Animal Improvement

Übersicht

Two farms keep the same breed of chicken. One farmer's birds lay eggs at twice the rate of the other's, reach market weight weeks sooner, and shrug off diseases that keep knocking the neighbour's flock back. The difference is rarely luck or better luck with the weather. It is animal improvement: the deliberate, generation-on-generation reshaping of a population's genetic makeup so that more of its members carry the alleles that make a farm animal worth keeping.

In this lesson you will learn exactly what animal improvement means, how it differs from simply producing more animals, the five objectives every improvement programme chases, and the benefits it delivers both to the individual farmer's pocket and to a nation that must feed itself. You will also learn to reason through real breeding decisions the way a farm manager, and a WAEC examiner, expects.

Ziele

  1. Define animal improvement
  2. State the objectives of animal improvement
  3. Explain the benefits of animal improvement to a farmer
  4. Explain the benefits of animal improvement to the nation
  5. Distinguish between animal improvement and animal production

Lektionshinweis

A poultry keeper in Ogbomoso and a poultry keeper in Kaduna both start with the Niger Local chicken, the same indigenous stock their grandparents kept. Ten years on, one flock still lays about sixty eggs a bird a year and takes six months to reach a sellable weight. The other lays over one hundred and fifty and reaches the same weight in under twelve weeks. Nothing about the local climate changed; what changed was which birds were allowed to breed, generation after generation. That is animal improvement at work.

Unterrichtsbewertung

Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Abschluss der Lektion über Animal Improvement. Jetzt, da Sie die wichtigsten Konzepte und Ideen erkundet haben,

Sie werden auf eine Mischung verschiedener Fragetypen stoßen, darunter Multiple-Choice-Fragen, Kurzantwortfragen und Aufsatzfragen. Jede Frage ist sorgfältig ausgearbeitet, um verschiedene Aspekte Ihres Wissens und Ihrer kritischen Denkfähigkeiten zu bewerten.

Nutzen Sie diesen Bewertungsteil als Gelegenheit, Ihr Verständnis des Themas zu festigen und Bereiche zu identifizieren, in denen Sie möglicherweise zusätzlichen Lernbedarf haben.

  1. Animal improvement is best described as: A. Keeping more animals on the same land B. The deliberate change of a population's genetic makeup over generations to enhance desirable traits C. Feeding animals a better ration D. Building better housing for livestock Answer: B
  2. Which of the following is NOT one of the objectives of animal improvement? A. Higher yield B. Better feed conversion C. Lower stocking density D. Disease resistance Answer: C
  3. A farmer's cost per egg falls after his flock's egg output rises while his feed and labour cost stays the same. This is chiefly an example of which benefit of animal improvement? A. Export potential B. Food security C. Lower cost per unit of output D. Adaptation to local conditions Answer: C
  4. Which of these is a national, rather than a purely individual farmer, benefit of animal improvement? A. Higher household income B. Food security C. Personal satisfaction D. Lower feed bill on one farm Answer: B
  5. How does animal improvement differ from animal production? A. They mean exactly the same thing B. Improvement is the genetic change of a population across generations; production is the general management of livestock for output C. Production only concerns crops, not livestock D. Improvement happens in a single season while production takes many years Answer: B

Empfohlene Bücher

Introduction to Animal Science: Global, Biological, Social and Industry Perspectives
Introduction to Animal Science: Global, Biological, Social and Industry Perspectives
Untertitel: Sixth edition
Verleger: Pearson
Jahr: 2017
ISBN: 978-0-13-443605-0
Beschreibung: A comprehensive introduction to animal science covering anatomy and physiology, nutrition, genetics, reproduction, animal health and the major farm animal species and their production systems.
Small-scale Poultry Production: Technical Guide
Small-scale Poultry Production: Technical Guide
Verleger: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Jahr: 2004
ISBN: 978-92-5-105082-8
Beschreibung: An FAO Animal Production and Health Paper written by a Nigerian animal scientist, covering breeds, housing, feeding, incubation, disease control and marketing for small-scale poultry keepers in developing countries.
Tropical Animal Feeding: A Manual for Research Workers
Tropical Animal Feeding: A Manual for Research Workers
Verleger: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Jahr: 1995
ISBN: 978-92-5-103758-4
Beschreibung: An FAO Animal Production and Health Paper on the principles of ruminant and non-ruminant nutrition and the practical use of tropical feed resources, including crop residues and by-products, in sustainable livestock systems.

Frühere Fragen

Fragen Sie sich, wie frühere Prüfungsfragen zu diesem Thema aussehen? Hier sind n Fragen zu Animal Improvement aus den vergangenen Jahren.

WAEC SSCE - Animal Husbandry - 2014

Frage 1 Bericht

(a) Define the term animal improvement.

 

(b) Explain briefly the following terms as used in animal improvement:

  • cross breeding;
  • out-breeding. 

 

(d) Complete the table below:

Farm animal

Name of mature female

Gestation period (days)

Sheep

  ……………………

  ……………………..

Pig

  ……………………

 ……………………..

Rabbit

   ……………………

  ……………………..

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