation,  treatment,  breeding details, organic poultry pasture, inventory of health care products, sanitation products, monthly flock records of organic egg layers, organic meat poultry, organic poultry  slaughter /sales,  monthly organic egg packing / sales, and  other management and materials used, can be maintained.
Constraints of organic poultry farming
i) Poor knowledge: Poor knowledge of the poultry farmers regarding organic poultry farming practices can hinder their ability to transition successfully into organic production.    
ii)  Customer awareness:  Demand of organic poultry will be impacted by the lack of knowledge among consumers about benefits of organic poultry products.      
iii)  Supporting infrastructure: Adequate infrastructure including access to financial support, certification agencies, and marketing channels are required for organic poultry farming and their absence  can pose challenges for organic poultry production.     
iv) Training facilities:  Training facilities for poultry farmers to learn about organic practices are not adequate and this can hinder the adoption of organic poultry farming practices.    
v)  Stringent regulations:, Strict sanitary conditions and quality standards are followed in developed countries and this poses challenges for small and marginal poultry farmers to enter the organic export market.   
vi) Lack of government support: Poultry farmers face financial challenges during transition to organic farming practices due to the absence of government subsidies and support for organic production.
Conclusion
Organic poultry farming method focus on promoting the health of agroecosystem, biodiversity and soil biological activity through the use of on-farm agronomic, biological and mechanical methods.  In recent years, driven by concerns over the quality of egg and meat products and the desire for sustainable resource use, environmental protection, and animal welfare, organic poultry farming has emerged as a promising approach.


The writer is Member, Manipur State Veterinary Council, Imphal and Retired Deputy Director (Extension Education), Central Agricultural University, Imphal Email: konjengbam09@gmail.com