{"id":535,"date":"2026-07-09T17:56:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T16:56:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=535"},"modified":"2026-07-09T17:57:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T16:57:10","slug":"demsu-agric-unit-records-growth-in-poultry-fishery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=535","title":{"rendered":"DELSU Agric Unit Records Growth In Poultry, Fishery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>By Oghenegare Dogbeji<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Livestock and Animal Science Unit of Delta State University, DELSU, Abraka campus, is recording significant growth across its rabbit, poultry, and fish farming operations, officials have confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A recent tour of the facility showed improvements in animal health, feeding, and overall management, a development attributed to the university\u2019s growing commitment to practical agricultural education and sustainable animal husbandry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to a report from the unit, market prices for livestock produced by the university\u2019s agricultural arm have improved in recent months. Farm managers credited the progress to better feeding practices, favourable weather conditions, and improved management of animal housing environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rabbit section currently houses several breeds including Dutch, Havana, Hylamaze, Chestnut, and Markpia. The animals are kept in tiered wire mesh cages and managed according to breed-specific needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officials said students and visitors are being trained to identify superior breeds, a key skill for commercial rabbit production. Rabbits are fed formulated feeds in the morning with grasses and forage weeds as supplements to aid digestion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On reproduction, officials noted that does have a gestation period of 30 to 32 days, making rabbit farming one of the fastest livestock ventures. The breed diversity and short production cycle, they added, position the unit for both academic and commercial purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The poultry section operates in a large, well-ventilated facility equipped with ceiling fans and tiered cages. It manages three categories of birds: broilers, layers, and turkeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Layers are grouped into pullets and old layers. Pullets take up to six months to begin laying, while old layers weigh about 2kg and above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Broilers, on the other hand, grow faster and are started on starter feed immediately after hatching before being switched to finisher mash at three weeks to maximize weight gain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turkeys, which feed on the same diet as broilers, are market-ready within six weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Managers said demand for turkeys rises during festive periods, making it an area of growing interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bags of quality poultry feed, water buckets, and feeding troughs observed during the tour indicated a steady supply chain for daily operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fishery section features a large earthen pond surrounded by banana plantations, reflecting the unit\u2019s adoption of integrated farming. Netting over the pond prevents fish from jumping out and protects them from predators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A staff member was seen inspecting the pond during the visit, highlighting the unit\u2019s hands-on approach. Officials said runoff from the pond also nourishes the surrounding banana plants, demonstrating efficient land use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officials described the unit as a model for practical agricultural education, offering DELSU students direct exposure to real farming practices and challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They expressed optimism that continued investment in animal care, quality feed, and environmental management would further improve productivity and contribute to Delta State\u2019s agricultural economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The unit, they said, is positioned to serve both its educational mandate and commercial objectives in the months ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Oghenegare Dogbeji The Livestock and Animal Science Unit of Delta State University, DELSU, Abraka campus, is recording significant growth across its rabbit, poultry, and fish farming operations, officials have confirmed. A recent tour of the facility showed improvements in animal health, feeding, and overall management, a development attributed to the university\u2019s growing commitment to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"iawp_total_views":3,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,14],"tags":[66,25,110],"class_list":["post-535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-trendingnews","tag-agriculture","tag-delsu","tag-entrepreneurship"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=535"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":537,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535\/revisions\/537"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}