BACTERIAL CONTAMINANTS ASSOCIATED WITH COMMERCIAL POULTRY FEEDS IN ENUGU NIGERIA

Bacterial contaminants that are associated with commercial poultry feeds from three different companies in Enugu, Nigeria were studied. Poultry feeds which included starter, grower, finisher and layer were examined using pour plate techniques. The culture media used were CLED agar and Salmonella – Shigella Agar (SSA). The contaminants isolated include Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp and Proteus spp. E. coli was the predominant bacteria with 55 mean plate count and 42% followed by Proteus with 44 (33.6%) and Salmonella 32 (24.4%). The results showed that the poultry feeds in Enugu, Nigeria analyzed had bacteria contaminants.