Poultry generally refers to domesticated birds that are used mainly as food to man. These include domestic fowl, ducks, turkeys, guinea fowl, pheasant, quails, ostrich, pigeons, doves, etc. many species, breeds, and strains of poultry are used in the service of man.
Some of these species are of limited importance examples are guinea fowl, goose, ducks, and the ostrich, others and particularly Gallus domesticus (domestic fowl) have assume a worldwide importance.
Domestic fowl are believed to have been domesticated in Asia around 2500 BC, Geese in Egypt 1500 BC, turkey in Mexico 2500 BC, ducks in China 2500 BC, Muscovey ducks were found in Peru in the sixteenth century and were probably domesticated at about that time.
Most modern breeds of poultry were developed from 1850 onwards. Modern breeding programmes to produce hybrids started in the 1950s and 1960s.
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Taxonomy of the Domestic Fowl
It is important to trace the taxonomy of the domestic chicken in the animal kingdom considering its importance as a supplier of meat and eggs to ever-growing population of the world.
Below is the taxonomy of the domestic chicken: Kingdom – Animalia
Phylum – Chordata
Class – Aves Subclass – Neomithes Order – Galliformes
Family – Phasinidae
Genus – Gallus
Specie – Gallus domesticus
Advantages of Poultry Keeping
They have comparatively small body size which makes it reasonably possible to be raised in a confinement.
The success of the extensive range of systems and methods that have been developed to produce chickens in widely varying environments is an important step to the success of poultry keepers.
There is a low cost of production and quick return from poultry compared to other farm animals.
Poultry meat and egg are high-quality animal protein sources. Eggs are the most nutritive and have the best amino acid profile known to man.
Poultry are efficient feed converters to meat and egg (i.e. they have high feed efficiency)
Poultry production can be used to minimize the protein intake in- balance in Nigeria.
There is excellent product acceptance with respect to social and religious traditions, in other words, no strong taboo against the eating of poultry product thereby ensuring a ready market for the products.
Curative and preventive drugs are available for most poultry diseases.
Poultry birds assist in scientific research.
Poultry also gives useful by-product like feathers and droppings (feaces). Their droppings contain more nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium than other animal wastes.
From a genetic standpoint, the short inter-generation interval of this species (about 1 year) has favoured the rapid selection of breeds which meet more of the specific demands of consumers.
Disadvantages of Keeping Poultry
The digestive tract of birds is relatively short compared to other farm animals and can only utilize high-quality concentrate feeds. These are also use as feed for human making them to be in direct competition with man.
They are highly susceptible to extreme weather conditions and diseases.
In conclusion, poultry has proved to be a particularly versatile domestic bird that is adapted to almost all environments and system of production.
Poultry production makes it an open choice for the farmer to decide which system of production he is interested in based on his capital, skills, and needs.
In a tropical environment, the design and construction of poultry houses must take into consideration the climatic and weather conditions of the environment.
The guiding principle is to keep poultry productive throughout their producing life. This involves the provision of optimum conditions of temperature, humidity, ventilation, and light.
Another important principle relates to cost and durability. Poultry house should be structurally strong, durable, and cheap.
It is very important that food troughs should not be overfilled and neither should the tube feeders be too widely opened. The construction of the food trough is also important and there exist types that reduce spillage and so reduce food wastage by up to 20 percent.
Food wastage can turn a profitable enterprise into one making a considerable loss.
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