A survey of poultry farms in the seventeen local government areas (LGAs) of Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the distribution and characteristics of poultry farms in Enugu
State, Nigeria after the 2007 outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza. Structured questionnaire,
interview, and physical enumeration and measurements were used to collect data on number of farms, farm
capacity, farm location, type of bird reared, and socio-economic attributes of farmers. Data collected were
analyzed and results presented using descriptive statistics (means ± SEM). Local Government Areas were
rated according to their level of urbanization (scale: 1-5) and this was correlated with number of farms, farm
capacity, and number of birds in stock. A total of 384 farms were enumerated during the study, out of which
43 (11.2%) were large scale (≥ 5,000 bird capacity); 57 (14.9%) medium scale (2000-5000 birds); 229 (59.6%)
small scale (250-1900 birds) and 55 (14.3%) backyard (< 250 birds). Local Government Areas differed
significantly (P ˂ 0.05) in level of urbanization. Most large and medium scale farms were associated with
‘very’ urban and urban LGAs while most small and backyard farms were located in ‘rural’ LGAs. For most
farms, birds in stock accounted for over 60% of calculated farm capacity, and differences between farm
capacity and birds in stock were less for medium, small and backyard farms compared to large scale farms.
Backyard, small and medium scale poultry farms accounted for over 80% of poultry farms in Enugu State,
Nigeria.