Immune Response Of Broilers To Newcastle Disease Vaccination

Newcastle Disease (ND) is a contagious viral disease affecting wild and domestic avian species. The disease causes both high morbidity and mortality in chickens and therefore a serious economic threat to the poultry industry worldwide. Vaccination is the major control measure for ND in Nigeria. However, despite mass vaccination against ND, there are many reports of outbreaks of the disease in Nigeria. These outbreaks have been attributed to improper handling of vaccines, wrong vaccination practices, and inability of vaccinated birds to sustain immunity for a long time. It has been proposed that addition of vitamins ¿ minerals to feeds of poultry can enhance their immune response to vaccination. This work has been carried out to verify these claims and experiment best practices using vitamins A, C and E and Selenium to boost immunity and body weight of immunized broilers. The analysis should be of immense help to poultry owners and veterinarians looking to prevent vaccination failures and improve on feed conversion of broilers.