Training needs of small scale poultry farmers on improved production techniques

Poultry business is a job opportunity for numerous for earning income and livelihood but if handled carelessly could become a nightmare to investors and practitioners. Therefore, the need to ascertain the areas of training needs of the small scale commercial poultry farmers to improve poultry production necessitated this study. Data were gathered from forty-three (43) registered members of Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), and snow ball technique was also employed to select forty (40) unregistered respondents totaling eighty-three (83) respondents used in the study. Questionnaire was used in gathering the information needed from the respondents. The finding revealed that 85.5%, 88%, 80.7% and 72.3% of the respondents scored high in awareness of housing system, feeds and feeding strategies, daily and special routine operations and records/recording strategies respectively. Then, 85.5% and 86.7% of the respondents scored low in awareness of marketing strategies and diseases/parasites prevention and controls respectively. Also, the areas of training need on poultry production are: housing system (83.1%), feeds and feeding strategies (86.7%), diseases/parasites prevention and control (89.2%), daily and special routine operations (81.9%), marketing strategies (88%) while only 24.1% of the respondents need training on types of records and recording strategies. Most respondents (69.9%) showed favourable attitude towards improved poultry production practices in the study area. Major constraints experienced by respondents are related to capital, medical and other technical areas of poultry keeping. Provision of credit facilities, subsidized inputs like drugs, feeds, and vaccines will enhance performance of the farmers. Seminars/workshops should be regularly organized for poultry farmers to beef up their knowledge and skill in the business. There should also be effective extension services for monitoring the farm performance and planning for enhancement activities . Keywords: small scale farmer, training need, poultry farmer. African Journal of Livestock Extension Vol. 4 2005: pp. 72-7