(a) Mention four parasites of farm animals. (b) Enumerate five ways in which the keeping of ruminants is important to the economy of your country. (c) List ...

(a) Four parasites of farm animals

• Tick.
• Louse.
• Liver fluke.
• Tapeworm (also roundworm, mite, tsetse fly).

(b) Five ways in which the keeping of ruminants is important to the economy

• Provides meat and milk as a cheap source of animal protein.
• Is a source of income and foreign exchange to farmers and the nation.
• Provides employment along the production and marketing chain.
• Supplies raw materials such as hides and skin for industry.
• Provides manure for crop farming and draught power for work.

(c) Management practices undertaken in calf production

• Feeding the calf with colostrum soon after birth.
• Disinfecting and treating the navel cord.
• Identification (ear tagging/notching).
• Dehorning and castration of unwanted males.
• Feeding, weaning, deworming and vaccination.

(d) Two ways each practice is important

(i) Brooding: provides warmth to chicks and protects them from cold and predators, thereby reducing chick mortality.

(ii) Debeaking: prevents cannibalism and feather pecking, and reduces feed wastage and egg-eating.

(iii) Culling: removes unproductive animals and helps to control disease, improving flock quality and reducing feeding cost.