The prevalence of poultry coccidiosis and the anticoccidials in use in Southern Nigeria

Abstract

Forty brooder houses were sampled from (our States in the southern part of Nigeria, namely: Oyo, Lagos, Imo and Anambra States, to identify the species of coccidia. Five species of Eimeria were isolated including  Eimeria tenella,· E. necatrix; E. maxima and E. mivati/E. mitis. Using the McMaster count, the number of oocyst occuring in each brooder house was calculted with the species of Eimeria oocyst, confirmed by  experimentally infecting dean chicks and determining occyst size using the ocular micrometer. Frequent  outbreaks of coccidiosis in these brooder houses were obviously prevented by the practise of administering   anticoccidials daily until the birds were mature as can be observed with the use of common drugs as  coccidiovit, amprolium, deccox, furazol, naecox and coxdiu.

Key words:- Brooder house, Coccidia, Eimeria, Poultry anticoccidials.