Poultry
production is one of the major area of animal production with significant
contribution to human food production. Poultry products provide protein of high
biological value (Eshiethe and okere, 1990). Nigeria is endowed with many
poultry species which are indigenous to the country. These have lived, adapted
and reproduced for several years in the Nigeria environment. Momoh, (2005)
estimated poultry population in Nigeria to be about 33 million. With the ever
growing population and improvement in the living standard of Nigerians, the
demand for egg and other poultry products will continue to grow.
The
Nigerian local chicken exhibits of diversity in morphological characteristic
and consist of various unimproved sub-population of heterogeneous
characteristics, not yet classified into breeds and varieties since they do not
share common ancestry, breed through to type and have no clear plumage colours
(obioha, 1992,ibe,2001). They generally exotic counterparts (Nwosu and omeje, 1985). They are haedly and
generally reported to adapt favorably to the local environment (ikeobi and
Godwin, 1990). The chickens are flighty in nature, resistant to some diseases
and parasites and lay eggs within relatively thick eggshell (peters et al.,
2007). The village poultry production is mostly based on the scavenging
indigenous domestic chicken (Gallus domesticus). The genetically
unimproved local chicken remains predominant in African villages despite the
introduction of exotic and cross-react type. This is due to the fact that local
farmers have not been able to afford the high input requirement of the
introduced breed (Kaiser, 1990).
Despite
their non-resistant and mongrel nature, there exist strains or inbred lines
(ibe,1998) within the native chicken populations which have definite genetic
constitutions. Based on this the Nigerian local chickens can be group into
various genotype or genetic groups having identifiable genes of direct and in
directed effect on production and quantitative trait loci (Fayeye et al.,
2006). These genes, according to Ibe and Nwosu (1999) called malor genes;
advantageous gene complexes or plumage reducing genes which include the naked-nek
(Na) and Frizzle (F). These genes are associated with heat tolerance and
possess productive adaptability (Horst, 1988). A study by Ojo (2003) reveals
that the indigenous poultry industry falls short of its aim of self-sufficiency
in animal protein consumption in the country that is put at 5gm/caput per day
which is far cry from F 40 recommended level of 35gm/caput. These statistics indicates
that there exists an inalienable inequality between the Nigerian human
population which grows astronomically and that of poultry.
The
native chicken constitutes about 50 percent of the 120 million poultry birds found
in Nigeria (FOS, 1996). Aryee and Kutame, (1991) reported that the indigenous village
chicken is the most prominent class of livestock in the country and constitutes
about 60 – 80% of the total poultry population but their productivity level are
low because of poor nutrition and low genetic potential in local chickens,
high-yield exotic breeds have been introduced through cockerel exchange
programme by the government (Hagan and Adjei)
This
intervention is bedeviled with many challenges: prominent among them is the
birds’ inability to adapt to the hot and humid environment, resulting in
reduced feed intake and retarded growth (Cowan and Michie, 1988).