NSPDT has also promoted commercial layer farming, which is similar to small-holder broiler farming model. The families who have sufficient space for constructing layer shed (around 500 sq ft) at backyard may take up this activity. Each producer will have a poultry shed of 400-500 sq ft in which she may rear 400-500 birds. The birds are kept in cages (2 tiers X 2 rows system, each cage housing 5 layer birds). The cages are provided with nipple drinking system connected to a tank fitted above the cages, so watering will happen automatically. However, feeding and egg collection shall be performed manually by producer.
The complicated part of layer farming is to grow chicks up to 16 weeks (pullet) during which all intricate procedures like de-braking, deworming, weight monitoring to reduce variation, all kind of vaccinations are done. Therefore, pullets are given to the producers, which eliminates the long gestation period of 17-18 weeks prior to egg laying.
The producers get the pullet at 16 weeks of age. Pullets will start laying in 17-18 weeks of age and may produce up to 320 eggs during the productive life of 52 weeks. The birds are culled usually at 72 weeks of age during which they weigh around 1.5 kg each.
The members become part of a producer’s collective that will facilitate the backward and forward linkages. The collective grows pullets at a common facility, and procure other raw materials from market in bulk, distribute to the producers and collect their daily production and sell them to traders/market in bulk.
There is a village level Supervisor working for every 20 producers, who provides necessary supports to producers like raw material distribution, production support, health care, collection of eggs and record keeping etc. The collective will try to create local rural markets in its operational area. This will increase the realization besides increasing egg consumption at villages and addressing mal-nutrition.
Unit cost: Per unit cost of 400 layer birds is Rs.2.70 lacs, details are below,
| in Rs. | ||||
| Particulars | Unit | Quantity | Unit cost | Estimated cost |
| Cost of Shed | Sq ft | 462 | – | 90,000 |
| Cage&Equipments (with tax) | No. bird | 400 | – | 50,000 |
| Pullet cost (16 wks of age) | No. bird | 400 | 200 | 80,000 |
| Working Capital for 30 days | 400 birds | – | – | 30,000 |
| Institution building and Collectivization cost | Per Producer | – | – | 20,000 |
| Total | 270,000 |
Unit Economics: 400 layer birds
| Rearing Cost (16-72 weeks) | ||||
| Particulars | Unit | Quantity | Unit cost | Amount in Rs. |
| Pullet cost | No. bird | 400 | 200 | 80,000 |
| Feed cost@43kg/bird | kg feed | 17,200 | 18 | 309,600 |
| Medicine&Vaccine cost@Rs.10/bird | No. bird | 400 | 10 | 4,000 |
| Total | 393,600 | |||
| Income | ||||
| Sale of eggs@300 eggs/bird@Rs.3.50/egg | No. Egg | 124,000 | 3.5 | 434,000 |
| Sale of culled birds@1.5/bird@Rs.60/kg | Kg live wt | 570 | 60 | 34,200 |
| Sale of gunny bags | No of bag | 344 | 5 | 1,720 |
| Total | 469,920 | |||
| Gross Margin | 76,320 |
This activity of layer farming provides almost round the year engagement to a woman. She may earn between Rs.55,000-60,000 annually out of this activity. She requires to put 3-4 hours a day in this activity for premise cleaning, feeding, watering, egg collection and dispatching. The activity also generates assured livelihoods for local youth in supporting roles like poultry supervisors, account keeping, marketing etc.
Presently, NSPDT is promoting two such layer producer’s collectives of 1,000 producers each in MP and Jharkhand.