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Animal Husbandry Overview
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Animal husbandry focused on the breeding, care, and management of livestock for various purposes. It encompasses practices such as selective breeding, nutrition, and healthcare to ensure the well-being and productivity of animals. Animal husbandry plays a vital role in providing food, fibers, and other resources while contributing to sustainable agricultural practices.
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Meaning of Animal husbandry:
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- It is the management and care of farm animals for milk, eggs or meat.
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Cattle Farming in Animal Husbandry:
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- Cattle husbandry is done for two purposes, namely, for milk and for draught labour for agricultural work such as tilling, irrigation, and carting.
- Milk production depends on the duration of the lactation period.
- So, milk production can be increased by increasing the lactation period.
- Exotic or foreign breeds are selected for long lactation periods, while local breeds show excellent resistance to diseases.
- The two are cross-bred to get animals with both the desired qualities.
- Food Requirements of Dairy Animals: The animal feed includes roughage, which is largely fibre, and concentrates, which are low in fibre and contain relatively high levels of proteins and other nutrients.
- The food requirements of dairy animals are of two types in Animal Husbandry:
- Maintenance requirement, which is the food required to support the animal to live a healthy life.
- Milk-production requirement, which is the type of food required during the lactation period.
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Poultry Farming in Animal Husbandry:
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- Poultry farming is undertaken to raise domestic fowl for egg production and chicken meat.
- The cross-breeding programs between Indian and foreign breeds for variety improvement are focused on developing new varieties.
- Broiler chickens are fed with vitamin-rich supplementary feed for a good growth rate and better feed efficiency.
- Care is taken to avoid mortality and to maintain feathering and carcass quality.
- For good production there should be maintenance of temperature and hygienic conditions in housing and poultry feed, as well as prevention and control of diseases and pests.
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Fish Production in Animal Husbandry:
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- Fish production includes the finned true fish as well as shellfish such as prawns and mollusks.
- There are two ways of obtaining fish.
- One is from natural resources, which is called capture fishing.
- The other way is by fish farming, which is called culture fishery.
- Fishing can be done both by capturing and culture of fish in marine and freshwater ecosystems.
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Marine Fisheries in Animal Husbandry:
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- Popular marine fish varieties include pomfret, mackerel, tuna, sardines, and Bombay duck.
- Marine fish are caught using many kinds of fishing nets from fishing boats.
- Yields are increased by locating large schools of fish in the open sea using satellites and echo sounders.
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Inland Fisheries in Animal Husbandry:
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- Freshwater resources include canals, ponds, reservoirs, and rivers. Brackish water resources, where seawater and freshwater mix together, such as estuaries and lagoons are also important fish reservoirs.
- While capture fishing is also done in such inland water bodies, the yield is not high.
- Most fish production from these resources is through aquaculture.
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Bee-Keeping in Animal Husbandry:
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- Bee-keeping needs low investments, farmers use it as an additional income-generating activity.
- In addition to honey, the beehives are a source of wax which is used in various medicinal preparations.
- The Italian bees have a high honey collection capacity.
- They sting somewhat less.
- They stay in a given beehive for long periods and breed very well. For commercial honey production, bee farms or apiaries are established.
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