Vol. 8, Special Issue 4, Part C (2023)

The present study was conducted to evaluate the socio-economic status of backyard poultry farmers in Bidar district of Karnataka State. A multistage random sampling procedure was used to select the 150 respondents in 30 villages for the study. A structured interview schedule was used to elicit the data from the respondents. The findings of the study revealed that most of the backyard poultry farmers were middle-aged (55.3%), female (86.7%) and illiterate (44.7%), with nuclear family type (76.7%) and pucca house (62.7%). In most cases, agriculture was the primary (46%) and animal husbandry the secondary (84.7%) occupation, with flock size of 40.50±0.863 birds. Marginal farmers were the biggest group (39.5%) with an average of 2.91±0.184 acres of land holding. The backyard poultry farmers had 6.35±0.120 years of rearing experience and medium level of income (60.67%) with 3.49±0.166 hours per day of employment generation. Overall, on a scale of 1-5, farmers got information support from veterinarians/paravets (3.42±0.049), other poultry owners in the village (2.97±0.039) and digital media (2.61±0.074). Women played a major role in all decision making in respect of poultry ownership, selling and consumption of eggs and meat. The study concludes that the backyard poultry production needs extension training to enrich their skill and to improve their standard of living.