Comparative Study on the Knowledge Level and Constraints Faced by the Backyard Poultry Farmers of Two Villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The present study examined the skill level of 49 backyard poultry farmers in Dukenagar and Govindpur villages of North and Middle Andaman. In this study, questionnaire consisting of a total of twelve different questions related to best practices in backyard poultry farming were used to assess the skill level of the participants. Primary data collected through personal interviews and observations taken at the farmer?s field were analysed using descriptive statistics. In the present study, upon comparison of skill level of respondents in Dukenagar and Govindpur villages revealed differences. It was observed that few respondents (8%) in Dukenagar village possessed improved Vanaraja breed compared to number of respondents of Govindpur village (44 %). Artificial incubation technique was not implemented by any of the respondents in Dukenagar whereas 24 % in Govindpur were using the technique for hatching of eggs. For different parameters studied results revealed that insufficient technology input (96%), infectious diseases (86 %), predation problem (84 %) and non availability of training programmes (80 %) were the severe constraints affecting farmers to adopt scientific practices for backyard chicken rearing in the villages.