Asian Journal of Advances in Agricultural Research

Poultry farming refers to the breeding of domesticated fowl such as chickens, ducks, and turkeys for their meat and eggs. Despite the rapid growth of poultry farming in India and its importance for rural livelihoods, there is limited region-specific research on the barriers to adopting scientific poultry farming practices at the district level. This study was conducted during 2024-25 in the Lalitpur district of Bundelkhand region, Uttar Pradesh, to examine the management practices and constraints faced by poultry farmers of different scales. A total of 120 poultry units were surveyed across five tehsils using personal interviews with farmers, and the data were analysed statistically after classification into small, medium, and large categories. The results showed that small farmers faced the highest number of rearing challenges, particularly fluctuating feed costs (70%), poor access to quality feed (72%), disease outbreaks (67%), and lack of financial support, including loans (80%) and insurance (96%). Medium farmers were more affected by labour shortages (57%) and summer stress (71%), while large farmers were relatively less constrained due to better infrastructure and resources. In terms of marketing, price fluctuation emerged as a universal issue, affecting nearly 90% of all farmers. However, small and medium farmers were disproportionately impacted by a lack of processing facilities, poor transportation, dominance of middlemen, and absence of cooperative marketing, leaving them more vulnerable and with weaker bargaining power. Overall, the findings highlight that smaller farms experience the greatest production and marketing difficulties, emphasising the need for improved institutional support, financial safeguards, and collective marketing systems to strengthen poultry farming sustainability in the region.