Summary

Poultry meat production from indigenous poultry (slow growing poultry) is negligible in Sri Lanka. Presently, broilers are killed and marketed less than 42 days of age. Thus, there are concerns related to use of hormones, antibiotics and growth promoters with the formulated rations that are used to feed the broilers. Hence, there is a trend among Sri Lankans to deviate from broiler meat to indigenous chicken meat or curry chicken considering the flavour and quality. ‘Label rouge’ is a pasture raised slow growing poultry industry in the world. The chicken meat produced by this system has its own brand name and higher demand from the consumers due to its high quality and flavour. In Sri Lanka also indigenous chicken can be reared according to label rouge system and market. The chicken meat produced will be more flavoured and firm but not tough a completely different brand of chicken meat. However, the farmers who will be engaged in label rouge system will need assistance to formulate a recognized farmer organization and using the name of the organization they can be able to obtain a “brand name” for their product. Thus, institutions such as, Department of Agrarian Services, Department of Animal Production and Health, Department of Cooperative Development, National Livestock Development Board need to get together in enforcing the smallholder farmers with such endeavors. The state and/or private sector banks could introduce an effective loan scheme for the farmers to establish a slow growing poultry meat industry in the interested farmer lands.

Objectives

i. To evaluate the feeding efficiency parameters of indiginous chicken
ii. To evaluate the meat prouction and quality parameters
iii. To analyze the soil parameters
iv. To analyze the cost benefit of the system
v. To model the Label Rouge system to the small holder poultry farmers in Sri Lanka

Major Equipment Facilitated by Grant