Selling 300 to 400 birds every day, eggs worth roughly up to Rs 6,000 daily during summers and Rs 20,000 a day in winters, and having built an enterprise worth nearly Rs 60-70 lakh, a young Punjab couple belonging to a marginal farming family has turned what started as a “time-pass” hobby into a thriving business.
At their DSP Fancy Bird Farm in Bhagi Bandar village of Bathinda district, visitors are greeted by the sight and sounds of hundreds of exotic and indigenous birds — Raj Hans, Khaki Campbell, White Pekin, Muscovy and Mexican-variety ducks, Chukar Partridges (Chakore), Quail (Bater), colourful pigeons, Turkey, Aseel fighting roosters, Rhode Island Red, Black Australorp crosses, DP Cross indigenous poultry, and several varieties of desi chickens.
Notably, none of this was part of the plans of Davinder Singh (29) and his wife Beant Kaur, who got married four years ago and were preparing to migrate to Canada. Today, the couple, who are also parents of a young child, have chosen to stay back in Punjab and build a successful agribusiness instead.
Like thousands of Punjabi youngsters, Beant Kaur aspired to settle abroad, with Canada being her dream destination. An ITI-qualified woman with a Diploma in Computers, she had cleared the PTE (Pearson Test of English) examination, a key requirement for immigration.
“We practically got married with the plan of moving to Canada. My sister-in-law is settled there and our immigration file was under process. During that waiting period, we started keeping a few birds at home just to pass time instead of sitting idle,” recalls Beant.
The farm currently maintains 250 to 400 birds of each major fancy variety and sells between 300 and 400 birds daily, mostly one-day-old chicks.
What started with a handful of birds soon began generating small earnings.
“We never imagined it would become our profession and our identity,” she says.
The journey was not easy. Relatives often mocked their decision.
“Many relatives used to taunt me. They would ask ‘after clearing PTE and completing a computer diploma, is this what you are doing… putting your hands in bird droppings. But we didn’t care because we knew what these birds meant to us and what potential this business had,” Beant says.
As the birds started generating income, the couple gradually became more serious about poultry farming.
Initially, they purchased a small stock of indigenous chickens (desi murgi). After earning profits from the first batch, they sold them at a good price, reinvested the earnings, and purchased nearly 250 new birds, including several fancy breeds. Unfortunately for the couple, many of them died.
“We lost almost all of them within a few days, including some Chakore chicks. At that point, we had almost no money left and those losses could have ended everything,” says Davinder, who is also a computer diploma holder from ITI.
To restart operations, the couple borrowed Rs 18,000.
“We could have quit, but by then we had already started understanding the business. We knew losses were part of the learning process,” he adds.
The couple sought veterinary advice, learned scientific poultry management practices, proper balanced feed, introduced vaccination schedules, and created separate sheds on nearly half an acre of land for different species to reduce mortality.
“Now we ourselves have become doctors and administered medicines and injections to our birds,” Beant says.
The farm currently maintains 250 to 400 birds of each major fancy variety and sells between 300 and 400 birds daily, mostly one-day-old chicks.
Young chicks are sold at rates ranging from Rs 30 to Rs 60 depending on the breed and age. As birds grow older, their value increases substantially.
“Mature birds generally fetch between Rs 250 and Rs 450 per bird, depending on the breed,” Davinder says, adding that even the young pair of the fancy birds are sold at Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 per pair.
Growing awareness regarding backyard poultry farming and indigenous breeds has significantly increased demand from Punjab and neighbouring states.
Today, instead of raising all birds themselves, the couple supplies one-day-old chicks and young birds to a network of farmers under a contract-rearing system. They bear the cost of the chicks and provide technical guidance. Farmers rear the birds until they attain a certain age and are then paid for their services.
“The farmers don’t have to invest in purchasing birds. We provide the chicks and later take back the birds after they attain the required age for egg production. We pay them for rearing the stock,” explains Davinder, adding that many youngsters are purchasing birds from them to start their own poultry farms and are doing well.
This system has enabled the couple to scale up operations without investing heavily in additional infrastructure.
Once the birds, especially laying hens, attain the age of one to two years, they are sold in the market and replaced with a fresh batch, ensuring continuous production cycles. A similar system is followed for several fancy bird varieties.
The farm also earns substantial income through the sale of specialty eggs, including duck, Chakore and quail eggs, and indigenous chicken eggs.
According to the couple, egg sales alone generate around Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 daily during summers, rising to Rs 18,000 to Rs 20,000 per day during winters. Some duck and Chakore eggs sell for as much as Rs 50 per egg.
The demand is driven largely by consumers who believe these eggs offer nutritional and health benefits, Beant says, adding that most of the income is currently being reinvested to further strengthen the farm as they themselves procured fancy birds across several states and then multiplied further.
To meet growing demand, the couple established hatchery and brooding facilities. The farm now operates hatchery units with capacities of approximately 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 eggs.
Chicken eggs hatch in about 21 days, while several other bird species require around 28 days. Thousands of chicks are produced every month and supplied to customers as well as contract farmers.
Feed is prepared using wheat and other ingredients sourced from the family’s agricultural land and local markets.
The enterprise has become a family affair, with Davinder’s parents actively helping in farm operations. Labourers are also employed for day-to-day management.
Looking back, Beant believes staying in Punjab was one of the best decisions they ever made.
“We were preparing to leave India. Today, this farm has given us financial stability, independence and a future. People think life abroad is easy, but hard work is required there too. Here, we have our family, our land and our own enterprise.”
Standing amidst hundreds of chirping birds that changed the course of their lives, Beant smiles and says that the dreams of success, prosperity and financial independence can be fulfilled in rural Punjab itself without chasing opportunities overseas.
“What started as a time-pass hobby has become everything for us. These birds stopped us from leaving Punjab and gave us a successful future right here at home,” she adds.
Beant Kaur and Davinder Singh with various fancy birds including Chakore, Turkey, ducks, Desi Murti and others at their fancy birds farm. (Special Arrangement) 
The farm currently maintains 250 to 400 birds of each major fancy variety and sells between 300 and 400 birds daily, mostly one-day-old chicks.
Share
