Before sunrise each morning, Sama Perween begins her day in Bisari village in Bihar’s Purnia district. At 36, she balances the responsibilities of raising her children, managing her small farm, and caring for her flock of local desi and hybrid chickens. The birds represented hope for extra income and better nutrition for her family. But that hope was often cut short.

Season after season, Perween watched helplessly as chicks died within the first few weeks of life. Some became weak and stopped eating. Others succumbed to cold weather or disease during winter. Out of nearly 70 birds she raised each year, more than half were often lost before they could grow into healthy laying hens or saleable birds.

“Most of my chicks died within the first one or two months,” Perween recalls. “Some died from the cold, while others became weak and stopped eating. Even those that survived into winter often succumbed to disease.” 

The losses affected more than her poultry business. With too few birds surviving, income from poultry remained unreliable, bringing in only modest earnings each cycle. Eggs were rarely available for the family to eat regularly, and poultry was more of a stressful gamble rather than a dependable livelihood activity.

Everything began to change in December 2025, when Perween joined a village-level training organized under NutriHarvest—a project of HarvestPlus Solutions supported by Cargill. Led by Master Trainer Md. Aoun Ali, the training focused on practical, low-cost solutions to improve survival of backyard poultry throughout the production cycle.

For Perween, one lesson stood out immediately: most poultry losses could be prevented through simple actions taken at the right time. She learned how to care for chicks during the critical first eight weeks by creating a warm brooding area using locally available materials such as cardboard, bamboo, and a light bulb. She learned the importance of timely vaccination against Ranikhet and Fowl Pox, periodic deworming, keeping the shelter dry during winter, and improving feeding and hygiene practices.

Equally important, the training emphasized the nutritional value of eggs for children and pregnant women, encouraging families to keep some eggs for home consumption instead of selling everything. With continued support from Md. Aoun Ali, Sama applied the full package of practices in her next poultry cycle.

The results were immediate and encouraging. Her chick survival rate improved from 50 percent to 80 percent. Better shelter and timely vaccinations also helped reduce winter disease outbreaks among older birds.

Perween sold eight birds at the local market, earning around Rs 4,500 approximately USD 47 from poultry sales alone — nearly double what she used to earn previously. With more hens surviving and laying regularly, her family now consumes about 8–10 eggs every week, improving protein intake for her children.

“This time most of them survived, and my children are eating eggs from our own house almost every day,” she says proudly.

The change has also transformed how Perween thinks about poultry farming. What once felt unpredictable and risky is now becoming a planned household enterprise. She carefully tracks vaccination and deworming schedules and has already encouraged two neighbouring women to adopt the same practices.

Md. Aoun Ali believes Perween’s story reflects a larger lesson for rural poultry production.

“In backyard poultry, most of the losses happen in the first eight weeks and if we can get the chicks through that stage well, and vaccinate and deworm on time, the flock becomes much more reliable,” he explains. “Desi and hybrid birds are hardy, but hardy does not mean invincible.”

Today, Perween is preparing to expand her flock from 20 to 50 birds in the next cycle. She still faces challenges, including limited access to vaccines and deworming medicines in nearby villages, but her confidence has grown.

For Perween and her family, poultry is no longer simply about surviving one season to the next. It is becoming a pathway toward better nutrition, additional income, and greater stability at home — built through knowledge, timely support, and a few simple practices that made all the difference.