Challenges of Poultry Farming In Makurdi Benue State, North-Central Nigeria

The study assessed challenges of poultry production in Makurdi Area of Benue State, North Central Nigeria. Information on production activities, management and problems were collected from 50 poultry farmers in the study area using structured questionnaire and assessment through direct observations. The data were analyzed using tables, frequency distribution and percentages. From the analysis, the poultry enterprises are confronted with a number of constraints mitigating against their efficient operation. Majority (66%) of the poultry farms in Makurdi were of low to medium scale with flock size of < 1000 birds. The problems of low capital, high input costs, diseases and adverse weather conditions were identified in the study area. High cost of feeds and at times scarcity of layer feeds are major problems. They also identified proper marketing outlets especially for broiler sales. All these problems can be tackled by making loans/grants easily accessible by the government and encouraging farmers to organise themselves into cooperatives. By so doing their resources can be pooled together for meaningful development of their farms and the poultry industry in Benue State. Extension services should include creating awareness of the importance of biosecurity measures on farms in order to limit infections.