Theory question 107
Livestock Management(a) Explain four of the following management practices to animal production: (i) steaming up; (ii) culling; (iii) candling; (iv) weaning; (v) tatooing; (vi) creep feeding;
(b) List five signs of heat in animals.
(c) Mention three reasons for castrating farm animals.
Show the model answer
(a) Any four: steaming up – extra feeding of a pregnant animal in the last weeks before birth to build reserves for the young and milk; culling – removing unproductive, old or sick animals; candling – examining eggs against light to check fertility and cracks; weaning – stopping the young from suckling; tattooing – marking ink numbers on the ear for identification; creep feeding – giving extra feed to young suckling animals in an area the mother cannot enter
(b) Any five: restlessness; mounting other animals/standing to be mounted; frequent urination; swollen red vulva; mucus discharge from the vulva; bellowing/grunting; loss of appetite; drop in milk yield; raised tail
(c) Any three: prevents unwanted breeding; makes animals docile; improves meat quality and fattening; removes the male smell from meat (boar taint); allows males and females to be kept together
Explain any four practices.