LIST OF PLATES

LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE                             

Figure 1      Anatomy of a Chicken Showing Potential Predilection Sites of Gastrointestinal (GI) Parasites   ………………………..             23

Figure 2       Digestive Tract of a Chicken Showing the Predilection Sites of Common Gastrointestinal (GI) Parasites  ……………..……..     24

Figure 3     Map of Akure showing the study locations……………………..          27

LIST OF TABLES

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Poultry farming is the practice of raising domesticated birds such as chicken, turkey, ducks, quails and geese, as a subcategory of animal husbandry for the purpose of farming meat or eggs for food (Anon, 2011). Chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese are birds of primary importance, while guinea fowl and squabs are chiefly of local interest. The term “poultry” is a collective name given for a group of birds reared or hunted for useful purposes. It refers to domestic fowl in general, e.g. chickens, turkeys, ducks or geese, raised for meat, eggs or feathers. It applies to them being generally alive or dressed (killed and prepared for sales). Domestic chickens, Gallus gallus domesticus are one of the most widely domesticated fowls and by far the most developed and profitable animal production enterprise. They are descended from the wild red jungle fowl of South-east Asia belonging to the species Gallus gallus, which has, over thousands of years, been subjected to extensive breeding for size, colour, conformation and egg-laying ability. The poultry industry occupies an important position in the provision of animal protein (meat and egg) to man and generally plays a vital role in the national economy as a revenue provider. Poultry meat accounts for 34% of global meat consumption. The worldwide average per capita consumption has nearly quadrupled since the 1960s (11kg in 2003 compared with 3kg in 1963) (FAO, 2009).  The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO)’s assessment of the worldwide average per capita poultry meat consumption for 2015 was 13.8kg, of which around 12kg are chickens. Poultry is by far the largest livestock group, consisting mainly of chickens, ducks and turkeys. The Nigerian agricultural sector is responsible for the production of food and livestock with poultry accounting for 80% of the production (Udoh and Etim, 2007). This means that the poultry subsector is the most commercialized of all the subsectors. The types of poultry that are of commercial or economic importance given the trade in poultry, however, are chickens, guinea fowls and turkeys, amongst which chickens predominate. Chickens constitute about 90% of the poultry population in Nigeria (Omodele and Okere, 2014).

The breeds of chickens are generally classified as American, Mediterranean, English, and Asiatic. The American breeds of importance today are the Plymouth Rock, the Wyandotte, the Rhode Island Red and the New Hampshire. Chicken breeding is a controlled propagation of domestic animals in order to improve desirable qualities. It is an outstanding example of the application of basic genetic principles of inbreeding, line breeding, and crossbreeding, as well as of intensive mass selection to effect faster and cheaper gains in broilers and maximum egg production for the egg-laying strains (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2013). All over the world, more than three hundred breeds of the domestic chicken species (Gallus domesticus) exist. However, there are basically three types of chicken: the layers, the broilers and the cockerels. Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis showed chicken production in Nigeria as: Broilers 15.2%, Breeders 6.77%, Layers 75.3% and Cockerels 2.73% (Omodele and Okere, 2014). Consequently, poultry farming is generically used to refer to chicken farming in Nigeria because it provides the most poultry meat for delicacies and no tribe or religion in the country forbids chicken meat. Since domestic chickens are sources of ready cash and meat to local communities and a nation as a whole, their potential could be enhanced through improved management and disease control. Profitable livestock and poultry production in Nigeria is majorly constrained by parasitism. Parasitic diseases come first among other diseases that cause reduction in productivity of rural poultry. However, these diseases are often overlooked because clinical symptoms are rarely apparent (Adebisi, 2007). Gastrointestinal parasites which invade the host birds possess morphological and physiological features which enhance their adaptation to long living and existence in their hosts. These parasites constitute a major factor limiting productivity of the poultry industry by affecting the growth rate of the host resulting in malfunctioning of organs and eventually death (Soulsby, 1982).

1.1 Justification of Research

Improved poultry management practices are responsible for the reduction in incidence of parasitic infections. The enormous expansion in the commercial poultry production sector has been possible through improved management in terms of management procedures such as total separation between different age groups, introduction of the "all in - all out" system, efficient housing systems, routine vaccination programmes, proper feeding and avoidance of predators (Thrusfield, 1995). However, parasitic diseases continue to be of great importance in deep-litter and free-range commercial systems. In traditional systems throughout the world a number of parasites are widely distributed and contribute significantly to the low productivity. The most commonly mentioned parasites are Eimeria spp., Ascaridia galli and Heterakis gallinarum which are mainly due to the many studies carried out on these parasites. 

Currently, there is a paucity of information regarding the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites of chickens in the study area despite their numerous importance. This is rather unfortunate because for a fast growing economy like Nigeria, there is a need to continually revalidate existing data on the health of chickens at regular intervals. In addition, as co-factors in other poultry diseases, the knowledge of the prevalence of these parasites is essential in understanding the epidemiology and control measures. The current study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites of chickens in the tropics of Southwestern Nigeria.

1.2 Research Questions 

The questions this research is meant to answer include:

(i)          Are gastrointestinal parasites of domestic chickens prevalent among poultry in

Akure?

(ii)        In which age range, breed and sex of chickens in Akure are gastrointestinal parasites most prevalent?

(iii)      In which poultry management system are gastrointestinal parasites most prevalent, intensive, semi-intensive or extensive?

(iv)       What activities of poultry owners contribute to the acquisition of infections in the study area?

1.3 Aims and Objectives of Research

The aims and objectives of this study are to:

(i)        determine the gastrointestinal parasites found in domestic chickens in parts of

Akure, Nigeria. 

(ii)        evaluate the prevalence, species composition, and parasite burden (intensity) of gastrointestinal parasites found in domestic chickens in Akure, Nigeria.

(iii)       evaluate, based on bird sex, breed, and poultry management system, the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites of domestic chickens in Akure. 

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