Namakkal, Tamil Nadu: For years, marginal farmer Mrs. Manimaran from Periyapetty village, Namakkal district, struggled with low profits from her 20,000-bird capacity poultry farm. Like many others, she relied on commercial layer chicks from the market that failed to give satisfactory income.
But things changed when she discovered Athulya (ILM-1990) – a high-performing, heat-tolerant layer chicken strain developed at the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Poultry Breeding, Mannuthy centre, Kerala.
Athulya, a cross of IWN and IWP lines, has been fine-tuned over 34 years by ICAR scientists for higher egg production, desirable egg weight, disease resistance, and heat tolerance. With technical guidance from AICRP scientists, Mrs. Manimaran purchased 2,800 Athulya day-old chicks and began rearing them.
The results were remarkable. Mortality was lower compared to other strains, and the birds started laying early – at just 16 weeks of age. Egg production reached 90% by 208 days, with egg weights averaging 50–57 grams. The premium-sized eggs fetched her Rs. 4–5 extra per 100 eggs in the market.
Over one production cycle (up to 72 weeks), she achieved:
- 303 eggs per bird
- Higher returns from culled birds due to better body weight
- Strong heat tolerance during peak summer
Financially, the difference was dramatic. Against total expenses of Rs. 19,53,000, her farm generated revenues of Rs. 22,45,100, resulting in a profit of nearly Rs. 2.92 lakh from just 2,800 Athulya chickens.
Encouraged by this success, Mrs. Manimaran now plans to expand her Athulya stock and is actively motivating fellow farmers to adopt the strain.
The AICRP on Poultry Breeding, Mannuthy centre, under ICAR, continues to support farmers by providing quality Athulya chicks and scientific guidance. With its unique combination of high productivity, resilience, and profitability, Athulya is proving to be a game-changer for India’s poultry sector.
Download Eggora Poultry App: https://www.eggora.com/download-app