Objectives: The basic objectives of poultry farming in Uttarakhand may be as follows:

• To generate self employment in unemployed youth, school drop out and retired personnel.
• To alter economic and nutritional status of the rural people of Uttarakhand through poultry farming.
• To increase the production potential of agriculture land by using poultry manure.
• To find out suitable poultry strains for dual broiler and layer farming at differant attituoles of the state.

Poultry occupies a very important place in all domesticated animals. A large chunk of income from livestock industry is contributed by poultry industry. Hence, its importance is increasing day by day in developed and developing countries. Poultry includes a group of birds comprising chickens, ducks, turkeys, quails, guinea fowl; geese etc. out of these chickens occupy an important place.
Domestication of poultry is practiced from ancient time but it is very difficult to say at what time they are first domesticated in the world. Its first authentic records are available in Asian sub-continent. Domestication of poultry is not new in India. They were present 2500 B.C. in Indus Valley Civilization. From India, poultry birds traveled to different parts of the world. In ancient time poultry birds were reared for different purposes such as for its fighting ability. In old civilization, the cocks are known for their morning alarm and the selection is also done for these traits. Their fighting ability is more responsible for their spread than there nutritive value of the chickens. The selection and breeding of chickens was done for their fighting ability by Greek people while it was for the benefit of farmers by Roman people. In ancient time some breeds of chickens are comparable with modern breeds of poultry with regards to egg production. It is assumed that the evolution of modern day chickens have taken from the following four breeds of wild bird belonging to genus Gallus:

1. Gallus gallus (Red jungle fowl)
   
2. Gallus lafayettei (Ceylone jungle fowl)
   
3. Gallus sonneratii (Grey jungle fowl)
   
4. Gallus varius ((Java jungle fowl)
   

Some of the scientists are of the opinion that the modern poultry have its origin from Red jungle fowl while Asian breeds have their origin from more than one breed of jungle fowl.
Breeding and selection of poultry in ancient time were done primarily on the basis of region and the requirements of people living in that region and the breeds were known by the name of the regions such as Rohde Island Red, New Hampshire etc. Previously the poultry birds were known for its fighting abilities but now days they are more important due to highly nutritive eggs and poultry meat and the breeding and selection of poultry is being done for these traits.