B Ashok Kumari Poultry Farm

Our farm is out in Shadnagar, specifically around Solipur on Survey 15 and 17. It’s a lot of work out here, mostly starting before the sun is even up. We handle the birds and make sure everything is running okay on the grounds. Poultry isn't a clean job, but it’s what we do. The land is big enough for what we need. We spend most of our time checking the feed and making sure the water lines aren't clogged up. Shadnagar is a good place for this kind of work because there's enough space. Sometimes the weather gets really hot and we have to worry about the temperature inside the sheds. It’s just me and a few others keeping an eye on things. We don't have a big corporate office or a marketing team. It's just a farm. We sell the eggs or the chickens depending on what's ready. You get used to the smell after a while, honestly. It’s a simple life out here in Solipur. We deal with the local markets mostly. If a truck breaks down, it sets the whole day back, which happens more than we'd like. We just keep moving. There's always something to fix or a fence to check. It’s honest work and we’ve been at it for a while now. The birds don't wait for anyone, so we're always on our toes. Shadnagar has its ups and downs with the weather, and when it rains, the roads out to the survey plots can get pretty muddy. We just pull on our boots and get on with it. It’s a long day, usually starting at five in the morning and not finishing until after dark. We don't really have weekends off because the animals need to be fed every single day regardless of what the calendar says.