POULTRY FARMERS KNOWLEDGE AND PREVALENCE OF SALMONELLAINFECTION IN RELATION TO HANDLING AND BIOSECURITY MEASURES IN OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Poultry-related illnesses, such as Salmonellosis, continue to pose a significant threat to poultry farming in Oyo State, Nigeria. The expenses associated with treating and controlling these diseases tend to raise overall production costs, which in turn reduces the profit margins for poultry farmers. Against this background, this research was designed to identify the understanding and incidence of Salmonella infection among poultry farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria, as it relates to handling and biosecurity control. Primary data were collected from 120 poultry farmers using a cross-sectional survey conducted through a multi-stage sampling method and a structured questionnaire. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multinomial logit regression. Most of the respondents (77.5%) were aged between 26 and 55 years, with 70.8% being male, 50.8% married, and 85.0% having received formal education. The average years of poultry farming was 15 7.57 years, and 59.2 % of the sample was Yoruba. The findings also demonstrated that all the poultry farmers were aware of Salmonella, and over 78.6% knew the source of Salmonella through seminars, extension workers, family/friends, and the Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) in Oyo State.