Animal Improvement
Gbogbo ọrọ náà
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.
Ebumnobi
- Define animal improvement
- State the objectives of animal improvement
- Explain the benefits of animal improvement to a farmer
- Explain the benefits of animal improvement to the nation
- Distinguish between animal improvement and animal production
Maapụ uche
E seela isiokwu a ka ị hụ otu echiche si ejikọta.
Kaadị ncheta
Omume ncheta ngwa ngwa n'ihe a na-anwale n'isiokwu a.
Akwụkwọ Ọmụmụ
Yi rajista ka ci gaba
Kpọpụta akaụntụ n’efu ka ị nweta ohere na ihe ọmụmụ niile, ajụjụ omume, ma soro mmepe gị.
Nnyocha Ọmụmụ
Ekele diri gi maka imecha ihe karịrị na Animal Improvement. Ugbu a na ị na-enyochakwa isi echiche na echiche ndị dị mkpa, ọ bụ oge iji nwalee ihe ị ma. Ngwa a na-enye ụdị ajụjụ ọmụmụ dị iche iche emebere iji kwado nghọta gị wee nyere gị aka ịmata otú ị ghọtara ihe ndị a kụziri.
Ị ga-ahụ ngwakọta nke ụdị ajụjụ dị iche iche, gụnyere ajụjụ chọrọ ịhọrọ otu n’ime ọtụtụ azịza, ajụjụ chọrọ mkpirisi azịza, na ajụjụ ede ede. A na-arụpụta ajụjụ ọ bụla nke ọma iji nwalee akụkụ dị iche iche nke ihe ọmụma gị na nkà nke ịtụgharị uche.
Jiri akụkụ a nke nyocha ka ohere iji kụziere ihe ị matara banyere isiokwu ahụ ma chọpụta ebe ọ bụla ị nwere ike ịchọ ọmụmụ ihe ọzọ. Ekwela ka nsogbu ọ bụla ị na-eche ihu mee ka ị daa mba; kama, lee ha anya dị ka ohere maka ịzụlite onwe gị na imeziwanye.
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
Yi rajista ka ci gaba
Kpọpụta akaụntụ n’efu ka ị nweta ohere na ihe ọmụmụ niile, ajụjụ omume, ma soro mmepe gị.
Yi rajista ka ci gaba
Kpọpụta akaụntụ n’efu ka ị nweta ohere na ihe ọmụmụ niile, ajụjụ omume, ma soro mmepe gị.
Akwụkwọ A Na-atụ Aro
Ajụjụ Nnyocha
Nna, you dey wonder how past questions for this topic be? Here be some questions about Animal Improvement from previous years.
Ajụjụ 1 Ripọtì
(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 | …………………… | …………………….. |
Akọwa Nkọwa
(a) Definition of animal improvement
Animal improvement is the application of the principles of genetics and good management to bring about a change in the hereditary make-up of farm animals so as to raise their productivity and general performance, for example higher yields of meat, milk or eggs, faster growth and greater disease resistance.
(b) Explanation of terms
- Cross breeding: This is the mating of animals of two different breeds or varieties of the same species, for example crossing a White Fulani cow with a Friesian bull, in order to combine the desirable qualities of both parents and to obtain hybrid vigour in the offspring.
- Out-breeding: This is the mating of animals of the same breed that are not closely related (they have no common ancestor for at least four to six generations), and it is used to introduce new desirable genes and to reduce the harmful effects of inbreeding.
(d) Completed table
| Farm animal | Name of mature female | Gestation period (days) |
|---|---|---|
| Sheep | Ewe | 150 (about 147 to 150) |
| Pig | Sow | 114 (about 112 to 115) |
| Rabbit | Doe | 31 (about 30 to 32) |
Yi rajista ka ci gaba
Kpọpụta akaụntụ n’efu ka ị nweta ohere na ihe ọmụmụ niile, ajụjụ omume, ma soro mmepe gị.