Animal Improvement
Overview
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.
Objectives
- 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
Lesson Note
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Lesson Evaluation
Congratulations on completing the lesson on Animal Improvement. Now that youve explored the key concepts and ideas, its time to put your knowledge to the test. This section offers a variety of practice questions designed to reinforce your understanding and help you gauge your grasp of the material.
You will encounter a mix of question types, including multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, and essay questions. Each question is thoughtfully crafted to assess different aspects of your knowledge and critical thinking skills.
Use this evaluation section as an opportunity to reinforce your understanding of the topic and to identify any areas where you may need additional study. Don't be discouraged by any challenges you encounter; instead, view them as opportunities for growth and improvement.
- 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
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Past Questions
Wondering what past questions for this topic looks like? Here are a number of questions about Animal Improvement from previous years
Question 1 Report
(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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