The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University – Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College and Research Institute has taken up a wide range of programmes to expose the students to the art of rearing animals and birds.
Although it has been an agricultural college, learning the animal life sciences has been part of syllabi and the college has been taking extra efforts to rear various animals, says P. Pandiyarajan, Dean of the Institute.
He said that a few old infrastructures - a chain of tiled sheds - had been lying in disuse for some time and prompt action was taken to rear each animal in each shed. While cows have been accommodated in one corner, white turkey is being reared in another.Desi birds are being reared in the third.
He said that the white turkey and desi birds fetched adequate returns to the institute.
“There was a scramble for white turkey and desi birds during the ‘Deepvalai’ festival season,” he said adding that a good number of birds had been sold out in the first week of November, prior to ‘Deepavali’ festival.
Mr. Pandiayarajan said that the white turkey was brought from the TANUVAS farm in Pudukottai.
“We ensure proper care for breeding the white turkey,” he said. The fodder being grown in the campus of the institute favours its fast growth. At the time of purchase about eight months ago each chick weighed about 300 grams but now the male bird weighs 8.5 kg and female, 7.5 kg.
S. Ilavarasan, Research Associate, Animal Husbandry Department of the Institute, said that sale price of the bird depended on its weight. While the price per kg is Rs. 250 in the open market, the institute sold it at Rs. 150.
The demand for the birds would register a sharp increase during the Christmas festival. The birds were rich in protein, as it consumed protein-rich azola and green ‘Velimasal’ leaves largely available in the campus of the institute.
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