importance of Sheep keeping
(a) Importance/Uses of Sheep:
1. Sheep provides meat called mutton
2. Sheep hair (wool) is used in making clothing materials
3. Sheep provides income
4. Manure is got from the faeces of sheep
5. Their skin is used for leather works.
6. Milk is also got from sheep and is used as food by man.
(b) Breeds of Sheep in detail here
(a) The West African Dwarf sheep
(b) The West African long legged sheep e.g the African Ouda
(c) The Macuna Wool Sheep. This is found mainly in the Sudan. Their skins are valuable and are exported.
(c) Management Practices in Sheep:
(i) Housing: Mature sheep do not require expensive housing. They do well where they can have dry bed in the open.
Housing is however important during the wet season for all grades of sheep. The buildings are generally simple having little or no equipment. Slated platforms are provided in pens on which the animals lie. The slate are therefore self- cleaning. The droppings are removed from time to time and can be used for compost making.
(ii) Feeding: Sheep is a ruminant. It feeds on a variety of grasses and shrubs. Sheep are more able, than any other farm animal, to make use of whole maize grains without previous grinding.
Therefore, whole maize grains can be fed to sheep to supplement grass feed. This is very important in the dry season. Sheep on the dry feeds requires a great deal of water. In addition, adequate minerals and antibiotics should be provided.
(iii) Breeding: Both male and female sheep attain sexual maturity in six months, but are best used for service or best served when 9 – 12months old.
Heat period lasts 1-2 days in sheep and is repeated in about 21days. Gestation period is about 150 days. A female sheep will come on heat 7 months after delivery. The male sheep are castrated between 1-4 weeks after birth and are weaned in 4 to 6 months.
In temperature areas, there are seasons for breeding. It is known that feeding sheep well during the breeding season results in the production of twin lambs. This practice of feeding sheep well during the breeding season is known as \”flushing\”. In general. good feeding during pregnancy results in strong and healthy lambs.
Goats are very common farm animals all over Nigeria.
(a) Importance of Goat Keeping
1. Goat meat is cherished by many people and it is a rich source of protein
2. Goat milk is easily diucstible and has manv advantages over cow milk
3. Goat hair) is used in making carpets and bags.
4. Goat provide income to the keeper.
5. Goat provides hides and skin used in making leather works.
6. Goat are used for many festivals and ceremonies.
7. The droppings provide manure to soils for growing crops.
DIAGRAM
Figure 2.10.9: A Goat
(b) Breed of Goat: The following are the common breeds of goat in Nigeria:
(a) Dwarf goat
(b) Sokoto Red or Maradi
(c) Sahel or Desert goat
(d) Kano Brown
(e) Borno Red
SHEEP, GOATS AND RABBIT
Sheep.
(b) Breeds of Sheep
(a) The West African Dwarf sheep
(b) The West African long legged sheep e.g. the African Ouda
(c) The Macuna Wool Sheep. This is found mainly in the Sudan. Their skins are valuable and are exported.
(c) Management Practices in Sheep:
(i) Housing: Mature sheep do not require expensive housing. They do well where they can have dry bed in the open. Housing is however important during the wet season for all grades of sheep. The buildings are generally simple having little or no equipment. Slated platforms are provided in pens on which the animals lie. The slate are therefore self-cleaning. The droppings are removed from time to time and can be used for compost making.
(ii) Feeding: Sheep is a ruminant. It feeds on a variety of grasses and shrubs. Sheep are more able, than any other farm animal, to make use of whole maize grains without previous grinding.
Therefore, whole maize grains can be fed to sheep to supplement grass feed. This is very important in the dry season. Sheep on the dry feeds requires a great deal of water. In addition, adequate minerals and antibiotics should be provided.
(i) Breeding: Both male and female sheep attain sexual maturity in six months, but are best used for service or best served when 9 – 12months old. Heat period lasts 1-2 days in sheep and is repeated in about 21days. Gestation period is about 150 days. A female sheep will come on heat 7 months after delivery. The male sheep are castrated between 1-4 weeks after birth and are weaned in 4 to 6 months.
In temperature areas, there are seasons for breeding. It is known that feeding sheep well during the breeding season results in the production of twin lambs. This practice of feeding sheep well during the breeding season is known as \”flushing\”. In general, good feeding during pregnancy results in strong and healthy lambs.
Goat. Goats are very common farm animals all over Nigeria.
(a) Importance of Goat Keeping
Goat meat is cherished by many people and it is a rich source of protein
2. Goat milk is easily digestible and has many advantages over cow milk
3. Goat hair) is used in making carpets and bags.
4. Goat provide income to the keeper.
5. Goat provides hides and skin used in making leather works.
6. Goat are used for many festivals and ceremonies.
7. The droppings provide manure to soils for growing crops.
(b) Breed of Goat: The following are the common breeds of goat in Nigeria:
(a) Dwarf goat
(b) Sokoto Red or Maradi
(c) Sahel or Desert goat
(d) Kano Brown
(e) Borno Red
Imported or exotic breeds include:
(a) Saanen
(b) Anglo-Nubian
(c) Toggen-burg
(d) Angora
(c) Some terms associated with goat keeping:
1. Doe: adult female goat sometimes called nanny goat
2. Billy: adult male goat
3. Kid: a young goat of either sex usually under one year old.
4. Goat meat: meat from goat
5. Castrate: castrated male goat
6. Kidding: the act of giving birth in goats,
(d) Goat breeding: Goats mature at a very early age. It is advisable that both the male and .female should reach the age of nine months and twelve to eighteen mouths respectively before being bred.
Oestros Cycle: 21-28 days. Heat period: 24-48 hours.
Since ovulation (shedding of the ova) occurs towards the end i heat, the best time to mate the doe is about 12 hours before the end of heat. The signs of heat includes:
1. bleating (irritating noise making)
2. riding other goats
3. tail shaking
4. swollen and reddened vulva
5. tendency to urinate frequently
Gestation period: 5 months or 150 days.
Goat kid three times in two years. One to three kids are normally given birth to at one kidding or parturition.
Young kids should be allowed to take their mothers colostrum.
Weaning: 4-6 months of age.
Castration: males not required for breeding should be castrated at
one to four weeks of age. The remaining ones can then be managed under any of the following management systems
(c) Management Systems for Goats
Goat may be managed under:
1. Extensive system
2. Intensive system.
3. Semi-intensive system
1. Extensive System: Under this system, the goats are given all freedom to wander about in search of feed tor themselves. They h id on grasses and kitchen wastes. No deliberate attempt is made to house the goats although they are sometimes provided shelter at nights.
Goats reared under this system are very destructive as they feed on almost all economic plants and even human food.
2. Intensive system: In this system the goats are continuously housed. Feed and water are provided for them in the pens. The houses provide protection against environmental hazards and predators. The destructive aspect of goats is also controlled.
The pens, water troughs and feeding devices are cleaned regularly to ensure good hygiene. Deworming and spraying against parasites are common practices with goats reared under the intensive systems of management, i mats do well under this system of rearing.
3. Semi- intensive system: This involves rearing of goats in pastures. The goats are rotated from pasture. This is called controlled grazing. Some pens are provided in the pasture land. It combines the advantages of intensive system management.
Tethering is generally part of the semi-intensive method of goat keeping since fences are expensive. Tethering involves tying the utility a rope to a stake or tree. They feed from that stand. The areas they can breed depends on the length of the rope. It is better lo tether goats in small huts with roofs or under tree shades where forage crops are brought to them in order to avoid harsh environmental conditions. This system of management is cheap.
Rabbits
Rabbits can be raised at a shortest possible time with least feed. They may be bred for yarn, fur, pels, as a source of letting and for laboratory experiments in Colleges and Universities. They are also a source of income to the farmers. The meat of rabbit is high in protein and low in fat and caloric content. Its manure is high in nitrogen and phosphoric
(a) Breeds of Rabbits
These are the important breeds of domestic rabbits: the New Zealand white. Flemish Giant, the New Zealand Red and Checkered Giant. Some rabbit’s breeders recommend the New Zealand for Nigeria.
(b) Management practices in Rabbits
(i) Housing: Rabbits are kept in cages called hutches. It is most essential that the hutches are protected from rain and sunlight. Each adult rabbit should have its own hutch, which should be 60cm high 75cm deep and 1 ½ – 2m long. The cage should dry and self-cleaning. The bottom of the cage should be made of wire mesh so that the faeces and urine can drop to the ground. Also, the cages should stand on legs and the total height of each should be waist high. It is difficult to keep cages with solid bottom dry. Wet cages encourage breeding of flies, and coccidiosis. A three unit cage is always recommended, that is, that can hold three adult rabbits; two doe (female rabbit) and a buck (male rabbit). The walls of the hutch can be made of split bamboo while the roof is made in such a way mil rain from tickling through. All cages must stand in filled with water to keep off ants.
Breeding cages may, be provided with nest boxes. These be built into the cages or they may be removable boxes that can be set in cages several days before the does are ready to kindle (give birth to young ones). A nest box should be 55cm. A few small holes should be drilled at the bottom of the box drainage.
Water must be provided in each cage always and the waterer cleaned off every morning before adding new one. The waterer must not be leaking.
(ii)Rabbits are fed twice a day. That is in the morning – evening. Grains are fed in the morning while green led in the evening. Nursing does require more feeds than dry does or bucks. The best feed is poultry mash, either grower layers mash. Since poultry mash is dusty, it should prevent irritation of the nose and lungs. Alternatively, a mixture of guinea corn and groundnut cake can be alter grinding. The best green feeds are Amaranthus, Aspilia Africana, Talinum triangular and grasses.
(ii) Breeding: Most large breeds of rabbit such as New Zealand white sexually mature in 8-9 months and can be bred then. The smaller breeds like the polish can be used for breeding when four months old. Bucks (male) and does (female) mature about same age. One buck can service about ten does if the breeding spread out. However no buck should be used more times a week for service and when the doe shows signs of heat, it should be taken to the buck’s cage for mating. This is because if the duck is brought to doe’s cage, the doe may attack it. If the doe is just placed the hutch with the buck, it will often squat in the corner of hutch and will not accept service. Therefore, holding the will quicken mating. After mating, the doe should be sent to her hutch. The service date should be recorded and approximate kindling date noted. Gestation period, that is after two weeks, the doe should be examined for pregnancy pressing gently with the hand on her belly. If she is pregnant one will feel some small marble shaped lumps in the womb uterus. If the doe is not pregnant, it should be sent back to when it comes on heat again.
(iii) Kindling:
Kindling is the act of giving birth to the young. A nest should be placed in the hutch about 24 days after it has been mated. If it kindles on wire floor the litter (a grown young ones born at the same time) may perish. No strong bedding is to be placed in the cage. The cage must be the doe will pull out enough hair from her belly to cover litter. As each infant is delivered, the doe licks it. After kindling, the litter should be inspected and dead or deformed removed. The cans on which the hutch is standing must be with water to prevent ants from entering to kill the young of Rabbits are nervous animals and are more nervous during kindling periods. Therefore, keep the doe as quiet as possible during this period, keep off all natural enemies like do cats. Keep people and children away from her hutch. Avoid the doe as much as possible on the day before and after kindling because excitement also causes abortion.
Some does kill their young ones. This may be a sign under feeding. Some kill for no purpose. Such doe should be called.
Hygiene:
With good housing, it is not difficult to maintain hygiene in rabbit’s house. It is important to clean hutches and waterers regularly and remove droppings from the floor to build up of disease organisms. Major diseases of rabbits are pneumonia and diarrhea. These should be controlled when they occur by consulting the nearest veterinary doctor.
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