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Gramapriya rural layer Photo: placeholder pending image-fill pass

Gramapriya rural layer

Gramapriya is a rural-layer chicken developed by ICAR-Directorate of Poultry Research (ICAR-DPR), Hyderabad for backyard egg production in the Indian village environment. The variety is intended for scavenging and semi-intensive systems where commercial cage-housed layers (Layer Chicken Bv 380) are not viable, and forms one leg of ICAR-DPR's rural-poultry triad together with the dual-purpose Vanaraja (Vanaraja Rural Dual Purpose Chicken) and the rural broiler Krishibro (Krishibro Broiler Dpr).

Origin and distribution

The strain was released by ICAR-DPR Hyderabad in the early 2000s as a multi-coloured layer cross adapted to free-range conditions. Parent stock is multiplied through state poultry farms, KVKs and self-help groups under the Rural Backyard Poultry Development component of the National Livestock Mission (National Livestock Mission), and day-old chicks reach farmers in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and the north-east.

Morphology

Plumage is multi-coloured with brown, black, grey and barred patterns that provide better predator camouflage than the white plumage of commercial layers. Body frame is medium; adult cock weight is about 1.7-2.2 kg and adult hen 1.4-1.7 kg. Shanks are typically yellow.

Performance

Under backyard conditions on scavenging plus a modest supplement, hens lay 160-180 eggs per year, with annual production in semi-intensive units rising to about 200-230 eggs. Egg weight averages 52-55 g and shell colour is light brown. Age at first egg is 175-180 days. Survivability in the field is good because the bird retains broody and predator-avoidance behaviour. Compared with a commercial brown layer (300+ eggs/year) Gramapriya yields less, but it does so on a fraction of the feed cost.

Management

Day-old Gramapriya chicks are reared in brooders (Brooding Chicks) for 4-6 weeks on a balanced starter ration, then released to the homestead or a fenced run. Routine vaccination against Newcastle disease (Ranikhet Newcastle Disease), fowl pox and infectious bursal disease is essential because the long, low-input grow-out exposes birds to a wide infection window. A simple night shelter, clean drinking water and supplementary grain at lay are usually sufficient. The variety is widely distributed alongside Vanaraja, Giriraja (Giriraja Karnataka Rural) and CARI's Debendra (Cari Debendra Dual) and Kalinga Brown (Kalinga Brown Bbpra Bhubaneswar) under state and central rural-poultry schemes targeting women's self-help groups and tribal households.

See also: Country Chicken Nattu Kodi, Self Mixed Poultry Feed, Open Poultry Shed.

References

  1. Gramapriya — Technology profile. ICAR-Directorate of Poultry Research, Hyderabad.
  2. Rural Backyard Poultry Development. Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India.