Theory question 107
Poultry Production(a)(i) Define the term brooder as used in poultry production. (ii) List four characteristics of a good layer.
(b) State four reasons for providing suitable housing for livestock.
(c) Give the scientific names of three fish species commonly stocked in a pond.
(d) State three qualities of a good pasture plant.
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(a)(i) A brooder is a warm house or device in which day-old chicks are kept and given artificial heat until they can keep themselves warm.
(ii) Any four: bright red, moist comb and wattles; wide space between pelvic bones; large, soft, moist vent; alert and active; bleached shanks and beak; good appetite.
(b) Any four: protects animals from bad weather; protects them from predators and thieves; makes feeding, watering and management easy; helps disease control; prevents animals from damaging crops; makes record keeping easy.
(c) Any three: Clarias gariepinus (catfish); Oreochromis niloticus / Tilapia spp.; Heterotis niloticus; Cyprinus carpio (carp); Heterobranchus spp.
(d) Any three: high yield and nutritive value; palatable; fast regrowth after grazing; persistent and resistant to trampling; drought and disease resistant; easy to establish.
Write scientific names with genus and species.