Animal Production and Husbandry: Feeding, Breeding, Health
Animal Production and Husbandry tests the feeding, breeding, health and housing of cattle, goats, sheep, poultry, pigs and donkeys in smallholder and commercial units, plus the records that show a manager is in control.
Feeding rules
Ruminants (cattle, goats, sheep) digest roughage in the rumen; pigs and poultry are monogastric and need concentrated feed. Dry matter intake for cattle is about 2–2.5% of body weight. A 400 kg cow therefore takes about 10 kg DM/day; if the hay is 90% DM, that is 11.1 kg of hay as fed. Legume hay or concentrate supplies the protein and minerals that mature dry-season grass lacks, and water must be available at all times.
Breeding and health
- Oestrus cycle: about 21 days in cattle, 17–21 days in goats and sheep.
- Gestation: cattle 283 days, sheep 147, goats 150, pigs 114; chicken eggs hatch after 21 days.
- Systems: purebreeding, crossbreeding for hybrid vigour, and upgrading a local herd with a superior bull.
- Health: tick control by dipping or spraying, vaccination against anthrax and other notifiable diseases, dosing for internal parasites, and strict biosecurity in poultry houses.
Worked example: calving date
A cow is served on 1 April. Day 91 of the year plus 283 days = day 374, which rolls into the next year: 374 − 365 = day 9, that is 9 January. Writing the method out earns more than the bare answer.
Traps
- Swapping gestation lengths between species.
- Feeding concentrate with no roughage, causing acidosis.
- Counting a 28-day cycle instead of 21.
- Ignoring the milk or meat withholding period after treatment.