WAEC SSCE - Animal Husbandry - 2018 (Essay)

Answer Details

(a) Three ways in which each factor hinders livestock production in West Africa

(i) Breeding:

• Use of poor, low-yielding indigenous breeds.
• Inadequate supply of good breeding stock.
• Uncontrolled/indiscriminate mating and lack of A.I. facilities.

(ii) Nutrition:

• Inadequate feed, especially during the dry season.
• Poor quality of natural pasture.
• High cost of concentrates/feed ingredients.

(iii) Healthcare:

• High prevalence of pests and diseases.
• Inadequate veterinary services and personnel.
• High cost of drugs and vaccines.

(iv) Government policy:

• Unfavourable and inconsistent agricultural policies.
• Inadequate funding of the livestock sub-sector.
• Poor implementation of policies and high import duties on inputs.

(v) Finance:

• Inadequate capital to start and expand production.
• High interest rates on loans.
• Lack of/difficult access to credit facilities.

(b) Five factors that affect the productivity of pastures

• Soil fertility.
• Amount of rainfall/water available.
• Species or type of pasture grown.
• Grazing/stocking management.
• Climate (temperature) and control of weeds and pests.

Answer Details

(a) Five agents involved in the marketing of animal products

• Wholesalers
• Retailers
• Middlemen
• Commission agents/brokers
• Transporters (also processors and cooperative societies)

(b)(i) Definition of pasteurization

Pasteurization is the process of heating milk to a specific temperature (for example 63 °C for 30 minutes or 72 °C for 15 seconds) and then cooling it rapidly, in order to kill harmful/pathogenic micro-organisms without spoiling the quality of the milk.

(b)(ii) Two ways in which pasteurisation of milk is important

• It kills disease-causing organisms and makes the milk safe for consumption.
• It prolongs the shelf life/keeping quality of the milk.

(b)(iii) Four milk products

• Butter
• Cheese
• Yoghurt
• Cream (also ghee, ice cream and powdered milk)

(c) Four factors that affect the yield of milk in cows

• Breed of the cow.
• Feeding/nutrition of the cow.
• Age and stage of lactation.
• Health of the animal and frequency of milking.

(d)(i) One reason for starving an animal before slaughter

• To empty the digestive tract so that evisceration is easier and the carcass is not contaminated with gut content.

(d)(ii) Two pre-slaughtering activities

• Resting the animal.
• Starving/fasting the animal (also ante-mortem inspection and stunning).

Answer Details

(a)(i) Five external parts of a cock

• Comb
• Wattle
• Beak
• Eye
• Shank (also feathers, wing, spur, claw and tail)

(a)(ii) Three viral diseases that affect poultry

• Newcastle disease
• Fowl pox
• Gumboro (infectious bursal disease), also Marek's disease and fowl plague (avian influenza)

(b) Five signs observed in a sick farm animal

• Loss of appetite/reduced feed intake.
• Dullness and isolation from the herd.
• Rough, staring coat or ruffled feathers.
• Reduced production (milk, meat or eggs).
• Abnormal body temperature (fever) and difficult breathing, with discharges from the eyes/nose.

(c) Terms used in livestock production

• Drenching: the administration of liquid medicine or drug through the mouth of an animal using a drenching gun or bottle.
• Dipping: the immersion or passing of an animal through a bath/tank containing an acaricide or pesticide solution to control external parasites such as ticks, lice and mites.

(d) Three body systems in farm animals

• Digestive system
• Respiratory system
• Circulatory system (also reproductive, nervous and excretory systems)

Answer Details

(a) Five differences between the digestive systems of a goat and a chicken

(b) Terms used in animal production

• Rumination: the process by which a ruminant regurgitates partly digested food (cud) from the rumen to the mouth for further chewing and then re-swallows it.
• Coprophagy: the practice (as in rabbits) of eating one's own soft faeces so as to re-digest the food and recover nutrients such as vitamins and proteins.

(c) One reason for carrying out each practice

• Creep feeding: to provide extra feed to young animals (e.g. piglets) separately so that they grow faster while still suckling.
• Steaming-up: to give extra feed to a pregnant animal in late gestation to nourish the developing foetus and prepare the dam for lactation.
• Flushing: to improve the feeding of females just before and during mating so as to raise the ovulation rate and increase conception/litter size.

(d)(i) Four ways in which rangelands are important

• They provide natural forage/grazing for livestock.
• They are a cheap source of animal feed.
• They provide habitat for wildlife and source of medicinal plants.
• They protect the soil against erosion and are a source of income.

(d)(ii) Four practices to improve pastures

• Controlled/rotational grazing.
• Application of fertilizer or manure.
• Weeding/weed control.
• Reseeding/oversowing with improved forage species.

Answer Details

(a) Meaning of ration

A ration is the total amount of feed given to an animal within a period of 24 hours (one day) to meet its nutritional requirements.

(b) How the following factors influence feed formulation

• Physiological status of the animal: pregnant, lactating or laying animals have higher nutrient demands, so the ration is enriched with more protein, energy and minerals (e.g. calcium for layers).
• Age of the animal: young/growing animals need a high-protein ration for growth, while mature animals need mainly a maintenance/energy ration.
• Purpose of production: animals kept for meat (broilers) are given high-energy fattening rations, layers are given calcium-rich rations, and work animals are given energy-rich feed.
• Availability of feed ingredients: locally available and cheaper ingredients are used, while scarce or expensive ones are substituted to reduce the cost of the ration.

(c) Process of preparing palm kernel cake

The palm kernel nuts are cracked to release the kernels. The kernels are dried and the oil is extracted from them by pressing (expelling) or by solvent extraction. The solid residue left behind after the oil has been removed is the palm kernel cake, which is then dried and milled/ground for use as a feed ingredient.

(d) Two differences between broiler starter mash and broiler finisher mash

Answer Details

(a) Four parts of the reproductive system and their functions

(i) Bull

(ii) Hen

(c) Process of digestion of cassava tuber in the mouth of a pig

The pig takes the cassava tuber into its mouth. The teeth cut, tear and grind (mastication) the tuber into smaller particles. At the same time saliva, which contains the enzyme salivary amylase (ptyalin), is secreted and thoroughly mixed with the food. The amylase begins the chemical digestion of the starch (carbohydrate) in the cassava, converting it into maltose. The tongue rolls the moistened, softened food into a bolus which is then swallowed and passed down the oesophagus.