44 questions. Try each one, then open the answer to check yourself and read the explanation.
In livestock management, elastrator is used for
Answer: B (castration)
An elastrator puts a tight rubber ring on the scrotum (or tail) for bloodless castration (or docking).
A sow which has been farrowing 15 piglets at each parturition could be described as
Answer: C (very prolific)
Prolific means producing many young at a time.
Which of the following signs is not exhibited by an animal on heat?
Answer: D (abnormal high body temperature)
Restlessness, frequent urination and mounting are heat signs; a high fever is a sign of disease.
A farmer who wishes to improve the growth rate of his broilers should practice I. inbreeding II. crossbreeding III. Introduction
Answer: C (II and III only)
Crossbreeding gives hybrid vigour and introduction brings in fast-growing strains; inbreeding lowers growth.
Buck refers to males of
Answer: C (goats and rabbits)
Male goats and male rabbits are both called bucks; a male sheep is a ram.
Feed consumed by farm animals is temporarily stored in the I. gizzard II. Crop III. rumen
Answer: C (II and III only)
The crop (in birds) and the rumen (in ruminants) hold food for a while; the gizzard grinds it.
If the grazing area per cattle is 6mx3m, determine the carrying capacity of a rangeland with an area of 25,020m2.
Answer: A (1,390 cattle)
Area per animal = 6 × 3 = 18 m²; 25,020 ÷ 18 = 1,390 cattle.
Birth weight in sheep could be influenced by
Answer: B (litter size)
The more lambs a ewe carries (twins, triplets), the lighter each one is at birth.
The sequential order for processing of poultry birds is
Answer: C (stunning → hanging → degutting → defeathering)
The bird must be stunned and hung up for bleeding before it is opened; degutting cannot come first.
A farm animal house is best constructed
Answer: A (against the wind direction)
The house is sited so it does not face straight into the prevailing wind, protecting animals from cold draughts and rain.
Advantages of dipping farm animals in acaricides include: I. protection against diseases II. control of ectoparasites III. reduction in skin irritation
Answer: C (II and III only)
Dipping kills ticks and other external parasites, which relieves skin irritation.
The following features are qualities of good pasture grass except
Answer: C (high stem to leaf ratio)
Good pasture grass is leafy (low stem to leaf ratio); stems are fibrous and less nutritious.
The main reason for withdrawing feed from an animal before slaughtering is to
Answer: C (empty the gut of the animal)
An empty gut is easier to remove cleanly and is less likely to burst and contaminate the meat.
The pie chart below illustrates the animal products produced in a farm.
Determine the percentage of cheese.
Answer: A (10.2%)
Total = 100 + 25 + 40 + 80 = 245 kg; cheese = 25/245 × 100 ≈ 10.2%.
The pie chart below illustrates the animal products produced in a farm.
What percentage of the products is from monogastrics?
Answer: B (49.0%)
Pork (40 kg) and chicken (80 kg) come from monogastrics: 120/245 × 100 ≈ 49.0%.
Inbreeding effect in farm animals can manifest in: I. the growth rate II. disease resistance III. meat quality
Answer: A (I and II only)
Inbreeding depression shows mainly as slower growth and lower resistance to disease.
The tendency of cross-bred offspring outperforming its parents is referred to as
Answer: A (hybrid vigour)
Hybrid vigour (heterosis) is when crossbred young perform better than their parents.
During artificial insemination, the electro-ejaculator is inserted into the
Answer: D (rectum)
The electro-ejaculator probe goes into the male's rectum, where it stimulates the nerves that cause ejaculation.
Which of the following developmental stages of liver fluke is released by the water snail?
Answer: B (Cercariae)
Cercariae leave the snail and swim to grass, where they encyst as metacercariae; rediae stay inside the snail.
The act of giving birth in sows is known as
Answer: D (farrowing)
A sow farrows.
Which of the following minerals is required most by laying birds?
Answer: C (calcium)
Layers need large amounts of calcium to form eggshells.
Concentrate is best fed to rabbits as
Answer: B (pellet)
Rabbits eat pellets with less waste, and pellets avoid the dust that powdered feed causes.
Wheat offal could be used in feed formulation for goats due to its: I, high fibre content II. high crude protein III. ease of digestion
Answer: A (I and II only)
Wheat offal is fairly high in fibre and has a useful crude protein content.
Which of the following methods is suitable for prevention of rats in a deep litter house? Use of
Answer: D (wire mesh)
Wire mesh keeps rats out without risk to the birds; poison and baits could harm the chickens.
The part of the digestive system of goat capable of synthesizing vitamin B is
Answer: C (rumen)
Rumen microbes make the B vitamins.
The diagram below illustrates a parasite of farm animals.
The parasite illustrated is a
Answer: D (tick)
It has eight legs and a broad, flat, oval body: a tick.
The diagram below illustrates a parasite of farm animals.
Which of the following farm animals is affected by the illustrated parasite? I. Turkey II. Sheep III. Chicken
Answer: D (I, II and III)
Ticks attack sheep, and fowl ticks (Argas) attack chickens and turkeys, so all three are affected.
The first daily activity that should be carried out in a poultry farm is
Answer: D (inspection and removal of dead animals)
The farmer first inspects the birds and removes dead ones so disease does not spread, before feeding.
Excessive consumption of lush forage in ruminants could result in
Answer: D (bloat)
Lush, wet forage ferments quickly in the rumen, producing gas that causes bloat.
If 12 cattle requires 500 litres of drinking water per day, how much water will be required in 36hours?
Answer: C (750litres)
36 hours = 1.5 days, so water needed = 500 × 1.5 = 750 litres.
Blood stain diarrhoea in poultry is a symptom of
Answer: C (Coccidiosis)
Coccidia damage the gut lining, giving bloody droppings.
Apiary is a place where
Answer: C (bees are kept)
An apiary is a collection of beehives.
During digestion in farm animals, production of volatile fatty acids occur in
Answer: C (sheep)
Volatile fatty acids are made by microbes in the rumen of ruminants such as sheep.
Determine the population of snails required to occupy a 60m by 4m space if the recommended stocking density is 5 adults per square metre.
Answer: D (1200)
Area = 60 × 4 = 240 m²; 240 × 5 = 1,200 snails.
The term ad libitum as used in animal production refers to
Answer: D (availability of feed and water at all times)
Ad libitum feeding means animals can eat and drink freely at any time.
Which of the following plants is not a forage legume?
Answer: A (Andropogon gayanus)
Andropogon gayanus (gamba grass) is a grass; the others are legumes.
Farm animals which could graze on a rangeland include
Answer: D (goat, cattle and sheep)
Ruminants such as goats, cattle and sheep graze on rangeland.
The partitioning of pasture into convenient units for good grazing management is known as
Answer: C (paddocking)
Dividing a pasture into fenced units (paddocks) is paddocking.
a. (i) Give five reasons why fresh meat could be preserved. (ii) Name five forms of processed meat. b. State four characteristics of local chicken in West Africa. c. (i) Mention three methods of semen collection. (ii) State three precautions that should be taken during the process of artificial insemination.
a(i) Any five: prevent spoilage by micro-organisms; prevent food poisoning; make meat last longer (store for future use/scarcity); reduce waste and loss; keep nutrients and flavour; allow transport to distant markets; stabilise prices
(ii) Any five: smoked meat; dried meat (kundi); suya/kilishi; corned/canned beef; sausages; bacon; ham; salted/cured meat; minced meat; burgers
b. Any four: small body size; low egg production and small eggs; slow growth; hardy and resistant to diseases; can scavenge for food; good brooders and mothers; can fly; various colours; tough meat
c(i) Any three: artificial vagina; electro-ejaculator; massage method; collection from the vagina after natural service
(ii) Any three: use semen from healthy, proven males; inseminate at the right time of heat; keep equipment clean and sterile; keep semen at the right temperature/thaw correctly; restrain the female properly; do not injure the cervix or uterus; trained person should do it
Distinct points in each part.
a. (i) Explain the term malnutrition as used in Animal Husbandry. (ii) If 10,000 layers were fed with diet containing 60% maize, 1.5% fishmeal, 28% groundnut cake and 1.5% oyster shell, name the limiting ingredients that are not included in the diet. (iii) State two importance of each of the nutrients named in 2 (a) (ii). b. Give two reasons why a poultry farmer should keep farm records. c. State four ways in which liver fluke could be prevented from completing its life cycle.
a(i) Malnutrition: poor health caused by feeding animals a diet that lacks some nutrients, or has them in excess or in wrong proportions
(ii) Any of: vitamin–mineral premix; bone meal/dicalcium phosphate (phosphorus); common salt; essential amino acids (lysine, methionine); a fibre source such as wheat offal
(iii) Two uses each, e.g. vitamins: growth and good health, disease resistance; phosphorus/bone meal: bone and eggshell formation, energy metabolism; salt: appetite and water balance, prevents feather pecking; lysine/methionine: growth and egg production, feathering
b. Any two: shows profit or loss; helps planning; helps identify poor layers for culling; needed to obtain loans; helps disease control; detects theft
c. Any four: drain swampy areas; kill water snails (molluscicides, ducks); avoid grazing animals on wet land; deworm animals regularly with flukicides; fence off ponds/swamps; rotational grazing; burn or plough infested pasture; dispose of infected livers properly
In (a)(iii) give two points for each nutrient you named.
a. State two functions of each of the following reproductive hormones in livestock. (i) progesterone; (ii) androgen; (iii) oestrogen; (iv) luteinizing hormone b. Complete the table below.
Common name | Botanical name | Type of forage
Elephant grass | (i): | Grass
Tropical kudzu | (ii): | Legume
Gliricidia | (iii): | (iv):
(v): | Andropogon gayanus | (vi)
(vii): | Centrosema molle | Legume
Leucaena | Leucaena leucocephala | (viii):
Bahama grass | (ix) | Grass
(x) | Panicum maximum | Grass
c. Mention two methods of mating in animal production.
a(i) Progesterone: maintains pregnancy; prepares the uterus for implantation; develops the mammary glands; prevents heat during pregnancy
(ii) Androgen (testosterone): development of male sex organs and sperm production; male characteristics and libido; muscle growth
(iii) Oestrogen: causes heat signs; development of female characteristics and reproductive tract; growth of mammary ducts
(iv) Luteinizing hormone: causes ovulation; forms the corpus luteum; stimulates testosterone production in males
b. (i) Pennisetum purpureum; (ii) Pueraria phaseoloides; (iii) Gliricidia sepium; (iv) legume (browse); (v) gamba grass; (vi) grass; (vii) centro; (viii) legume (browse); (ix) Cynodon dactylon; (x) Guinea grass
c. Any two: hand mating; pen mating; flock/pasture mating; artificial insemination
Two functions for each hormone; botanical names in italics.
a. Explain each of the following terms as used in livestock production. i. parasite; ii pest b. Name three: (i) ectoparasites of sheep; (ii) insect pests of sheep c. State four damages that could be caused by pests in cattle. d. Give six signs that could be observed in a sick rabbit.
a(i) Parasite: an organism that lives in or on another organism (the host) and feeds on it, harming it
(ii) Pest: any organism that damages or annoys livestock, their feed or products and so causes economic loss
b(i) Any three: ticks; lice; keds; mites; fleas
(ii) Any three: blowflies; nasal botfly; tsetse fly; biting flies (stable fly, horse fly); mosquitoes; lice
c. Any four: suck blood causing anaemia; spread diseases; irritate animals, reducing feeding and weight; damage hides; reduce milk production; cause wounds that attract maggots
d. Any six: dullness and isolation; loss of appetite; rough fur; diarrhoea or abnormal droppings; discharge from eyes/nose; sneezing/difficult breathing; weight loss; high temperature; scabs or sores on ears and feet; head tilt; swollen abdomen
Define each term in one sentence.
a. State six ways in which diseases could be controlled in sheep production. b. Give three ways in which decreased feed intake of the flock of sheep could be improved. c. Explain each of the following methods of animal improvement. i. introduction; ii. selection; iii. breeding d. State five aims of animal improvement.
a. Any six: vaccination; dipping/spraying against ectoparasites; regular deworming; isolation of sick animals; quarantine of new stock; good sanitation; balanced feeding; avoid overcrowding; rotational grazing; foot trimming/footbath; prompt veterinary treatment
b. Any three: give fresh, palatable forage; supplement with concentrates or salt licks; provide clean water; treat sick animals and deworm; reduce stress/heat (shade); avoid overcrowding at feeders; feed at regular times
c(i) Introduction: bringing in better breeds from other areas or countries
(ii) Selection: choosing the best animals as parents and culling the poor ones
(iii) Breeding: planned mating of chosen animals (inbreeding, crossbreeding, line breeding) to combine or fix desirable traits
d. Any five: higher yield of meat, milk, wool or eggs; faster growth; better feed conversion; resistance to diseases; adaptation to environment; higher fertility; better quality products
One clear sentence per method in (c).
a. Complete the table below on the gestation period of farm animals.
Animal | Gestation period (days)
Sheep | (i):
Rabbit | (ii):
Cattle | (iii):
b. State five ways in which a good housing is important for farm animals. c. Explain each of the following management practices in animal production. i. teeth clipping: ii. foster mothering; iii. docking d. Define the term dystocia. ii. State four causes of dystocia in farm animals.
a. (i) Sheep: about 145–150 days; (ii) Rabbit: about 30–32 days; (iii) Cattle: about 280–285 days
b. Any five: protects from bad weather; protects from thieves and predators; makes feeding, watering and management easy; helps disease control; allows separation by age and sex; helps record keeping; makes collection of eggs/manure easy; improves productivity
c(i) Teeth clipping: cutting the sharp needle teeth of newborn piglets so they do not injure the sow's teats or one another
(ii) Foster mothering: letting a young animal be reared by a female that is not its mother, e.g. when the mother dies or has too many young
(iii) Docking: cutting off part of the tail (lambs, piglets) for hygiene and to prevent fly strike or tail biting
d(i) Dystocia: difficult or abnormal birth that needs help
(ii) Any four: large foetus; wrong position/presentation of the foetus; narrow pelvis/immature female; weak uterine contractions; twins coming together; diseases or deformities of the foetus; over-fat female; uterine torsion
Give approximate gestation lengths in days.