WAEC SSCE - Animal Husbandry - 2020 (Essay)

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(a) Mating methods

• (i) Hand mating: The buck or bull is brought to a selected female under the direct supervision and control of the farmer for a single service, after which the two are separated. The farmer decides which male serves which female.
• (ii) Pen mating: A selected male is confined in a pen together with a chosen group of females for a period so that it serves each female as she comes on heat.
• (iii) Pasture mating: The male is allowed to run freely with the whole herd or flock on the pasture and mates the females naturally as they come on heat, without the farmer controlling the service.

(b)(i) Two advantages of each method

• Hand mating: Parentage is accurately known for record keeping; it prevents overworking or injury of the male and controls inbreeding.
• Pen mating: Requires less labour than hand mating; ensures a high conception rate since the male serves females at the right time.
• Pasture mating: Requires the least labour and skill; almost every female in heat is served, giving high conception.

(b)(ii) Two disadvantages of each method

• Hand mating: It is labour intensive and requires skill; heat has to be detected and few females are served.
• Pen mating: The male may be overworked; the exact sire of each offspring may not be known and disease can spread.
• Pasture mating: Records of parentage are not kept and inbreeding is likely; the male is easily overworked and disease spreads readily.

(c) Two methods of collecting semen from a bull

• Use of the artificial vagina.
• Electro-ejaculation (electrical stimulation).

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(a) Terms in pasture and range management

• (i) Fodder: Plant material, fresh or preserved, that is cut and carried to feed livestock.
• (ii) Paddocking: Dividing a pasture into small fenced units (paddocks) so that animals graze one part at a time in rotation.
• (iii) Reseeding: Sowing pasture seeds again to re-establish or improve a sward that has thinned out.
• (iv) Stocking rate: The number of animals kept on a unit area of land for a given period.
• (v) Natural pasture: Pasture made up of grasses and legumes that grow on their own without being planted by man.

(b) Five factors affecting establishment of pasture in West Africa

• Amount and distribution of rainfall (moisture).
• Soil type and fertility.
• Temperature and climate.
• Quality and viability of the seed used.
• Grazing management (overgrazing) and bush burning.

(c) Five ways weeds are of economic importance in livestock production

• They compete with pasture for nutrients, water, light and space, reducing pasture yield.
• Some weeds are poisonous and can kill or sicken livestock.
• They harbour pests and disease organisms.
• Thorny weeds injure grazing animals.
• They lower the palatability and quality of the pasture and raise the cost of managing it.

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(a) Two organs in each part of the rabbit

• (i) Head: eyes and brain.
• (ii) Thorax: heart and lungs.
• (iii) Abdomen: stomach and liver (also intestines, kidney, caecum).

(b) One function of each organ

• (i) Caecum: Site where micro-organisms ferment and digest cellulose (fibre).
• (ii) Gizzard: Grinds and crushes food mechanically in birds.
• (iii) Crop: Stores and softens (moistens) food temporarily in birds.
• (iv) Rumen: Acts as a fermentation vat where micro-organisms digest cellulose in ruminants.
• (v) Lung: Organ for gaseous exchange (respiration), taking in oxygen and giving out carbon dioxide.

(c) Six practical ways of checking malnutrition in livestock

• Provide a balanced and adequate ration.
• Supplement the feed with vitamins and minerals (salt lick).
• Provide clean, fresh drinking water at all times.
• Establish and improve pasture and provide good roughage.
• Control parasites and diseases, and deworm regularly.
• Avoid overcrowding and follow a correct feeding schedule.

(d) Three examples of non-traditional farm animals

• Grasscutter (cane rat).
• Snail.
• Guinea pig.

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(a)(i) Monogastric

An animal with a single, simple stomach made up of one compartment (a non-ruminant).

(a)(ii) Two examples of monogastric animals

• Pig.
• Poultry (domestic fowl).

(b) Terms in animal nutrition

• (i) Concentrate: A feed that is low in fibre but rich in energy or protein and is highly digestible, for example maize or groundnut cake.
• (ii) Additive: A substance added to feed in a small quantity to improve growth, health, palatability or keeping quality, for example vitamins, minerals or antibiotics.

(c) Four ways roughage is important in the diet

• It provides bulk that fills the stomach and gives the animal a feeling of satisfaction.
• It supplies fibre that aids digestion, rumination and movement of food (peristalsis).
• It prevents digestive disorders such as constipation.
• It is a cheap source of feed and supplies some nutrients and vitamins.

(d) Four materials used in milking a cow

• Milking bucket or pail.
• Rope (for restraining the cow).
• Clean water and towel.
• Udder cream or jelly.

(e) Animals fed on each prepared feed

• (i) Pellets: cattle and rabbit.
• (ii) Mash: poultry (chicks and layers) and pig.

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(a) Terms in animal production

• (i) Flushing: Giving extra or improved feeding (high-energy ration) to breeding females a few weeks before mating in order to raise the ovulation rate and improve conception.
• (ii) Dystocia: Difficult birth; the difficulty an animal experiences when giving birth.
• (iii) Parturition: The act of giving birth, that is the expulsion of the young from the body of the mother.

(b) Five ways fencing is important in livestock production

• It keeps animals within the farm and prevents them from straying.
• It keeps out predators and thieves.
• It allows controlled grazing and paddocking.
• It separates animals of different classes, ages or sexes.
• It helps control breeding and the spread of disease, and marks the farm boundary.

(c) Five ways rearing of rabbits is important

• It is a source of white meat rich in protein.
• It is a source of income.
• Rabbits are prolific and breed rapidly.
• They need little space and small capital to start.
• They provide fur or skin, and their droppings serve as manure.

(d) Four disadvantages of the deep litter system

• Diseases and parasites spread easily through contact with droppings.
• Damp litter releases ammonia which causes respiratory problems.
• Cannibalism and egg eating are common.
• It is difficult to keep records of individual birds and eggs may become dirty.

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(a) Explanation of terms

• (i) Coprophagy: The eating of faeces (dung) by an animal, for example a rabbit swallowing its soft night faeces, in order to recover and re-digest nutrients.
• (ii) Rumination: The process by which a ruminant regurgitates previously swallowed food (cud) back to the mouth, re-chews it and re-swallows it for further digestion.
• (iii) Candling: Passing an egg in front of a bright light in a dark room to examine its internal quality, fertility or stage of development.
• (iv) Tethering: Tying an animal to a fixed peg or post with a rope so that it feeds only within a limited area.

(b) Four local materials for constructing a goat house

• Wood or timber.
• Bamboo.
• Palm fronds or thatch (grass).
• Mud or clay.

(c)(i) Three members of the honey bee colony

• Queen.
• Drone.
• Worker.

(c)(ii) Five ways in which honey beekeeping is important

• It provides honey, which is a source of food and income.
• It provides beeswax used in industry (candles, cosmetics, polishes).
• The bees aid pollination of farm crops, raising crop yield.
• It provides other products such as propolis and royal jelly used in medicine.
• It provides employment and a source of income to the farmer.