WAEC SSCE - Animal Husbandry - 2024 (Essay)

(a) Agents involved in the marketing of animal products

- Media/advertiser

- Producer

- Wholesaler

- Importers

- Co-operative society 

- Middlemen

- Exporter

- Marketing boards/commodity boards

- Retailers

- Processor

- Transporter

(b) (i) Definition of pasteurization 

- This is the process of heating milk at a specific temperature for a specific period of time to make it wholesome for human consumption. 

(ii) Imoprtance of pasteurisation of milk. 

- it reduces contamination by harmful micro organisms in milk. 

- It slows down the process of spoilage

- it improves the quality of milk 

- it improves the shelf life of milk/preservation.

(iii) Milk products
- Powerded milk
- Butter
- Yogurt 
- Whey 
- Condensed milk 
(c) Factors affecting the yield of milk in cows 
- Pest infestation 
- Physiological state of the anilnal 
- Age of the animal 
- Health of the anilnal/ illness 
Digestive disorder 
- Climatic/ weather conditions/ environment 
- Method of collection/milking 
- Disease 
- Frequency of feeding 
- Nutrition of the animal/ inadequate feeding 
- Breed of animal 
- Excitement/agitation/ stress 
- Length of lactation period 
- Water availability 
- Hormonal imbalance/inability to secrete 
oxytocin

(d)(i) Reasons for starving an animal before  slaughtering
- Reduces contamination of meat with digesta/ faeces 
- Promotes easy cheesing/correct dressing percentage 
- Promotes meat tenderness 
(ii) Pre-slaughtering activities 
Cleaning/sanitation 
- Starving/fasting 
- Weighing of animals 
- Restraining 
- Provision of water for the animals to drink 
- Assembling of slaughtering tools 
- Inspection/pre-mortem  

(a) Explanation of Terms:

(i) Coprophagy: Process by which rabbits/animals reingest their soft feaces to recover lost nutrients. It helps the animals to utilize nutrients more efficiently. It is done in the early hours of the day.

(ii) Rumination: It is a process in which swallowed feed is regurgitated, rechewed, resalivated, and reswallowed by ruminants. It ensures that fibrous materials are reduced to smaller sizes for proper digestion. -It is done when the animal's at rest.

(iii) Candling: This is the process by which presumed fertile eggs are placed on a device called candler with a light source below in a dark room to detect the fertility of the egg. - It is done on the 9th and 19th day of incubation/ 14 days.

(iv) Tethering: This is a method of restraining in which an animal is tied to a stake using rope so that the animals' movement is restricted around the radius of the rope. it helps to prevent animals from destroying crop farms.

(b) Local Materials used for Constructing Goat House:

• Raffia/palm frond
• Grass/thatch.
• Plank/sticks/wood.
• Bamboo.
• Plantain/banana leaves.
• Clay/bricks.
• Rope/twine.

(c)(i) Members of Honey Bee Colony:

• Queen
• Drone/king
• Worker
• Brood

(ii) Importance of Honey bee Keeping:

• Production of honey/food/food for man,
• Production of enzymes/invertase.
• Production Serves as a means of employment.
• Sources as foreign exchange.
• Sources of Brood income
• Bee help to pollinate crops.
• Honey is medicinal.
• Educational/research.

(a)i) Explanation of brooding as used in animal husbandry: lt is the provision of heat, feed, water medication, and protection for chicks/piglets in confinement from day old until they develop enough feathers/hairs.

(ii) Routine activities that are carried out in a brooder house:

- Provision of balanced diet/feed

- Provision of fresh and clean water.

- Provision of heat to chicks.

- Cleaning and washing of Water through.

- Removal and placement of litter.

- Vaccination/Medication.

- Culling of unproductive birds

- Separation of weak/injured birds from healthy flock.

- Ensure proper lighting especially at night

- Debeaking of birds at 6-8 weeks.

- Checking of inlet and outlet of pests 

- Adjusting the hoover to make the chicks warm.

- Increasing the chick guard to make provision for growing chicks

- Ensure adequate ventilation

(b) Effects of parasite in livestock production:

- Cause diseases to animals vectors.

- Cause decline/decrease in productivity.

- Reduce the value of animal products/unattractive/market value

- Cause extra cost to farmer/reduce profit margin/reduced income.

- Cause stunted growth of animals/retarded growth.

- Cause anorexia/ loss of appetite.

- May cause the death of animals/coma.

- Block passage of food digestive tract.

- Cause restlessness.

- Loss of blood/causes anaemia

- Poor utilization of feed.

- Cause injury to animals.

- Farmers can be infested with the parasite.

(c) Ways of controlling liver fluke in sheep production:

- Destroy freshwater snails.

- Avoid grazing animals by riverside/Swampy area/water-logged areas.

- Proper drainage of water bodies.

- Deworm/drench animals with recommended drugs.

- Avoid wet pasture/early morning grazing.

- Practice rotational grazing/pasture management.

- Practice liming of pasture.

- Introduce ducks to swampy pasture/biological control

- Pasture rangeland burning.

(d)i. Definition of artificial insemination as used in animal production: It is the process by which sperm/semen is introduced in the female reproductive system of an animal on neat by means other than the use of natural mating

(ii) Advantages of artificial insemination:

- Use of Semen of proven bull to cross a wide range of cows

- Reduces the transfer of sexually transmitted diseases.

- Enables the use of semen of lame, but fertile proven male 

- Semen held in cold storage can be used for many years.

- Semen can be transported worldwide.

- lt prevents the use of oversized males

- Allows farmers to plan/synchronize parturition of cows.

(a) Explanation of Ration

Ration is the amount of feed/ diet that is given to animals daily / 24 hour period.

(b) Explanation of how factors affect feed formulation

(i) Physiological status of animal Animals of different physiological state will require different types of diet, e.g.

- Healthy animals need balanced, production or maintenance ration.

- Poor slate of an animal requires a fortified feed.

- Pregnant animals - Lactating animal.,

(ii) Age of animal

- Animals at different stages of growth will require different formulas ion of diet.

- Older animals require lower nutrients.

- Younger animals require higher nutrients.

(iii) Purpose of production

- Different breeds require different nutrient composition in the feed.

- Feed content will depend on the purpose of production which might be for lactation, egg production or wool production.

- Fattening/beef/broiler/growth will require higher energy and protein in the feed for efficient production.

- Higher energy and protein are required in the feed for traction, draught, work and transportation of animals.

(iv) Availability of feed

- Determines which ingredient

- Determines the nutrient

- Determines level of

 - Determines the cost

- Determines the quantity

(c) Preparation of palm

- Seeds of palm kernel

- The seeds are roasted.

- The seeds are crushed

- The ground seeds are

- The residue is pressed

(d) Differences between Broiler Starter Mash and Broiler Finisher Mash

(a) Ways of Preventing Malnutrition in Farm Animals:

- Provide sufficient ration.

- Always feed a balanced diet

- Feed weaker animals separately

- Provide supplementary feed to animals.

- Provide feed additives.

- Deworm arm animals regularly

- Use appropriate stocking rate of farm animals

- Provide quality and adequate drinking water.

- Protect animals from toxic plants and harmful substances

- Treat against ectoparasites/dip animals regularly.

(b) Discussion on rickets in farm animals:

(i) Causes:
-Calcium deficiency.
- Phosphorus deficiency.
- Calcium
- Phosphorus imbalance.
- Vitamin D deficiencies

(ii) Symptoms:
- Retarded growth.
- lmproper coordination
- Staggering gait
- Flexible and curved hones bow leg
- Soft-shelled/shelless eggs in poultry.
- Low egg production in poultry.
- Low milk production

(iii) Control measures:
- Add bone meal/oyster shell to feed/provide calcium and phosphorus.
- Sup balanced diet.
- Exposure to moderate.
- Supplement feed with vitamin D.

(iv) Animal which could be affected:
- Poultry, e.g. chicken, turkey.
- Cattle.
- Sheep.
- Goat.
- Pig.
- Rabbit
- Donkey
- Camel.
- Horse.
- Gras cutter

(c) Explanation of additives as used in animal nutrition: Ingredients added to a diet perform a specific role, e.g. to improve the growth of feed efficiency.

- Substances added to feed in small quantities which may or may not Supply nutrients.

(d) Reasons why additives are included in animal feed:

- To provide appetite and encourage feed consumption.

- To supply nutrients to farm animals

- To improve the nutritional value of feed e.g enzymes, herbal products.

- Prevention and treatment of some specific diseases.

- To deworm farm animals.

- For promoting growth.

- As a binder to make certain. target nutrients available.

(a)  Discussion on anthrax disease;
(i)  Causative organism

•   Bacillus anthracis

               
(ii)  Modes of transmission           

• Ingestion of contaminated feeds
• Inhalation of spores
• Drinking of contaminated water
• Open wounds/body contact
• Contaminated soil
• Contaminated equipment e.g. feeder, drinker etc.
• Vector/flies/rats/birds etc.

(b)