45 questions. Try each one, then open the answer to check yourself and read the explanation.
An example of a non-ruminant farm animal is
Answer: C (rabbit.)
The rabbit has a simple stomach; cattle, goats and sheep are ruminants.
A tube-like structure that carries air to the lungs of farm animals is
Answer: D (trachea.)
The trachea (windpipe) carries air from the throat to the lungs.
In ruminants, gastric juice is produced in the
Answer: A (abomasum.)
The abomasum is the glandular 'true stomach' that secretes gastric juice.
The practice of feeding a special diet to ewe before mating is called
Answer: A (flushing.)
Flushing is extra feeding before mating to increase ovulation.
The male hormone produced by farm animals is called
Answer: D (testosterone.)
Testosterone is made by the testes.
The average gestation period for cattle is
Answer: C (282 days.)
A cow is pregnant for about 282 days (about 9 months).
A farmer whose objective is to produce animals of the same age will practice
Answer: D (artificial insemination.)
With AI many females can be inseminated on the same day, so the young are born at about the same time.
Which of the following management practices would increase the carrying capacity of pasture?
Answer: B (Fertilizing the pasture)
Fertilizer makes the pasture produce more forage, so more animals can be fed on it.
A distention of stomach in ruminants due to accumulation of gas as a result of consumption of lush pasture is known as
Answer: A (bloat.)
Bloat is swelling of the rumen with trapped gas.
Fumigation of a poultry house is done for the following reasons except to
Answer: B (prevent endoparasites.)
Fumigation kills germs and pests in the house; it does not reach worms living inside the birds.
Indiscriminate breeding could be prevented in farm animals through
Answer: C (hand mating.)
In hand mating the farmer chooses which male mates which female.
If 50 cows were artificially inseminated and 37 cows conceived, determine the percentage conception rate.
Answer: C (74%)
Conception rate = 37/50 × 100 = 74%.
A disease caused by Eimeria spp. is
Answer: B (coccidiosis.)
Eimeria protozoa cause coccidiosis.
Which of the following signs of oestrus in ewe are correct? I. Swollen vulva II. Frequent urination III. Mounting of other ewes.
Answer: A (I and II only)
A ewe on heat has a swollen vulva and urinates often; unlike cows, ewes seldom mount one another.
The organism that causes trypanosomiasis is transmitted by
Answer: D (tsetsefly.)
Tsetse flies carry trypanosomes.
The tiny numerous finger-like projections on the walls of small intestines of farm animals which help nutrient absorption is the
Answer: D (villi.)
Villi are the finger-like folds that increase the surface area for absorption.
Determine the number of pigs that could be stocked in a pig sty with dimensions of 14.0 m by 6.0 m, if the required floor space per pig is 2 m2.
Answer: B (42)
Area = 14.0 × 6.0 = 84 m²; 84 ÷ 2 = 42 pigs.
In which of the following physiological processes is haemoglobin essential?
Answer: A (Transport of oxygen)
Haemoglobin in red blood cells carries oxygen.
Which of the following management practices could decrease the production of herbage on a grazing land?
Answer: B (Overstocking)
Too many animals overgraze and destroy the pasture.
The diagram below illustrates the life cycle of an endoparasite of a livestock.
The diagram illustrates the developmental stages of
Answer: A (liver fluke.)
The cycle shows eggs, a stage that enters a snail and cysts on grass eaten by the grazing animal: the liver fluke.
The diagram below illustrates the life cycle of an endoparasite of a livestock.
The secondary host of the parasite is
Answer: C (water snail.)
The water snail is the secondary (intermediate) host of the liver fluke.
The diagram below illustrates the life cycle of an endoparasite of a livestock.
The stage of the life cycle labelled II which enters the secondary host is called
Answer: B (miracidium.)
The miracidium hatches from the egg in water and swims to enter the snail.
Genetic defects in livestock are caused by
Answer: C (mutation.)
Genetic defects come from changes in genes (mutations).
Which of the following operations should be carried out to prevent honey bees from being excited during the harvesting of honey?
Answer: A (Use of smoke around the hive)
Smoke calms bees and makes them less likely to sting.
If a calf dies suddenly with blood oozing from the natural openings, the calf must have died of
Answer: A (anthrax.)
Sudden death with dark, unclotted blood from the nose, mouth and anus is typical of anthrax.
Iron injection is administered to piglets within the first week of farrowing to
Answer: D (prevent them from being anaemic.)
Sow's milk is low in iron, so piglets are injected to prevent anaemia.
The first step in formulating diet for a cattle is to
Answer: B (determine the nutrient requirement of the cattle.)
You must first know what nutrients the animal needs; only then can ingredients be chosen and amounts worked out.
Which of the following breeding practices would lead to reduced hybrid vigour?
Answer: B (Inbreeding)
Inbreeding increases similar genes and loses the hybrid vigour that comes from crossing.
Hay and silage are both classified as
Answer: D (roughages.)
Hay and silage are conserved forage, high in fibre: roughages.
The process by which digested nutrients enter the blood stream through the intestinal wall of farm animals is known as
Answer: A (absorption.)
Absorption is the passage of digested food into the blood.
Which of the following measures could be used to maintain productivity of pasture?
Answer: C (Optimum stocking rate)
Keeping the right number of animals per area prevents overgrazing and keeps the pasture productive.
The diagram below illustrates an organ of a farm animal.
The part labelled III is the
Answer: C (gland cistern.)
III is the large space at the base of the udder quarter where milk collects: the gland cistern.
The diagram below illustrates an organ of a farm animal.
The synthesis of milk occurs in the part labelled
Answer: A (I.)
Milk is made in the alveoli, the clusters of secretory cells labelled I; the ducts (II) only carry it.
Grass-legume mixture in pasture production is used to
Answer: D (improve nutrient level of forage.)
Legumes add protein to the grass, giving a more nutritious forage.
The meat of a calf which is less than six months old and fed exclusively on milk is called
Answer: D (veal.)
Veal is the meat of a young milk-fed calf.
Formation of the egg shell membrane occurs in the
Answer: B (isthmus.)
The isthmus adds the two shell membranes; the shell itself is formed in the uterus.
Which of the following disorders could be associated with difficult parturition?
Answer: B (Dystocia)
Dystocia means difficult birth.
The extent to which a farm animal readily consumes a feed is referred to as
Answer: A (acceptability)
How readily an animal eats a feed is its acceptability (palatability); digestibility is how much of it is digested.
Which of the following animals is usually classified as a non-traditional farm animal?
Answer: D (Snail)
Snails are 'mini-livestock', not one of the traditional farm animals.
(a) State six activities that could be carried out in the brooding of chicks. (b) Explain each of the following management practices in poultry production: (i) deworming; (ii) culling; (iii) debeaking (iv) delousing. (c) State four signs of ill health in poultry. (d) Mention two organs in the circulatory system of farm animals.
(a) Any six: clean and disinfect the brooder house before arrival; spread dry litter (wood shavings); provide and regulate heat (about 32–35 °C at first, reduced weekly); watch chick behaviour to adjust heat; provide clean water and feed at all times; give glucose/vitamins on arrival; vaccinate (e.g. Newcastle, Gumboro); ensure ventilation and light; remove dead or weak chicks; widen the brooder space as chicks grow; keep records
(b)(i) Deworming: giving drugs (in water, feed or by mouth) to rid birds of internal worms
(ii) Culling: removing unproductive, sick, weak or unwanted birds from the flock by selling or killing them
(iii) Debeaking: cutting off part of the upper (and lower) beak with a hot blade to prevent cannibalism, feather pecking and egg eating
(iv) Delousing: removing lice from birds by dusting, spraying or dipping in insecticide
(c) Any four: dullness and ruffled feathers; loss of appetite; drop in egg production; diarrhoea or abnormal droppings; pale comb and wattle; discharge from eyes or nostrils; difficult breathing/coughing; isolation; twisted neck
(d) Any two: heart; arteries; veins; capillaries; blood
One short sentence to explain each practice.
(a) Complete the table below on forage crops.
Botanical name | Common name | Type of forage
Pennisetum purpureum | (i) | Grass
Calopogonium mucunoides | (ii) | (iii)
(iv) | Stylo | (v)
Panicum maxinium | (vi) | (vii)
Mucuna utilis | (viii) | Legume
(b)(i) Define the term pasture. (ii) State four ways in which grass-legume mixture is important in livestock production. (c) State six characteristics of rangelands.
(a) (i) elephant grass/Napier grass; (ii) calopo; (iii) legume; (iv) Stylosanthes spp. (e.g. S. guianensis, S. gracilis); (v) legume; (vi) Guinea grass; (vii) grass; (viii) velvet bean
(b)(i) Pasture: an area of land on which grasses and/or legumes grow (naturally or planted) for animals to graze
(ii) Any four: gives a more balanced diet (protein from legumes, energy from grasses); legumes fix nitrogen and improve soil fertility; higher total yield; more palatable forage; better ground cover against erosion and weeds; grasses support the legumes; extends the grazing season
(c) Any six: large expanse of natural land; made of natural grasses, legumes and shrubs; low nutritive value, especially in the dry season; low carrying capacity; prone to bush fires; not fertilized or managed; seasonal growth; harbours pests and diseases; can withstand trampling; used for extensive grazing
Write the botanical names in italics.
(a) Mention five ways of preventing malnutrition in farm animals. (b) Discuss rickets in farm animals stating two points each under the following headings: (i) causes; (ii) symptoms; (iii) control measures; (iv) animals which could be affected. (c) Explain the term additive as used in animal nutrition. (d) State five reasons why additives are included in animal feed.
(a) Any five: feed a balanced ration; feed according to age and purpose; give enough feed/avoid overcrowding at the trough; give clean water; give mineral licks and vitamin supplements; deworm regularly; supplement in the dry season; store feed properly
(b)(i) Causes, any two: deficiency of vitamin D; deficiency of calcium; deficiency of phosphorus; wrong calcium–phosphorus ratio; lack of sunlight
(ii) Symptoms, any two: soft, bent or bowed legs; swollen joints; lameness/stiff gait; retarded growth; soft beak in chicks
(iii) Control, any two: add bone meal/oyster shell/limestone to feed; give vitamin D supplements; allow animals sunlight; balance calcium and phosphorus in the ration
(iv) Any two: young chicks/poultry; pigs; calves; lambs and kids
(c) An additive is a non-nutritive substance added in small amounts to feed to improve its use, the animal's growth or health
(d) Any five: promote growth; improve feed conversion; prevent or control diseases (antibiotics, coccidiostats); deworm; improve palatability/flavour; preserve feed (antioxidants, mould inhibitors); bind pellets; improve colour of yolk/carcass
Two points under each heading in (b).
(a) State four ways in which livestock is important. (b)(i) Mention six organs associated with the digestive system in rabbit. (ii) State two functions of the alimentary canal in livestock. (c)(i) State four functions of the liver in farm animals. (ii) Mention two parasites which could be found in the liver of cattle. (d) State two differences between the digestive systems of a goat and a rabbit.
(a) Any four: food (meat, milk, eggs); income and employment; raw materials (hides, wool); manure; draught power/transport; foreign exchange; social and religious uses
(b)(i) Any six: mouth/teeth; oesophagus; stomach; small intestine; caecum; colon; rectum; anus; liver; pancreas; gall bladder
(ii) Any two: ingestion of food; digestion of food; absorption of nutrients; egestion of undigested waste
(c)(i) Any four: secretes bile; stores glycogen and controls blood sugar; deamination of excess amino acids/forms urea; detoxifies poisons and drugs; stores vitamins (A, D) and iron; makes blood proteins; breaks down old red blood cells; produces heat
(ii) Any two: liver fluke (Fasciola); hydatid cyst (tapeworm larva); roundworm larvae
(d) Any two (goat vs rabbit): four-chambered stomach vs simple stomach; chews the cud vs practises coprophagy; fibre digested in rumen vs fibre digested in large caecum; no upper incisors (dental pad) vs has upper incisors
Compare the same feature for both animals in (d).
(a) Explain each of the following terms as used in slaughtering of farm animals: (i) scalding; (ii) singeing; (iii) evisceration. (b) Name four agents involved in marketing of farm animals and animal products. (c) State five marketing functions that could be performed to facilitate the sale of chicken and eggs. (d) Name three stages in the life cycle of a roundworm. (e) Mention two methods of animal improvement.
(a)(i) Scalding: dipping the carcass in hot water (about 60–80 °C) to loosen feathers or hair for easy removal
(ii) Singeing: burning off the remaining fine hair or feathers on the carcass with a flame
(iii) Evisceration: removing the internal organs (guts) from the carcass
(b) Any four: producer; assembler/middleman; wholesaler; retailer; processor; transporter; cooperative society; consumer
(c) Any five: assembling; grading and sorting; processing/dressing; packaging (egg crates); storage/refrigeration; transportation; advertising/promotion; pricing; financing; selling/distribution
(d) Any three: egg; larva (first, second, third stage); adult
(e) Any two: selection; introduction; breeding (inbreeding, crossbreeding, outbreeding); artificial insemination
Define each slaughter term in one sentence.
(a)(i) Explain the term brooding as used in animal husbandry. (ii) State four routine activities which are carried out in a brooder house. (b) State four effects of parasites in livestock production. (c) Mention four ways of controlling liver fluke in sheep production. (d)(i) Define the term artificial insemination as used in animal production. (ii) State four advantages of artificial insemination in cattle production.
(a)(i) Brooding: the care and management of young chicks from day-old to about 6–8 weeks, providing artificial heat, feed, water and protection
(ii) Any four: feeding; watering; regulating temperature; cleaning feeders and drinkers; changing litter; vaccination and medication; removing dead chicks; record keeping
(b) Any four: cause loss of weight and poor growth; reduce milk, meat and egg production; cause anaemia; damage hides, skins and organs; transmit diseases; may cause death; increase cost of treatment
(c) Any four: drain swampy pastures; kill snails with molluscicides (e.g. copper sulphate); keep ducks to eat snails; avoid grazing on wet, swampy land; deworm sheep with flukicides; rotational grazing; fence off snail habitats
(d)(i) Artificial insemination: placing semen collected from a male into the reproductive tract of a female on heat by hand, without mating
(ii) Any four: one superior bull can serve many cows; reduces cost of keeping bulls; prevents spread of venereal diseases; semen can be stored and transported long distances; allows use of semen from dead or injured bulls; avoids injury to small cows from heavy bulls
Give precise definitions in (a)(i) and (d)(i).