Theory question 106
Animal Nutrition(a) Explain why each of the following factors should be considered in formulating feed for farm animals: (i) physiological status; (ii) age; (iii) nutrient composition of feedstuff. (b) Mention five activities that are involved in the processing of farm animals. (c) Explain each of the following terms as used in animal production: (i) selection; (ii) pasture; (iii) artificial insemination. (d) Mention three products that could be obtained from rabbit production.
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(a)(i) Physiological status: pregnant, lactating, laying or sick animals need extra or special nutrients
(ii) Age: young animals need more protein and easily digested feed for growth; adults need mainly maintenance feed
(iii) Nutrient composition: tells how much of each ingredient to include to meet the animal's needs and avoid shortages or excess
(b) Any five: ante-mortem inspection; stunning; slaughtering/bleeding; scalding/skinning/dehairing; defeathering; evisceration; washing; post-mortem inspection; cutting into parts; packaging and chilling/preservation
(c)(i) Selection: choosing the best animals to be parents of the next generation and culling the poor ones
(ii) Pasture: land with grasses and/or legumes used for grazing livestock
(iii) Artificial insemination: placing semen collected from a male into the reproductive tract of a female by hand, without mating
(d) Any three: meat; fur/pelt; manure; skin/leather; laboratory animals for research
One reason for each factor in (a).