The Problems of Duck Farming (A Case Study Ovia North West Local Government Area, Edo State)

1.0 Introduction

Ducks are tough animals and good scavengers. They are easier and cheaper to keep than chickens. This makes duck keeping for the production of eggs and meat an attractive enterprise about 700 million ducks are kept around the world, the majority of these more than 500million are found in Asia. Despite this uneven distribution, it is certainly also possible to raise ducks in parts of the worlds, including Africa and Latin America. Ducks can be reared for eggs and meat, for own use or for sale. Other products from ducks which can also be sold include down feathers and fattened livers. There are many similarities between chicken and duck rearing. The most obvious similarities are found in the type of the products for which these forms of poultry we kept duck, like chicken are good producers of eggs and meat.

1.1 Background Of The Study

Ducks however have several advantages over other poultry species, in particular their disease tolerance. They are hardly, excellent foragers and easy to hard, particularly in wetlands where they naturally tend to flock together. Ducks are relatively easy to raise and generally need less care than chickens.

This study seeks to determine the problems and prospects of duck rearing in Ovia North East Local Government Area.

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

The study will deal with queries as enumerated below:

1. Is duck rearing popular in this locality?
2. Is duck meat popular among people?
3. Why is duck meat not acceptable to some people
4. What percentage of the people do not want duck meat?
5. How can duck meat rearing be improved in this locality?
6. What is the contribution of duck meat to the poultry industry in Nigeria?

1.3 Purpose Of The Study

This research was proposed on the background of the following desires;

1. To ascertain the level of acceptability
2. To determine the proficiency of duck meat rearing/farming
3. To unveil the reasons for level of acceptability of duck meat
4. To propose ways to enhance duck meat production
5. To encourage more production of duck meat.

1.4 Research Question

This study will focus on the following queries relating to problems and prospects of duck farming in Ovia North West local Government area of Edo state

1. What are the problems of duck farming in Ovia North West Local Government Area?
2. How much as these problems hampered the level of duck productivity?
3. What are the efforts made by the non government agencies in tackling these problems
4. What is the contribution of duck farming to the poultry industry?
5. What are the prospects in duck farming?
6. How can duck farming be improved?

1.5 Hypothesis

This research study was undertaken with the following assumptions regarding the problems and prospects of duck farming in Ovia North West Local Government area of Edo State.

1. HO: the dirty nature of ducks has no effect on their acceptability
   H1: the dirty nature of duck has effect on their acceptability
2. HO: high cost of feed, ingredient has no effect on duck production
   H1: high cost of feed ingredient has effect on duck production
3. H0: the popular extensive system of duck rearing has no effect on productivity
   H1: the popular extensive system duck rearing has effect on productivity

1.6 Scope Of The Study

This research was based on questionnaire approach involving farmers and rural dwellers in Ovia North West Local Government Area of Edo state. They were made to answer questions presented in these questionnaires. Their opinion were studied and analyzed scientifically with a view to giving adequate insight into the problems and prospect of duck farming in Ovia North West Local Government Area.

1.7 Significance Of The Study

This study will provide adequate insight and help in the following ways:

1. It will give a background knowledge of duck farming
2. It will identity some problems affecting duck farming in Ovia North West Local Government Area
3. It will propose solution to these problems
4. It seems to recommend to the people, the benefits, the benefits of duck farming.
5. It will reveal the prospects in duck farming, thereby encouraging prospective farmers