ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to
find the effect of the delayed routine vaccination schedules on growth
performance, blood parameters and immunity levels of broilers reared in a humid
tropical part of Nigeria. A total of 90 broiler chickens were procured and
sorted into three treatments (control, 1 week delay in vaccination and 2 weeks
delay in vaccination). The results showed significant differences (P < 0.05)
in all growth parameters studied with lower values for broilers with delayed
vaccination schedules (Treatment 2 and 3). Shank length and gains in shank
length were not significantly (P>0.05) affected by delayed vaccination
schedule. The blood parameters (PCV and WBC) values were significantly
(P<0.01) lower in birds whose vaccination schedule was delayed for two
weeks, (Treatment 3) compared to other treatments while immunity levels were
significantly (P<0.01) lower in Treatment 3 compared to Treatments 2 and 1
respectively. It was concluded that delayed vaccination schedule of up to two
weeks considerably affected growth performance and immunity status of broilers.
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background of the study
The poultry industry in Nigeria
is characterized by a mixture of backyard, peasant, household-oriented and
modern large scale poultry farms which dot our country side and urban centres
today. It can be said that poultry keeping has become a business in Nigeria
since Poultry is now kept by practically every household in Nigeria especially
in rural communities (Obioha 1992). Broilers are meat type chickens that reach
market size at about 8-10 weeks of age. Nearly 80% of all commercial chicks
hatched in Nigeria are broilers (Bundy ET AL
1975).
Poultry occupies a unique position in Nigeria animal
production programme for several reasons. The most important of these is the
fact that poultry are relatively free from the many pathological, ecological
and economic constraints which affect the commercial production of other breeds
and classes of livestock in Nigeria (Obioha 1992). The occurrence of disease in
a poultry flock is a serious event and one that causes a lot of anxiety to a
poultry farmer due to the fact that most commercial poultry are reared
intensively with a large number of birds occuping a relative small area, a
disease can spread rapidly among the whole flock causing a high level of
mortality and huge financial loss to the farmer. The prevention of disease
therefore is a decisive factor to the success or failure of a poultry
enterprise. Diseases of poultry can be caused by four major factors namely:
pathogens, poor management, deficiency of nutrients and metabolic disorders.
Most poultry diseases are brought about by the presence of one or more
pathogens or causative organisms. These organisms are always present in
any poultry environment but they attain a virulent stage when the resistance of
the chicken is low due to internal or external stress. The stress condition may
be created by mismanagement, transportation, handling, internal parasite or
even excessive excitement (Obioha 1992). The infectious organism may also gain
easy access to the tissue of the birds following wound that may be cause by
cannibalism. Some of the common sources of stress are lack of feed and water,
poor ventilation, inadequate floor space, poor sanitation, high internal and
external parasitic load, extremes of weather, vaccination failure, sudden
changes in feed or environment, pests, flies, ants, nutritional deficiencies
etc.
Apart from encouraging the
invasion of pathogens, bad management may cause disease directly. Examples of
bad management are over crowding, poor ventilation, failure to vaccinate at the
right time, failure to remove dead birds promptly, failure to remove droppings
regularly leading to accumulation of ammonia and breeding site of pathogens and
parasites, cannibalism, uncontrolled access of visitors to poultry farms and
absence of disinfectant troughs or dips.
Poultry disease maybe caused by
lack of or deficiency of one or more essential nutrients. This is why poultry
feeds should be balanced. Where one element is deficient or excessive it can
induce or cause the body to show symptoms relevant to such deficiency or
excessesive availability of the nutrient. A group of diseases may be caused by
faulty metabolic process in the body. These include the fatty liver syndrome.
Animal diseases are important limitation to edible protein production. It is
the goal of veterinary medicine to reduce losses due to animal diseases and in
cooperation with animal scientists, to develop positive live stock /poultry
health programme (Oyenuga ET AL 1973).....
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