Effect Of Thyme (Thyme Vulgaris) And Dietary Protein Levels On The Physiological Characteristics Of Nigerian Local Cocks

ABSTRACT

The poultry industry is one of the fastest growing segments of the agricultural subsector in Nigeria. Rapid human population and low protein intake are some of the major problems facing developing countries like Nigeria. Poultry products (meat and eggs) present the most affordable source to mitigate the problems of protein malnutrition in Nigeria (Akinokun, 1990). The Nigerian local chicken which consists of between 80 to 90 percent of the local population has small body size, poor growth, small egg size and poor reproductive performance (Lisowski and Bednarczyk, 2005; Hafez and Hafez, 2000). These characteristics make them undesirable stock in a competitive economic situation (Oguike et al., 2000). However, the local chickens hold some potentials if their reproductive performance can be improved. Improvement in reproduction of the Nigerian local cocks is crucial to the socioeconomic status of Nigerian rural dwellers. Currently, majority of researchers are focusing on the use of herbs and medicinal plants as an alternative for improving the reproductive performance of both food and breeder animals (Xie et al., 2010; Marai et al., 2006; Peters et al., 2004).