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Krishibro rural broiler (ICAR-DPR) Photo: placeholder pending image-fill pass

Krishibro rural broiler (ICAR-DPR)

Krishibro is a coloured rural broiler chicken developed by ICAR-Directorate of Poultry Research (ICAR-DPR), Hyderabad, for meat production under low-input rearing in villages and small-scale semi-intensive units. It completes ICAR-DPR's rural-poultry triad together with the dual-purpose Vanaraja (Vanaraja Rural Dual Purpose Chicken) and the rural layer Gramapriya (Gramapriya Rural Layer), filling the meat slot with a bird that is hardier and slower-growing than commercial white-feathered broiler (Broiler Chicken) lines.

Origin and distribution

ICAR-DPR Hyderabad bred Krishibro as a coloured broiler synthetic line able to perform under moderate ration, open-sided housing and partial scavenging. Day-old chicks are produced at ICAR-DPR and at state poultry farms, and supplied to farmers through KVKs, SHGs and state animal-husbandry departments under the Rural Backyard Poultry Development component of the National Livestock Mission (National Livestock Mission). Uptake has been highest in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Odisha.

Morphology

Plumage is multi-coloured — typically reddish-brown with black highlights — and the body is broad-breasted with heavy thigh muscling, intermediate between commercial broiler and dual-purpose rural lines. The skin and shanks are yellow. Adult body weight is 1.8-2.0 kg in males and 1.5-1.7 kg in females at 7-8 weeks.

Performance

Under semi-intensive rearing with a balanced compound ration, Krishibro reaches a live weight of 1.5-1.8 kg in 7-8 weeks with a feed conversion ratio of about 2.2-2.4 — slower and less efficient than Cobb-type commercial broilers but markedly better than dual-purpose rural birds. Meat colour and texture are closer to country chicken than to commercial broiler, supporting a useful price premium in regional markets. Livability under village conditions is good and the bird tolerates open-sided housing without environmental control.

Management

Day-old chicks are brooded (Brooding Chicks) for the first 2-3 weeks at 32-35 degC, then stepped down to ambient. Birds are housed in low-cost open-sided sheds (Open Poultry Shed) on deep litter (Deep Litter System) at moderate density. A three-phase ration of starter, grower and finisher is fed in commercial pellet form or as self-mixed feed (Self Mixed Poultry Feed). Vaccination against Newcastle disease (Ranikhet Newcastle Disease) and infectious bursal disease is essential. Krishibro is well suited to small-farmer batches of 100-500 birds and is often integrated with Vanaraja and Gramapriya placements through the same KVK or SHG mother-unit network.

See also: Country Chicken Nattu Kodi, Cari Debendra Dual, Giriraja Karnataka Rural, Contract Broiler Farming.

References

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