Introduction

People have been eating eggs and chicken for hundreds of years now, so breeding hens for this purpose has been there for several years too. However, as an organised industry, poultry farming is a relatively new concept.  This is a direct result of urbanisation. Earlier, villages used to be self-sufficient as far as their poultry needs were concerned. Any surplus would be sold to nearby towns. But as the size of towns and cities grew, so did the demand for many things, poultry being one among them. Addressing this need, enterprising people began to breed hens in order to sell eggs and chicken. Thus the concept of a commercial poultry farm and a poultry farmer came into being.

Poultry farming is a business that can be started out on a low capital investment. Undoubtedly a lot of hard work is involved, but the substantial returns more than compensate for it. 

Types of Poultry farms   
Different types of poultry farms cater to different segments of the market. Breeding farms are set up for the sole purpose of hatching and raising poultry for sale to other farmers. The farmers who buy poultry from these farms set up broiler farms. Broiler chickens are reared just for their meat. The usual procedure is to procure day old chicks, keep them for six weeks and market them. During the time that they are in the farm, their feeding, supplements, etc. is closely monitored. Another type of poultry farm is layer farm, where chicks are raised for the purpose of egg production.

Nature of work on a poultry farm  
The type of work on a poultry farm will necessarily depend upon the type of farm it is. If the farm is a breeding farm or a hatchery then the work will involve procurement of eggs from a reliable source, ensure proper conditions for hatching, etc. Day-old chicks are sold to broiler farms and layer farms. So contacts for immediate sale of chicks is essential. In broiler farms and layer farms, feeding is an important aspect of the work at the farm. The birds need a balanced diet in the right quantity for a disease free growth. Improper diet can result in the outbreak of a disease. So the feed given to the birds should be specially formulated keeping various factors in mind. This, in fact, is such a specialised area that large corporate houses are in the area of manufacturing animal feed. A lot of planning and research goes into the manufacture of animal feed, to suit specific areas and ensure optimal production. 

Another important aspect of poultry farms is disease control. Adequate precautions need to be taken to keep diseases at bay. For this, a farmer needs to be well informed about vaccines, deficiencies and how to counteract them, basic hygiene to be followed, etc. For example, in a poultry farm where hygiene is considered important, anyone entering the place where the birds are kept, is required to wash his feet and footwear in antiseptic solution. This is to ensure that the visitor does not carry any impurities inside. This is but one aspect of farm management. Ensuring adequate water supply and the right amount of feed supply to the birds, keeping a look out for any sick bird, etc. are all a part of the daily work which goes on in a poultry farm.

There are other specialised areas of functioning required in a poultry farm. These specialisations are vaccinations, artificial insemination, research on feed formulation, managing the amount of light the birds are exposed to (this has an effect on productivity too), use of feed additives, etc.  The farmer may be able to handle these areas on the basis of experience and may call in experts from time to time. However those planning to start afresh may even go in for specialised training in poultry farming.

Academic Training  
Training courses in poultry farming can be undertaken at government research institutes.  These courses help make farming more efficient and profitable.

Prospects
A person looking for employment in this field has many options in front of him or her. Those with a leaning for entrepreneurship may start out with a small scale farm on their own and gradually expand activities. Those who want to gain experience in the field before starting out on their own, or those who do not want the risks that are attached to a business, may join a large poultry farm or a hatchery as an employee. As animal feeds is a very specialised area, people trained in poultry farming can find employment with companies engaged in the manufacture of animal feeds. Such companies engage trained people to oversee manufacture and also to visit farms and give advice to farmers to tide over specific problems. Feed analysis laboratories also need the services of trained personnel. The other areas where this type of specialisation can be put to use are veterinary hospitals or pharmaceutical concerns.

The emergence and popularisation of an urban lifestyle has led to an ever increasing demand for poultry products. Hence the potential in this field is tremendous. There are new avenues, like the processed food industry for example, coming up. 

The risk factor for a poultry farmer is also high. Market fluctuations or even bad luck in the form of outbreak of disease can cause financial losses.   However, when all goes well there are quick and high returns. And highs and lows are, after all, part of any business enterprise.