Poultry and Piggery Enterprise Management
Enterprise numbers
The exam tests broiler and layer planning, piggery reproduction, housing, feeding, vaccination and simple profit calculations. You should know FCR, mortality, brooding and pig gestation.
Core rules and concepts
- Broilers are raised for meat in 5–7 weeks; layers for eggs. FCR = feed consumed ÷ weight gain or eggs produced.
- Brooding temperature starts near 95°F (35°C) in week 1 and decreases about 5°F per week.
- Biosecurity: footbaths, restricted visitors, all-in/all-out batches, clean water and vaccination.
- Common vaccines: Marek's at day-old, Ranikhet disease and IBD according to schedule.
- Pigs: gestation about 114 days; give iron injection to piglets, provide creep feed and keep farrowing pens dry.
- Record feed cost, chick/piglet cost, mortality, medicine and sale price.
Worked example
1,000 broiler chicks cost ₹40 each = ₹40,000. Feed is 3.5 kg per bird for the batch = 3,500 kg at ₹30/kg = ₹1,05,000. Mortality 5% leaves 950 birds sold at 2 kg and ₹80/kg = ₹1,52,000. Profit before labour = 1,52,000−1,45,000=₹7,000. The reasoning includes mortality and feed, not just sale revenue.
Traps that cost marks
Do not calculate profit on 1,000 birds sold when mortality occurs. Do not confuse FCR with feed cost per bird. Do not skip vaccination or biosecurity. Do not use cattle gestation for pigs. Do not ignore brooding temperature.