Search

Research on the concentrations of aerial pollutant gases in tropical livestock buildings is needed in order to establish baselines for exposure limits in context of animal and human welfare in the tropical environments. The concentrations of aerial ammonia, nitrous oxide, methane, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide in selected pigpens in the Owerri area of Imo State, Nigeria were measured during the month of August 2002. These were thereafter correlated with pig building measurements in order to determine the possible influence of building measurements on concentration of the gases. Overall mean aerial concentrations of carbon monoxide CO (2.7 ± 0.34 ppm) was the highest mean value recorded and was followed by the 1.4 ± 0.0 ppm and 0.07 ± 0.14 ppm recorded for flammable gas (methane) and hydrogen sulfide respectively while the 0.0 ± 0.0 ppm recorded for ammonia was lowest. The average length of the buildings was 64.20 ft., while 21.40 ft., 11.60 ft and 4.35 ft. were obtained for width, height and sidewalls respectively. In all pens, the simple linear regression was not significant (P

Research on the concentrations of pollutant gasses in tropical livestock buildings is needed in order to establish baselines for exposure limits in the context of animal and human welfare in tropica l environments. Concentrations of aerial ammonia NH , nitrous oxide (NO ), flammable gas (methane, CH ), 4 2 4 carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen sulfide (H S) and sulfur dioxide (SO ) were measured in five intensive layer 2 2 farms located Imo state during the month of August 2002. Data obtained were correlated with poultry house measurements in other to understand rates of increases of these pollutants as a result of changes in poultry house measurements. Overall mean aerial concentration of CO (3.11±0.73 ppm) was highest, followed by the 1.93 ± 0.14 ppm and 1.53 ± 0.71 ppm recorded for CH and H S respectively, while the 0.09 ± 0.19 ppm 4 2 and the 0.14 ± 0.20 recorded for SO and NH respectively were lowest. The range of 3.25 ± 0.7ppm to 2 4 4.0±0.0 ppm of CO obtained in the four pens FA, FB , FB and FC was significantly (P

A study of six farms each randomly selected from each of five local government areas of Abak agricultural zone of Akwa Ibom State, Southeastern Nigeria, was conducted to assess on-farm prevalence and management of poultry coccidiosis. The study, which involved scrutiny of farm and clinical records, distribution of structured and pre-tested questionnaires to elicit relevant data, showed that in the previous 12 months, 3,327 (29.36%) birds out of 11,333 encountered in the 30 farms suffered from coccidiosis. Overall mortality rate was 2.63%. The highest prevalence rates were recorded in the rainy season (12.7%), among birds managed in deep litter (26.69%), birds 1-5 weeks old (18.75%), layers (22.29%) and Harco strain (26.42%). Sixty percent of the farms consulted veterinarians for diagnosis and treatment especially at first incidence while 34.94% indulged in self-diagnosi s. Good sanitary and hygiene practices were being employed in 50% of the farms as the major preventive measure. Combined administration of anticoccidial drugs and removal of litter (43.33%) ranked highest as control measure. Continued veterinary education and extension services are needed in the area to update the knowledge of the farmers especially on the benefits of vaccination, dangers of self-diagnosis and adoption of an integrated approach involving good hygienic practices and use of both drugs and vaccines in disease prevention.

A thirty-five day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the performance of broiler finishers fed Microdesmis puberula leaf meal supplemented with "Safzyme " (a cellulolytic enzyme). Microdesmis R puberula is a choice tropical browse plant. Three broiler finisher diets were formulated to contain 0.0, 12.5% Microdesmis puberula leaf meal without enzyme. and 12.5% Microdesmis puberula leaf meal with 0.10% enzyme. One hundred and twenty (120) four-week-old Hubbard broiler chicks were divided into three groups of forty (40) birds each and randomly assigned to the three treatment diets in a completely randomized design (CRD). Data were collected on feed intake, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio. There was significant difference (p 0.05) from birds on leaf meal diets without enzyme supplementation. Birds on 0.0% leaf meal diet recorded the highest daily body weight gain. Feed conversion ratios of all treatment groups were comparable. The result suggests that 0.10% of the enzyme supplementation in diets containing 12.5% Microdesmis puberula leaf meal did not improve the performance of finisher broilers.