#Bello poultry farm free#

The operational cost of biosecurity is usually low and there is a high benefit-cost ratio, but inadequate implementation of biosecurity measures may be due to insufficient motivation and lack of understanding of its economic benefits. There have been reports of breaches in biosecurity measures in poultry production systems in parts of Nigeria because of lack of awareness and failure to implement components of biosecurity resulting in frequent outbreaks of diseases which drastically reduce profit or lead to capital loss in the industry. The application of biosecurity is affected by small-holder, farm, social, and community characteristics.

#Bello poultry farm free#

An effective biosecurity has conceptual, structural, and operational frameworks which involve housing design and construction with management procedures that keep the flock free from infectious diseases. Biosecurity refers to principles engaged in reducing the chance of introduction and spread of pathogens within and between farms by preventing infectious agents from entering (bioexclusion) or exiting (biocontainment) the farm and the principal elements are segregation, traffic control, cleaning, and disinfection. Therefore, disease prevention and control are veritable components of commercial poultry production. Communicable diseases and problems related to feeding constitute the major constraint to profitable chicken production in the locality. The production system is oriented towards profitability and the efforts to reduce cost of production may impact negatively on the system through neglect of important pivotal elements of poultry preventive health. The chickens are fully housed in intensive management system and often reared on deep litter within urban and periurban locations. The industry is characterized by low to medium integration of inputs representing the downstream poultry sector where the flock stocking is low and involves raising day-old chicks, supplied by integrated farms, to mature weight (broilers) or egg-laying (laying hens) using commercial feeds and veterinary products from retail outlets. IntroductionД®ntrepreneurial initiatives in the commercial poultry (chicken) industry increased in recent time in Jos, Nigeria, in response to national animal protein demand and as a result of the mild climatic environment and apparent profitability of the business. In conclusion, the chicken production system requires increased drive for excellent biosecurity practices and weak points in the biosecurity could be ameliorated by extension of information to farmers in order to support expansion of chicken production with robust biosecurity measures that drastically reduce risk of disease outbreak. Outbreaks were significantly ( ) associated with deep litter system. Disease outbreaks correlated ( ) with BS, showing a tendency of reduction of disease outbreaks with increasing BS.

The flock size did not significantly ( ) affect the mean BS. Semicommercial farms had higher BS than commercial farms. In our biosecurity scoring system, a correct practice of each indicator of an event scored 1.00 and biosecurity score (BS) of each farm was the average of the scores of biosecurity indicators for the farm, giving BS of zero and 1.00 as absence of biosecurity and optimal biosecurity, respectively. Farms using deep litter and battery cage systems were 69 (86.3%) and 10 (12.5%), respectively. Commercial and semicommercial farms had 75.3% and 24.5% of 95,393 birds on 80 farms, respectively. A questionnaire-based study of chicken production system with on-farm biosecurity practices was carried out in commercial poultry farms located in Jos, Nigeria.