What is a broiler? It is an exotic chicken, reared with ultimate care and management from the chick-hood,  growing and fattening about 1.5 kg in 8 weeks of age. Those varieties of chicken come under Rhode Island Red, Black Rock Broiler, Orrington etc. category.

In good old days in India the poultry rearing was preferred by lower strata of people, especially the tribal and scheduled caste people. The desi (local) game bird Aseel was favoured by these people for enjoying cock fighting and offering to certain goddesses as ritual purpose. As well as they maintain them for their partial expenditure of their family through meat and eggs.

At, dawn of the country’s independence, various five year plans and programmes took shape. The poultry keeping  was reconciled as an industry  in the year 1986.

In our country for several decades, the poultry meat was met by utilizing Cockerels (spent hens) and chicken  culled in the poultry farms. The poultry population in our  state Orissa according to Livestock statistics of 2003 it is about 19 millions, and about 4.5 millions are used for meat purpose.

Since the red meat gets dearer, the meat consumers have switched over to this low calorie tender meat. At present broiler industries have sprang up in public and private sectors with the technical assistance from the government and financial help from the commercial banks and NABARD.

Sl. No Content           Broiler       Pork     Milk     Egg  

1.       Moisture (gms)         70               37            87        94

2.       Protein (gms)          18.2           10            4            13

3.       Fat (gms)                   6                 52           3.5        12

4.       Calcium (mgm)        12                6            118       54

5.    Phosphorus(mgm)       201           103          93        205

6.     Iron (mgm)                  1.9           1.5            Trace    2.3

7.      Vitamin A ‘I.U’           730            0            140      118

8.      Thiamin (mgms)        0.07            0.5        0.03     0.11

9.    Riboflavin(mgms)      0.38           1.2            0.17    0.3

10.  Niacin (mgm)             5.6            27           0.1        10.1     

Broiler meat is an ideal protein containing  diet for people of all ages, from children to the old.  For the  non-vegetarians  who attempt to contain their weight, broiler meat is most essential. It is easy to digest and contains all essential amino acids, required for human health. It contains about 70% of moisture, 18.2 % of protein, 6% of fat and ash about 1%. It is a good diet for weight control and lowering   cholesterol. The old people who are not physically active, this meat is a good recipe for them. The broiler meat also contains low fat and low calorie than aged birds.

A comparative statement, regarding the chemical composition of broiler, pork, cow’s milk and egg are given under. (As per 100 grams)

While providing nutritious and proteinous diet to the teeming millions of  our country broiler meat production is quite essential. It is expected that the unemployed youth will take up different self employment schemes for which commercial banks and NABARD are ready to provide financial assistance for commercial viability. With increasing population, the chicken broiler subsistence to the dietary demand of the people in urban as well as in rural is direly  necessary.  It has captured the dietary habit of cross cultural and cross religious  people.