(News Investigators)/ A University don, Mary Oguike has called on animal scientists and livestock farmers to ensure that animals were given feeds that would improve their reproductive performance and efficiency.
Mrs. Oguike, a Professor of Animal Physiology at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, made the recommendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia on Thursday.
According to her, animal reproduction was the bedrock for sustainable livestock production and productivity.
The animal health specialist said that nurturing animals on such quality feeds would also enhance the attainment of their genetic potentials.
She said that increasing livestock productivity was constrained by lack of skill and knowledge of appropriate technologies in most developing countries, including Nigeria.
“The Nigerian scenario is more complex because some of the advanced technologies in animal reproduction requiring electricity are not feasible owing to epileptic power supply,” she said.
Mrs. Oguike said the scope of her recent research covered different aspects of reproduction of various farm animals/livestock such as poultry, rabbit, pig and sheep.
She urged large scale poultry farmers to cull unproductive old layers and ‘force moult’ productive ones in order to expand their reproductive live span to a second laying cycle.
The animal physiologist, however, called on the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIA) to develop extension programmes for livestock researchers and livestock farmers to further improve livestock farming in. the country.
She also called for more researches on improved livestock production technologies.
