Kadaknath is an important indigenous breed of poultry inhabitating vast areas of Western Madhya Pradesh mainly the Jhabua and Dhar Districts and adjoining areas of Gujarat and Rajasthan. But because of indiscriminate crossbreeding with RIR and other breeds the pure Kadaknath birds are very rarely available in Dhar and adjoining areas of Gujarat and Rajasthan. At present the Kadaknath birds are mainly available in Jhabua District of Western Madhya Pradesh. The Jhabua District is situated in the Western part of the Madhya Pradesh in between the latitudes (N) 20o 50â?² and 23o 40â?² and longitude (E) 74o 30â?² and 75o 16â?². The mean altitude ranges from 450 to 700 m above mean sea level. The District covers 0.68 million ha geographical area. The climate is hot semi-arid with an annual rainfall of 500 to 1000 mm. The rainfall is erratic and annual variation of rainfall is a constant feature. The minimum average temperature is 10oC and the maximum average temperature reaches up to 41 to 43oC.
Protein content in kadaknath is higher than 25% in an ordinary bird it varies between 18-20%.
Research has shown that this species has lower cholesterol (0.73-1.05%) than white chicken(13-25%)
High levels of 18 amino acids out of which 8 are essential for the human and rich in hormone.
Vitamins B1,B2,B6, B12, C and E, niacin, protein, fat, calcium, phosphorus, iron, nicotinic acids, etc.
