CHARACTERISATION OF POULTRY FARMING IN TWO SUBURBAN AREAS OF ABIDJAN (IVORY COAST) AND THE USE OF PLANT EXTRACTS IN THESE FARMS

The aim of this study was to characterise poultry farming systems in Bingerville and Yopougon, two peri-urban areas of Abidjan, and to analyse the use of plant extracts in poultry health management. To this end, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among 58 farmers using well-structured questionnaires. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics with SPSS Statistics 25 software, whilst Excel 2016 was used to produce the graphs.The farms surveyed were mainly located in Yopougon (69%) and run by men (96.6%), with an average age of 38.54 - 0.16 years and predominantly of Ivorian nationality (72.4%). Among these farmers, 34.48% were illiterate and livestock farming was the main occupation of 82.76% of those surveyed, although only 15.52% had received formal training in livestock farming. Livestock systems were dominated by semi-modern methods (60.34%), with herds ranging from 8 to 6,000 head. The species reared mainly comprised hybrid chickens (32.8%), laying hens (24.1%), quails and African chickens (20.7% each). Furthermore, digestive, respiratory and skin diseases were frequently observed (84.48%). Whilst the majority of poultry farmers used modern treatments (72.41%), 22.41% used plant leaves, administered orally to their poultry. Thus, the plant species identified (Moringa oleifera, Basilicumcanum, Urticadioica, Talinumpaniculatum, Phyllanthusamarus and Spinaciaoleracea) demonstrated preventive efficacy against various avian diseases.