ROLES AND EFFICIENCY OF PARTICIPANTS IN PIG MARKETING IN THE NORTHERN PART OF NIGERIA

This study examines the performance of market participants in pig marketing in Zango-Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. The purpose of the study was to describe the organizational pattern of pig marketing; identify the major problems militating against the marketing efficiency and evaluate the marketing margins of pig at various levels of the marketing channel/chain. The study investigated the pig marketing practices in this area through interviews with producers, rural assemblers, wholesalers, commission agents and retailers. The data collected were analyzed using costs and marketing margins to assess market performance. Empirical findings indicated that the difference (margin) between the price received by producers and the retail price of pork and butchers’ sales of by-products was N4,192.40 (US $32.75) per head of pigs. This margin expressed as percentage of the sum of the price paid by pork consumers and by-products merchants was 22% and was shared by the intermediate agents in the marketing chain. Several factors perceived by participants in the market as limiting constraints to pig production and marketing are inadequate abattoir, absence of refrigerators, absence of standard weights and measures, high cost of transportation, lack of access to formal credit sources and lack of good roads. The study recommends the provision of credit facilities, installation of processing plants, use of weights and infrastructural developments in order to increase overall volume of the market

Effect of phytase and protease supplementations on growth performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens fed suboptimal levels of crude protein

Two hundred and seventy (270) day old unsexed Arbor Acre broiler chicks were assigned to nine dietary treatments comprising three replicates of 10 chicks each. During the starter phase birds were fed the control 23% crude protein (CP) without enzyme (T1), 21% CP without enzyme (T2), 21% CP plus phytase (PHY) (T3), 21% CP plus protease (PRO) (T4), 21% CP plus PHY and PRO (T5); and 19% CP without enzyme (T6), 19% CP plus PHY (T7), 19% CP plus PRO (T8), 19% CP plus PHY and PRO (T9). Phytase and protease supplementation followed the same arrangement in all the phases, but the crude protein were 23, 20 and 18% CP (in T1); 21, 18 and 16% CP (in T2, T3, T4 and T5) and 19, 16 and 14% CP (in T6, T7, T8 and T9) during starting, growing and finishing phases respectively. Feed and water were given unrestrictedly. The feed intake and weights of birds were recorded on weekly basis. Nutrient digestibility was determined at each phase and carcass evaluation was done at the end of the experiment. From 0-56 days, PHY supplementation significantly (P < 0.05) improved final body weight and daily weight gain in suboptimal CP diets (T3). Enzymes had no significant effect on the carcass characteristics except drumstick, which was highest (P < 0.05) on PRO treatments. The addition of phytase or protease alone and in combination increased the available nutrient levels and there was a significant effect of enzymes supplementation on nutrient digestibility. It could be concluded that phytase, protease and their combination improved performance, nutrient digestibility and carcass cut part of broiler chickens fed suboptimal crude protein diets.Keywords: Feed additives; enzymes; suboptimal crude protein; carcas

Evaluation of three commercially available pig starter feeds in South West Nigeria

The study evaluated the chemical composition of three available commercial starter feeds and their effect on performance of weaner pigs. Three samples of commercially available pig starter feeds in Southwest, Nigeria were evaluated using two different approaches (biological and chemical analyses). The three commercial feed samples in the study, were assigned to three dietary treatments, namely commercially available feed 1 (CAF1), commercially available feed 2 (CAF2) and commercially available feed 3 (CAF3). Forty-eight weaner pigs with an average initial body weight (BW) of 11.15±0.58 kg were randomly apportioned to the three treatments for biological (performance) evaluation of the three commercially available pig starter feeds. There were significant (P<0.05) differences among the performance indices across the treatments. Pigs fed with CAF1 and CAF2 had the highest (45.03 Kg) and lowest (26.04 g) values respectively for final body weight, even when the pigs fed with CAF2 and CAF3 had similar average daily feed intake (0.84 vs 1.0 Kg) while that of pigs fed CAF1 was significantly (P<0.05) higher (1.32 Kg). The feed with lower cost (CAF2) increased the feed cost per kilogram live weight gain of the animals by 10.93 and 13.70% when compared with that of feeds with higher cost (CAF1 and CAF3) respectively. Majorly, the ME (Kcal/Kg) and crude fibre contents of CAF2 were at variance with the nutrient requirements of weaner pigs, hence the inferior performance and economic results obtained with the diet. Even though, there were marginal variations in the nutrient compositions of the CAF1 and CAF3 feeds, their growth performance and economy of gain results were comparable because they fell within the recommended nutrient requirement for this class of pigs. In conclusion, only two of the three commercially available pig feeds (CAF1 and CAF3) sampled, could be said to have been formulated to meet the recommended nutrient requirement for this class of pigs, hence their comparable performance and economy of gain results. Keywords: Commercial pig feeds, Weaner pigs, Biological evaluation, Chemical compositio

Yield and Carcass Composition of Goats as Affected by Breed and Slaughter weight

Slaughter weight were obtained from 36 (18 West African Dwarf, WAD and 18 Red Sokoto, RS) goats slaughtered at 10, 15 and 20 kg body weights of the animals ranged between 5.47 and 8.82kg and were fed 16.8% crude protein concentrate diet before being slaughtered later at the Predetermined body weights . After slaughtering and evisceration, the dressed carcasses were weighed, chilled at 3°C for 24 h and evaluated. Each carcass was split into two halves along the backbone using meat saw. The right slide of the carcass was separated into wholesale cuts and weighed while the left half was split into trunk, pelvic and pectoral limbs. Each part was subsequently dissected into lean, fat and bones. The result obtained showed that the hot carcass weight (HCW), chilled carcass weight (CCW) and the dressing percentage (DP) increased significantly (

Effect of two direct-fed microbials and mycotoxin binder on performance and blood parameters of weaned pigs

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of multi-strain direct-fed microbials, mycotoxin binder and yeast culture on the growth performance and blood parameters of weaned pigs. Sixty four (64) crossbred (Landrace × Large White) weaned pigs with an average initial weight of 5.9 ±0.3 kg (± SE) were assigned to four dietary treatments in a completely randomised design. Each treatment had four replicates of four pigs each. Pigs on T1 were given control diet without any additive, while pigs on T2, T3 and T4 were fed the same diet as in T1, to which multi-strain direct-fed microbials, mycotoxin binder (bentonite) and yeast culture were added respectively and the study lasted for 56 days. There were significant (P<0.05) differences in daily feed intake and daily weight gains, thereby resulting in variation in the final body weights across the groups. Pigs on T2 had the highest daily feed intake (kg) and cost of feed consumed per day (₦) but had the least feed conversion ratio and feed cost per kilogram weight gain (N/kg). The highest final body weight (20.90kg) was observed in pigs on treatment 2, while the least final body weight of 16.95kg was recorded with for pigs on treatment 4. The haematological parameters were within the normal range for healthy pigs and there was a significant effect of the feed additives on the serum biochemical parameters such as AST, ALT, ALP, glucose and albumin. It could be concluded that multi-strain direct-fed microbial promoted growth over and above the mycotoxin binder and yeast culture in weaned pigs and none of the feed additives had any deleterious effect on the health status of the weaned pigs.Keywords: Direct fed microbials, bentonite, feed additives, pigs, bloo

Broiler behavioural repertoires and the impact of lighting condition

The welfare of animals are dependent on their immediate environment which influences their ability to exhibit certain natural behaviour that can support their growth psychologically and physiologically. Animals’ welfare and their behaviour are therefore linked, as the environment influences the welfare and the behaviour are dependent on the welfare. One of the environmental factors that influences the growth performance and other health indices in broiler is the light under which they are reared. In this review, response of broilers to two artificial light sources in their available colours and the attendant effects on their behavioural repertoire and welfare are explored. The artificial light sources most economical in the scheme of broiler production are the incandescent bulb (ICD) and compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) due to their low cost when compared to light emitting diode (LED) mostly used in developed climes. It is imperative to understand the impact of these light sources in their existing colours on the behaviour and welfare of broiler chickens. Furthermore, 8 categories of broiler behaviour were explored because the knowledge of these categories is essential in understanding their welfare. Some other factors, aside artificial lighting, that could also affect the natural behaviour of broiler chickens were evaluated, though not exhaustively

High quality cassava peel® production and its utilization in pig production: A review

The cassava peel has been investigated as a good source of energy for various categories of livestock and it has been reported as a good substitute for maize for all classes of pigs. International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) has transformed fresh cassava peels into high quality, safe and hygienic livestock feed, known as High Quality Cassava Peel®. High Quality Cassava Peel® was produced by sorting, grating, pressing, sieving and drying of fresh cassava peels. Sorting of the fresh (harvested the same day) cassava peels was done by removal of the stumps, large sized woody tubers and other foreign materials before grating, to gradually reduce the particle size, ensure rapid dewatering, drying and easy handling of the sorted peels. Next is the pressing of the grated peels in woven bags using a hydraulic jack and wooden planks. The resultant cassava peel cake after pressing around 30- 35% moisture had shelf life of 5- 7 days. The pressed cassava peel cake was re-grated to loosen it into a free flowing material that can be subjected to sieving to separate the fine mash (lower fiber, high energy content) from the coarse mash (higher fiber, lower energy  content). The resultant fine or coarse mash was further dried by toasting or sun-drying to a moisture level of 10-12%. The final product with 10–12% moisture content was bagged and stored safely for 4- 6 months without any spoilage. Proximate analysis of the HQCP® further clarified its quality over that of other processed cassava peels. Series of trials conducted have proved High Quality Cassava Peel as a good substitute for significant portion of maize in the diet of growing and weaned pigs without any adverse effect on the performance and blood parameters determined in each of the studies. The results of the studies conducted on the utilization of the high quality cassava peel as a substitute for maize in the diet of weaned and growing pigs have shown the efficacy of HQCP® to replace significant quantities of maize in their diet. High Quality Cassava Peel demonstrated potential for replacement of up to 15% of the 40% maize inclusion in the diet of weaned pigs and 30% in the diet of growing pigs with or without direct fed microbial (DFM) supplementation. No significant effect of DFM was noticed in the utilization of HQCP® by both weaned and growing pigs. All the hematological and serum biochemical parameters determined were within the normal range for healthy pigs. Based on the outcome of the feeding trials, HQCP® has been proved to replace a substantial portion of maize in the diet of weaned and growing pigs, thereby bringing about adecrease in the cost of production. Keywords: High quality cassava peel®, weaned and growing pig feeding, growth performance, direct fed microbial, hematology, serum biochemical parameter

High quality cassava PEEL® mash supplemented with direct fed microbial as an alternate source of energy supplement: effect on performance and economic analysis of weaned pig

The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of Direct fed microbial (DFM) on High quality cassava peel® (HQCP) utilization when HQCP is used to replace maize up to 15% out of total 40% maize in the diet of weaned pigs for weaner phase(1-8week), early growing phase(9-14week) and total trial period (1-14week). A total number of ninety (90) crossbred (Large White × Landrace) weaned pigs with an average initial weight of 11.10 ± 0.4 kg (± SE) were used for the study. The experimental animals were assigned to five dietary treatments (T) in a 2 × 2 +1 factorial design of eighteen weaned pigs per treatment. Pigs on T1 were given 40% maize- based diet without HQCP, while T2 had 7.5kg (18.75%) of the total maize replaced with HQCP and T3 had 15kg (37.5%) of total maize replaced with HQCP. The pigs on T4 were given same diet as in T2 with the addition of multi-strain DFM and pigs on T5 were given the same diet with those on T3 with addition of multi-strain DFM. Experimental diets had no significant effects (p>0.05) on the body weight gain, final live weight, average daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio were not adversely affected by the inclusion of HQCP and DFM supplementation in the diets for weaner phase and total trial period. For weaner phase the least final weight (24.42kg) was recorded in treatment 3 while the highest final (26.97kg) weight was recorded in treatment 2. Treatment 2 also recorded the highest final weight (40.25kg) for total trial period, but it was treatment 5 that has the least weight gain (36.77kg) for total trial period. Treatment 4 recorded the lowest daily weight gain (236.57g) for weaner phase while the highest daily weight gain (285.87g) for this phase was recorded in treatment 2. The same trend goes for the total trial period for the daily weight gain for total trial period. There was no significant (P>0.05) effect of DFM on the performance of the pigs for neither weaner phase nor for total trial period, as the treatments (T4&T5) with DFM inclusion did not give improved performance over the treatment(T2&T3) without the DFM. The feed conversion ratios range of 2.60 to 3.10 was obtained for weaner phase in this study. Treatment 2 recorded the least feed conversion ratio (2.60) while treatment 4 feed conversion ratio (3.10) was the highest. There was neither significant (P>0.05) effect of HQCP level nor DFM inclusion on all the performance parameters. The interaction between HQCP levels and DFM was likewise not significant (P>0.05). The cost of feeding per unit weight gain (₦/kg) was comparable among the groups mainly due to the savings on account of the lower cost of HQCP for both phases. It was therefore concluded that weaned pig can utilized HQCP up to 15% without any deleterious effect on their performance while addition of DFM may not be necessary in order to reduce cost of production

Growth performance of weaned pigs fed from different feeding troughs: comparison of concrete feeding trough, semi-automatic feeder and its combination

The study was carried out to evaluate the effect of concrete feeding trough, semi-automatic feeder and their combination on growth performance  of weaned pigs. Sixty weaned cross bred (Large white x Landrace) pigs of average initial weight of 9.04 Kg were grouped based on sex and assigned to three dietary treatments, comprising two replicates of 10 weaned pigs each. The design of the experiment was completely randomized design. A  standard diet was prepared to meet the nutrient requirements of weaned pigs. The diet was fed to the animals in concrete feeding trough (T1), semi-automatic feeder and concrete feeding trough (T2) and semi-automatic feeder (T3). The experiment was partitioned into three periods (Weeks  1-4, 5-8 and 1-8). Feed and water were given unrestrictedly throughout the period of the experiment. The feed intake and weights of the pigs were recorded on weekly basis. Feed conversion ratio and daily weight gain were calculated and the study lasted for eight weeks. There was no significant (P>0.05) effect of feeders on final body weight, average daily weight gain, daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio. The overall  performance showed that combination of the feeders (T2) improved daily weight gain (369.71 g), average daily feed intake (1021.14 g) and had the best feed conversion ratio (2.99). It could be concluded that combination of concrete feeding trough and semi-automatic feeders improved the growth performance of weaned pigs. Keywords: concrete feeding trough, semi-automatic feeder, growth performance, economic analysi

Economics of smallholder chicken egg production among KAFACI project farmers in Southwest Nigeria

Deficiency in managerial capabilities, shortage of investible capital and high feed cost are major constraints limiting the growth and profitability of  smallholder chicken production in Southwest Nigeria. Consequently, empowerment programmes was initiated to train and empower farmers in chicken egg production. Sustainability of the effort depends on the ability of the farmers to generate enough returns for reinvestment into the  enterprise. This study evaluates the profitability of chicken egg production under the Korea-Africa Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (KAFACI) project. Weekly data were collected during 2017 and 2018 production cycle on input quantity and cost, and quantity and prices of eggs produced. Analysis was by farm budget analysis. The results showed a decline in mortality rate in farms from 42.74% in 2017 to 7.76% in 2018.  Similarly, average egg production per farm increased from 3,977 eggs in 2017 to 18,254 eggs in 2018. Average total income per farm also increased from N225,599.58 in 2017 to N638,758.25 in 2018, whereas gross margin increased from a net loss of N157,097.73 in 2017 to a net benefit of  N281,025.93. Loss of revenue in 2017 was attributed to high mortality among laying birds. Cost of feed accounted for 59.34% of the average variable cost of producing table eggs. The study therefore recommended capacity building for farmers on farm-level formulation of costeffective feeding, as well as improving access of farmers to quality feed at subsidized cost, as an interim measure. Keywords: Chicken egg production, smallholder farmer, profitability, KAFACI project