The Economics of Egg Production

Poultry raising on scientific and commercial lines isrelatively new to Pakistan, indeed, to this whole of the Sub-continent.In undivided India village farmers used to keep some fowls which wereproduced on primitive methods of natural hatching under the broody henand reared on garbage dumps, left¬over meals, and mixed grain, whichinvolved almost no financial investment. No special care was taken toprepare poultry feed or arrange for poultry health and hygiene. Thebasic idea of such part-time farming was to augment one's income fromthe sale of eggs and birds. This part-time farming still accounts forabout 85 percent; of Pakistan's total egg production.1 To match thetremendous rise in demand for meat growth in poultry farming will haveto take place on more modern and capital-intensive chicken farms. Suchenterprises are the subject of this study.