In Bihar's Jehanabad district, a farmer in the Makhdumpur block has combined fish farming and poultry farming on the very same plot of water. Dev Sharan Prasad has built a poultry farm structure directly above his fish pond, and the project is expected to become fully operational soon. Poultry farms in Bihar are usually built either on open land or in a separate location altogether, but Prasad, who has long been interested in technology and experimentation, decided to merge the two operations into a single space.
Pillars sunk into the pond hold up the structure
Prasad has been rearing fish in this pond for the past 2 years. Now, within the same pond, he has erected a full poultry structure by driving pillars into the pond bed and supporting the frame with steel. The flooring where the chickens will sit has been made with a mesh, wire netting design. The idea behind this is simple: chicken droppings fall straight through the mesh into the pond water below, where they act as natural feed for the fish. This means Prasad will not need to buy separate feed for his fish.
The full setup will cost around Rs 6 lakh
Prasad explains that this kind of combined poultry project is rarely seen in Bihar. Beyond saving on land, the model also cuts down feed expenses by nearly 35 percent. Building the entire structure will cost around Rs 6 lakh. So far, only the steel work and pillar installation have been completed, at a cost of Rs 4.50 lakh. Bringing in the chickens and arranging their feed is expected to cost another roughly Rs 1.5 lakh.
'Thinking differently earns recognition'
According to Prasad, if you approach business with only conventional thinking, the scope for savings stays limited. But working a little differently from the usual path brings both recognition and higher earnings.
Quail farming next, with a plan for 5 income streams from one plot
Prasad says he is already working on further plans. He intends to start quail farming at the same poultry site, since it is a low-cost business that can bring in solid returns. At present, his only income comes from fish farming, but going forward he plans to generate a total of 5 separate income streams from this single piece of land.
