FACTORS INFLUENCING THE STOCK SIZE OF SMALLHOLDER POULTRY FARMERS IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

This study assessed the factors influencing the stock size of smallholder poultry farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria. Primary data were collected using copies of the questionnaires, while a multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 180 smallholder poultry farmers. Descriptive statistics such as percentages and frequencies were employed to achieve the objectives. The result revealed that most (60%) respondents were male, and the majority (53.33%) were married. About 54.44% of the farmers had post-secondary school education, while only 61.11% of them were members of cooperative societies. The average age of the farmers was 49 years, the mean household size was 7, and the average years of experience in poultry farming was 14 years. The findings further revealed that the mean stock size of poultry farmers was 210. Factors such as the cost of day-old chicken, festive periods, market demands, size of the pen, type of bird to be stocked, the financial capability of the farmer, production type, production season, fear of disease, and availability of labour were among the determinants of the stock size of poultry farmers in the study area. The most used management system by poultry farmers was the deep litter system (47.22%), while the cost of day-old chicken, with a mean value of 3.30, was the most effective determinant of stock size. Based on the findings, the study concludes that many variables influence smallholder poultry farmers’ stock size in Kwara State. It was recommended that smallholder poultry farmers should be provided with better access to financial services such as credit, savings, and insurance.