**1. Introduction**

The world's population is likely to be 9.9 billion in the year 2050, which is 26.9% of the current population [1]. Agriculture generally plays a crucial role in enhancing food security and reducing poverty compared to other sectors of the economy [2]. It is regarded as unarguably important for economic growth and development, especially in developing economies [3]. Agriculture has been a vital component in the development of many countries in Europe such as Holland, England, and France [4]. The fundamental aspect of the livestock sector is poultry, and it is quite complex. There are many categories in the production cycle involving the breeder farm, hatchery, feed mill, and meat processing industry [5, 6] opined that the poultry industry has grown tremendously over the past five decades with a huge demand for its product. The poultry aspect of livestock production seems to have experienced the fastest growth and development in the livestock industry.

Poultry production is gaining tremendous awareness in less-developed countries as a result of the gap it bridges in protein supply and boosting socioeconomic growth and development in many countries [7]. The cheapest source of protein is from poultry meat and eggs that are easily accessed many impoverished people in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia [8]. In Kenya, 71% of the eggs, and meat produced and consumed is from the indigenous chicken, and this has a positive influence on the lifestyle and enhancing food security of those involved in subsistence farming [9]. In developing countries, livestock production constitutes 25–30% of the agricultural gross domestic product of less-developed countries and may increase by another 25% in about 20 years' time. The Nigerian poultry industry contributes about 25% of the agricultural domestic products, thereby ranking Nigeria the highest producer of eggs in Africa but fourth in broiler production [10]. The poultry industry has the potential of meeting the supply of animal protein in the short time basis [11]. The major constraint to the expansion of the poultry sector is feed, which accounts for about 70% of the cost of production [12].

Preston [13] reported that the limiting factor to researchers in the tropics is inability to proffer novel feed resources for monogastric animals. The development of cheap alternative feeding materials is currently receiving immense attention by entrepreneurs, nutrition scientists, and other researchers through evaluation of novel or unconventional feed resources such as agro-industrial by-products. This approach is to reduce the cost of production and competition among animals, industries, and humans for conventional foods/feeds without affecting the dietary and reproductive performance of the livestock.

Subtherapeutic use of antibiotics is used in the broiler industry to improve the growth performance indices and also reduce mortality [14]. However, there is an embargo by the European Union on the use of antibiotics as a result of the residues in poultry products and the increased bacteria antibiotic resistance [15], therefore the need for alternatives to improve poultry growth performance. The ancient use of some natural products has been gaining more acceptance [16]. The use of wood shavings/saw dust is not limited to the poultry industry, and there are other factories that use them as raw materials; in the same manner, the chemical contaminants from the used wood shavings and saw dust has necessitated the need for poultry farms to proffer alternative litter materials for commercial poultry production. The potential alternatives that could replace wood shavings without compromising the availability, cost, and ability to absorb and adsorb moisture include corn cob, straws, peanut hulls, rice hulls, newspapers, and gypsum [17].
