ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

Animal husbandry refers to livestock raising and selective breeding. It is the management and care of animals in which the genetic qualities and behavior of animals are further developed for profit. A large number of farmers depend upon animal husbandry for their livelihood.

THEME                    SCIENCE IN HUMAN ACTIVITIES AND HUMAN OCCUPATION

TOPIC      :               KEEPING CATTLE

LESSON6 :               IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING CATTLE

 

• Keeping cattle refers to the act of rearing bulls, cows, calves, buffalos and heifers.
• Animal husbandry refers to the act of rearing farm animals or livestock.

Farm animals include;-

Pigs, sheep, goats, cattle, and rabbits.

A drawn structure showing the external features of a cow and a bull.

Cow

Bull

Importance of keeping cattle.

The following are the reasons why people keep cattle;

• Cattle provide people with milk and meat which are sources of proteins.
• Waste materials (dung) from cattle acts as natural manure used to improve soil fertility
• Hooves and horns are used to make enamel items like plates and cups.
• Hides from cattle are used in making leather products.
• Cow dung can be used in building local houses and making biogas
• Keeping cattle is a source of employment.

Learner’s activity.

1. Write one sentence to show the meaning of the following terms;
2. Keeping cattle
3. Animal husbandry
4. State one reason why many Ugandan have taken up cattle keeping as a business
5. What is the importance of horns and hides to an industrialist

 

WEEK              :       4

LESSON   1      :       TYPES OF CATTLE

A type of cattle is a class of cattle kept for a specific purpose. Specific purpose may be;

• For milk production
• For meat (beef) production
• For provision of animal labour
• For both milk and meat production

Examples of types of cattle

There are basically three types of cattle namely;

• Dairy cattle for milk production
• Beef cattle for beef (meat) production
• Dual-purpose cattle for the both milk and meat.

Characteristics of dairy cattle.

• They have a thin body that carries little meat
• They have a wide and well set hind limbs
• They have big udders with four medium teats and produce a lot of milk.
• They have triangular body shape and usually docile/humble.

A drawn illustration showing body shape of dairy cattle.

Examples of dairy cattle include.

Friesian, ayrshire, Guernsey, jersey, Jamaican hope and brown swiss cattle.

Lesson 2          :       BEEF AND DUAL PURPOSE CATTLE

Beef cattle are groups of cattle kept for meat (beef) production.

Examples of cattle kept for meat production include;

• Aberdeen angus (weighs 720-900kgs)
• Here ford (weigh about 1000kgs)
• Charolais (creamy in colour)
• Short horn,
• Galloway (it’s small and long haired black)
• American beef master

Characteristics of beef cattle;

• They have abroad rectangular body shape
• They mature quickly and give plenty or high quantity of meat
• They are very stubborn with no horns
• They have thick muscles.

An illustration showing the body shape of beef cattle

Dual purpose cattle

• These are groups of cattle kept for both milk and meat production
• They are mainly local meat products.

Examples include

• Sahiwal (its brown –red in colour and large in size)
• Red poll (has a medium size with no horns)
• Milking short horn (don’t grow very fast like others but produce hard meat)

Note:

Dual Purpose Cattle have characteristics of dairy cattle and beef cattle

Learner’s activity

1. What do you understand by the term type of cattle?
2. List any two types of cattle
3. Identify the type of cattle with a rectangular body shape
4. Give two examples of dairy breeds of cattle
5. Name the commonest exotic dairy breed of cattle reared in your locality

LESSON   3:     BREEDS OF CATTLE

A breed of cattle is a family of cattle having specific characteristics.

Specific characteristics may include;

• Colour of cattle
• Size of the animals
• Productivity of the animals.

Breeds of cattle include;

• Local breeds of cattle (indigenous)
• Exotic breeds of cattle
• Cross breeds

Local breeds or indigenous cattle are breeds of cattle that have lived in East Africa for a long time. They are also called the native breeds kept for both milk and meat production.

Examples include;

• Small east African zebu
• Boran cattle.
• Nsagala or sanga cattle
• Ankole cattle

Characteristics of local breeds of cattle.

• They are resistant to tropical diseases
• They have the ability to walk long distances
• They produce good naturally flavoured products
• They can survive on poor pasture and tropical weather conditions.

Disadvantages of local breeds of cattle

• They produce less meat and milk
• They have a slow growth rate

Exotic breeds of cattle

• These are groups of cattle breeds imported into East Africa.
• They are either dairy, beef or dual-purpose cattle

 

Characteristics of exotic breeds of cattle.

• They grow quickly with no horns
• They are not resistant to diseases.
• They need a lot of attention or care.
• They produce high quantities of milk and beef
• Their products are not as sweet as for the local breeds of cattle

Note:

Cross breeds are obtained after mating a local breed with an exotic breed.

This is the best way of improving upon the poor local breeds of cattle.

Learner’s activity.

1. Give the difference between a breed of cattle and a type of cattle
2. Mention any two breeds of cattle commonly kept in Uganda
3. Identify a breed of cattle you would prefer to keep in your locality
4. Give a reason for your answer in (3) above
5. Cite out the best way of improving on our local breeds of cattle

A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE TYPES & BREEDS OF CATTLE

LESSON   4      :       BREEDING IN CATTLE

Breeding is the act of maintaining or improving the desired characteristics in cattle.

Desired characteristic may include;

• Size of the animal.
• Resistance to diseases.
• Animal’s skin colour
• Productivity of the animals

Types of breeding

There are basically five types of breeding namely;

• Line breeding
• Inbreeding
• Cross-breeding
• Out breeding
• Upgrading

Line breeding is the act of mating closely related animals such as cousins.

This type may result into poor production in animals

Inbreeding is the act of mating closely related animals such as a brother and a sister

This method if not properly practiced, it may also produce poor quality animals.

Out breeding is the practice of mating related animals but from different flocks or herds.

This method helps to restore the qualities in cattle that may be disappearing from a flock.

Cross breeding   is the practice of mating a local breed with an exotic breed of cattle.

After cross breeding, a cross-breed is obtained or a hybrid.

Cross-breeding helps to improve animals with poor qualities

Upgrading: this is the act of improving upon the qualities of one breed.

This is done by mating breeds of superior qualities several times to obtain good breeds in the herd.

Learner’s activity

1. In one sentence show the meaning of breeding as used in cattle keeping
2. List down two types of breeding in cattle
3. State why inbreeding is discouraged in the management of cattle breeding
4. How can a local farmer improve on his local breeds of cattle
5. Briefly describe how a hybrid is obtained

LESSON   5      :       REPRODUCTION IN CATTLE

• Reproduction is the ability to increase in the number of a species of living things
• Cattle reproduce naturally when bulls mate with cows on heat.
• Cows undergo sexual reproduction which involves mating and production of gametes.
• A gamete is a reproductive cell. In animals the male gametes are called sperms. While the female gametes are called ova (plural) and an ovum (singular)

The reproductive system of a cow

Functions of different parts

Vulva: receives and guides the penis

Vagina: it’s where semen is deposited

Cervix: closes the lower end of the uterus during pregnancy

Ovary: produces the ova and hormones that help to control the sexual cycle

Ova: are the reproductive cells produced by the ovary

Oviduct/fallopian tube: Is the place where fertilization takes place.

Uterus: it’s where implantation takes place (development of the foetus)

Reproductive system of a bull

Functions of parts

Testes– produce sperms

Sperm ducts – carry sperms

Urethra – passes out urine and sperms

Penis – delivers semen in the vagina of a cow

Learners Activity

1. Draw the female reproductive system of a cow and name the following parts
2. Oviduct
3. Vulva

• Uterus

2. Using an arrow, show on your diagram the part where implantation takes place.
3. Write the function of the following parts of the system;
4. Cervix
5. Testis

• Ovary

LESSON   6:     HEAT PERIOD AND INSEMINATION (SERVICES)

Heat Period

This is the time when a cow is in need of a bull for mating.

Mating takes place only when a cow is on heat.

Signs of a cow on heat

• It becomes restless
• It mounts other cattle
• It stands while others are lying down
• It urinates frequently
• It puts its tail on the side to enable its vulva to be seen
• There is a mucus discharge from the vulva
• Its vulva swells and changes its colour
• There is a drop in its milk production
• The cow makes a lot of noise (Bellows frequently)

 

Insemination (service)

Insemination or service is the act of depositing sperms into the female reproductive organ of the cow.

For insemination to take place, the cow or a heifer should be on heat i.e. after showing signs

Types of insemination

• Natural insemination
• Artificial insemination

Natural insemination involves the use of a bull to mount the cow on heat in order to deposit the sperms into the vulva.

Advantages include;

• Natural insemination saves time
• It does not need a trained inseminator in order to carry it out.

Disadvantages

• More sperms are wasted in one cow.
• It’s very expensive to buy and maintain a bull
• Stronger bull can cause injury to weak cows
• Once the bull dies, sperms are also lost.

Artificial insemination

Refers to the act of introducing sperms in the vagina or vulva of a cow by the help of a trained veterinary officer.

Semen used is got from health bulls and with desired characteristics.

Sperms are injected into the vagina using an insemination syringe.

Advantages

• It reduces the cost of keeping many bulls on the far,
• It’s cheaper to buy semen than buying and maintaining a bull.
• It prevents injury to small cows and heifers by bigger or heavy bulls.
• It helps to control inbreeding and unwanted pregnancies in cattle
• It promotes selective breeding.

Disadvantages;

• It’s difficult and expensive to maintain proper storage of sperms.
• It can’t be applied to animals whose signs of heat can’t be easily identified.
• It requires a trained experienced inseminator
• Animals are denied chance to enjoy sex.

Learner’s activity

1. Briefly explain the term insemination
2. Give two ways in which natural insemination can be dangerous to a livestock farmer
3. How does artificial insemination control unwanted pregnancies on a farm.
4. Identify three signs of a cow on heat

A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT BREEDING IN CATTLE

 

WEEK      :       5

LESSON 1:              OTHER PRACTICES CARRIED OUT ON CATTLE FARMS

Castration

Castration is the removal of the essential male sex organs called testes. The main aim of castration is to make the bull unable to fertilize a cow.

Methods of castration

• Open castration method.
• Closed castration method
• Use of the loop or elastrator method.

In a closed castration method, an instrument called a burdizzo is used to crush the tubes leading to the scrotum.

We can also use a rubber ring to seal the sperm ducts and thus killing the epididymis

A drawn structure showing a burdizzo

Note:

When the jaws of the burdizzo are closed, the spermatic cord is crushed destroying the spermatic nerves.

Advantages of castration:

• Castrated bulls grow faster and fatten
• Castrated bulls are calm, humble and easy to handle
• Castration helps to prevent inbreeding (unwanted pregnancies in the herds)
• Castration also helps to prevent diseases on a farm

Disadvantages of castration

• Animals are denied chance to enjoy natural sex.
• There is loss of blood from the animal leading to anaemia.
• The wounds may become septic and animal may die if not treated well.

Note:

The use of the ring prevents blood from flowing into the testis that will cause them to shrive and fall off.

In an open castration, the scrotum is cut open using a razorblade or a sharp knife and the testes are removed.

Learner’s activity.

1. Briefly explain the term castration
2. Give two reasons why livestock farmers castrate farm animals
3. Cite out any two methods of castrating animals
4. Why do you think bulls which are not castrated usually get STDs?

LESSON   2      :       DEWORMING AND DEHORNING.

Deworming is the act of giving drugs to animals to kill internal worms.

Deworming is done in two ways:

• Drenching is the act of giving liquid medicine to animals through the mouth. It can be by using a drenching gun.
• Dozing. Is the act of giving solid medicine to animals in order to kill internal worms.

Importance of deworming

• Deworming kills internal parasites like tape worms etc.

Dehorning: is the removal of horn buds from the calf to prevent growth of horns.

Dehorning should be done when the calf is about 2-3 months.

Methods of dehorning

• By use of chemical (done between 3-14 days)
• By use of a hot iron (between 7-30 days)
• Use of spoon dehorners. (between 1-2 month)

 Advantages of dehorning

• It makes the animal easy to handle
• It increases the space in kraals, milking shades and in vehicles during transportation.
• Many animals can be kept in a small space
• It reduces the risk of injury among cows.

Learner’s activity

1. Give a difference between drenching and dozing
2. State a reason why livestock farmers should deworm their animals
3. State the importance of dehorning from animals

LESSON   3      :       STEAMING UP AND CALVING

Steaming up is the act of feeding in calf-cow on feeds rich in proteins.

In calf-cow is one which has shown up signs of pregnancy such as;

• The udder increases in size and filled up with milk.
• There is mucus discharge around the cervix
• The uterus enlarges in size between 2-3 months

Lactation period is a period when a cow produces milk after giving birth.

Calving is the act of giving birth by a cow

Advantages of steaming up.

• It enables the foetus to grow well
• It helps to increase the period of lactation.
• It also prepares the cow for calving.

An illustration showing developing foetus

Note:

The placenta stores oxygen and digested food before reaching the foetus.

Umbilical cord is a passage of food and oxygen to the foetus

Umbilical cord also transports wastes from the foetus to the placenta.

Amniotic fluid acts as a shock absorber for any external pressure.

Calving

Calving is the act of producing calves by a cow.

Signs of calving in cows

• Discharge of a lot of fluids from the vulva
• Restlessness
• Loss of appetite
• Labour pains
• Isolation

 Colostrum

Colostrum is the first milk produced by a cow after calving.

Importance of colostrums

• Open the digestive tract of a calf
• Provide a calf with a balanced diet
• Boosts the immunity of a cow

Fertilization

This is the union of a male and female gamete to from a zygote. This takes place in the oviduct or fallopian tube.

Learner’s activity.

1. Briefly explain the following terms
2. Steaming up
3. Drying off
4. Calving
5. How is colostrum important to a calf.
6. Why do you think a cow should be separated from the herd before calving?
7. List down any two signs of a cow on heat

LESSON   4      :       MILKING IN CATTLE

Milking. Is the method of obtaining milk from the cow’s udder.

• Milk is got by squeezing the teats of cow
• Milk is secreted from the mammary glands of a female animal.
• Milk contains over 85% water and 15% proteins fats, calcium, phosphorous

Types of milking

• Hand milking
• Machine milking

Hand milking: is the act of squeezing the teats of a cow using hands.

This method can be used to 1-3 animals.

Machine milking is the act of using a machine to squeeze the teats of cow.

Machine milking is the best for more than five animals.

Note:

A cow can hold up or hide milk if it’s disturbed.

Disadvantages of machine milking

• Needs a trained person to operate machine.
• The machines are expensive to buy.
• The udder may be injured in case of a machine fault.

Ways of obtaining clean milk.

• Prepare the milking place clean and free from dust.
• Wash all the milking containers clean.
• Wash the teats of the cow with warm water to stimulate milk let down.
• Tie the hind legs of the cow and give the cow some feeds to keep busy and relaxed.
• After milking, filter the milk and use a strip cup to detect mastitis in milk.
• Put the milk in clean containers and cover.

Note:

A lactometer is used to detect the presence of water in milk and separates fats   from milk.

 Structure of a lactometer

A structure showing a strip cup

• Before actual milking is done, the milker should smear milk jelly or cream to the teats to prevent them from cracking.
• A cow having mastitis should be milked last and its milk should be poured as treatment goes on.

Learner’s activity

1. Identify the type of milking commonly used in your locality
2. State how the following equipments are useful to a live stock farmer
3. A Strip cup
4. A lactometer
5. List down three ways of obtaining clean milk

LESSON 5:      PRESERVATION OF MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS

Milk products

The following are the products got from well processed milk.

Milk products	How it’s made	Usage
Cheese	Made by sour milk then thickening it by salting	Milked into dishes
Fresh milk	Boiling and refrigerating	Drunk and added to dishes
Skimmed milk	Separating  fats from milk	For frying foods
Yoghurt	Turning milk after removing fats	Used to be mixed into rice and other foods
Ghee	Made by boiling butter	For frying foods

Preservation of milk

• Milk should be protected from contamination by bacteria for future use.

This can be done by;

• Pasteurization
• Sterilization refrigeration
• Boiling and quick covering

Sterilization involves killing bacteria in milk with maximum boiling followed by covering it on cooling.

Pasteurization involves strong heating and sealing milk before germs enter.

This method was discovered by Louis Pasteur.

Note:

• Boiling is not preferable method because some milk is lost during evaporation.

Reasons why farmers should keep milk.

• To know the amount of milk produced per a cow at a certain period of time.
• It enables a farmer to select animals with less productivity rate for treatment.

Learner’s activity

1. State what you understand by the term milk preservation.
2. Give two ways of preserving milk.
3. State how yoghurt is made from milk .
4. State the importance of the following milk products to people
5. Cream
6. Ghee
7. Butter
8. Give two reasons for preserving milk.

LESSON 6       :       CATTLE PARASITES

A parasite is an organism that depends on another organism for food and shelter without killing it.

Cattle parasites are divided into two;

• External parasites (ecto-parasites)
• Internal parasites (endo-parasites)

External parasites (ecto parasites)

These are parasites that live outside the body of the animal. They suck blood from the animal.

Examples include:

Ticks, lice, mites, tsetse flies, fleas etc.

Ticks suck blood from the animals and spread tick borne diseases such as;

• East coast fever
• Red water
• Heart water.
• Anaplasmosis

Tsetse flies spread germs that cause Nagana or trypanosomiasis to cattle.

Internal (endo) parasites

These are parasites that live inside the body of the animals and mainly in the intestines.

They suck blood and feed on the digested animal’s food.

They are mainly worms.

Examples include;

• Hook worms feed on blood
• Tape worms feed on digested food
• Liver flukes live in the bile duct or liver.

Ways of controlling cattle parasites

• Spraying the animals using acaricides
• Practicing rotational grazing to avoid tick borne diseases
• Dipping cattle into chemicals
• De-worming cattle to kill intestinal worms

Learner’s activity

1. What do you understand by the term parasites?
2. Name the two types of parasites
3. How do parasites gain entry into the animal’s body?
4. Give two examples of external cattle parasites
5. Briefly explain two ways of controlling parasites on a farm

WEEK              :       6

LESSON   1      :       CATTLE DISEASES

Cattle diseases are classified into three groups according to the causative agents i.e.

• Bacterial diseases
• Viral diseases
• Protozoan diseases

Causes of sickness in cattle

• Lack of essential nutrients in their feeds
• Unhygienic conditions like dirty feeding troughs.
• Overcrowding of animals
• Physical injuries and infections caused by micro-organisms

Signs of a sick animal include;

• Animals appears gloomy and restless
• Body temperature may be high or low
• It may pass out urine with strange colours
• Difficulty in breathing or even coughing
• Diarrhea or scouring may occur

Name of disease	How its spread and caused	Signs and symptoms	Prevention control and treatment
Bacterial diseases
Anthrax	Caused by Bacteria Spreads through body contacts and contaminated feeds High fever Loss of appetite to graze. Sudden death Blood stained dung		Bury deeply  dead animals Burn the dead animals Vaccinate animals every year Separate infected animals
Mastitis	Caused by bacteria Spreads through body contact with an infected animal Milk with blood stains or pus Swollen and painful teats and udder. A cow refuses to be milked and suckled		Early treatment by using antibiotics Use a strip cup regularly
Pneumonia	Caused by bacteria Spreads from contaminated air and dirty living pens Difficult breathing, coughing, Nasal discharge Loss of appetite High fever		Use well ventilated dry and clean pens. Treat the animal at the early stage of the disease
Tuberculosis	Breathing in air with tuberculosis bacterial Spreads through milk of infected cows	Coughing Loss of weight Loss of appetite	Kill infected animals Separate infected animals from health ones Have proper sanitation Early treatment using antibiotics
Viral diseases
Foot and mouth disease	Spreads through sharing feeding containers Through body contacts with infected animals	Swollen teats and lameness Blisters on top of hooves and mouth (muzzle) Loss of appetite to graze High temperature Reduction in milk production	Separate sick animals Vaccinate after every 6months Application of a quarantine.
Rinderpest	Spread through body contact with an infected animal Soars in the mouth Sunken eyes Nasal discharge Tears from eyes High temperature Diarrhea with blood stains		Separate sick animals Regular vaccination Slaughter the infected ones
Protozoan disease
Nagana (trypanosomiasis)	Spreads through the bites of infected tsetse flies Loss of weight Anemia Loss of appetite High fever		Spread the tsetse flies using insecticides
East coast fever	Through bites of infected ticks (brown ear tick)	Nasal discharge Diarrhea Loss of appetite High temperature Weakness	Dipping and spraying animals with acaricides to control ticks
Heart water	Through bites of infected ticks (brown ear tick)	Animals walk in circles. Animals place their heads on objects When the animal falls, legs keep paddling in air	Dipping and spraying animals with acaricides to control ticks Treat early cases with tetracycline antibiotics and sulphadilimidine
Red water	Spread through tick bites (red ticks Spreads through tick bites (red tick)	High fever Reddish urine due to damaged liver. Animal licks soil	Vaccinate regularly. Dip and spray with the acaricides to kill ticks.

 Learner’s activity

1. Give a difference between viral and bacterial diseases
2. Point out any one cause of sickness in cattle
3. Identify the infection of cattle that attacks
4. Udder and teats
5. Respiratory system of the animal
6. Give two ways of controlling cattle diseases

LESSON 2     :       GRAZING /FEEDING IN CATTLE

Methods of grazing

There are three main methods of grazing cattle namely;

• Rotational grazing
• Zero grazing
• Herding or free range system

Rotational grazing

This is the type of grazing in which animals graze on one portion of pasture at a time. This can be done using the following systems;

• Paddocking
• Strip grazing
• Tethering

 

Paddocking

This is when a farmer feeds his animals on a big pasture land divided into paddocks.

Cattle are fed on grass in a paddock and when the grass is no longer enough they are moved to another paddock.

An illustration of paddock grazing

Advantages of paddock grazing

• Paddocks help to avoid overgrazing
• Paddocking controls pests and diseases
• Paddocking enables the animals to have grass all the time.
• It lessens the labour used to look after the animals after setting up paddocks.
• Paddocks help to control the spread of diseases
• The dung and urine of the animals are evenly distributed.

This allows for new grass to grow well in all paddocks.

Disadvantages of Paddocking

• The materials needed are expensive
• Animals have no choice of the type of plants to eat
• It requires a big portion of land
• The barbed wires can tear the skin of the animals

Strip grazing

This is where small sections called strips are created using temporary electric wires to restrict movements of animals.

Animals graze in gazetted area.

Advantages

• Pasture is evenly used
• Diseases and vectors are controlled
• Labour is reduced on the farm

Disadvantages

• It’s expensive to start and maintain
• It requires few animals to be kept

Tethering

This involves tying the animal on a tree or a peg using a rope to graze in a limited area

This is the most common method used in East Africa .

A structure showing tethering method

Advantages of tethering method.

• It’s cheap and appropriate to maintain
• No fencing is required
• Pasture chosen by the farmer is always the best

Disadvantages

• It can only work best for few animals
• Animal feeding is only limited to areas around the peg.
• It requires the farmer to keep transferring the animals when pasture is over.

Learner’s activity

1. One sentence, show the meaning of the phrase rotational grazing
2. Give two advantages of rotational grazing
3. Identify any two methods of rotational grazing
4. Briefly explain how strip grazing can be a disadvantage to a livestock farmer
5. Give two advantages of paddock grazing to a farmer

LESSON 3       :       HERDING AND ZERO GRAZING

Herding (free range grazing)

This is a system where animals are left free to graze on different types of pasture as monitored by a herdsman.

This system is mainly practiced by Normadic pastoralists

Advantages

• Animals are able to do some exercises as they graze
• It does not require any fencing
• The animals graze on different pastures of their choice

Disadvantages

• Animals need a herdsman to look after them all the time
• Animals can easily stray and destroy farmer’s crops
• Inbreeding is difficult to control

Zero grazing

This is a system where animals are kept under a special structure and water or feeds are provided.

Small cubicles are made for resting of the animals or feeding.

An illustration of zero grazing

Advantages of zero grazing

• It’s easy to collect manure (Farm Yard Manure)
• Animals are easy to control and monitor
• Feeds are not wasted since animals are given only what is enough.
• Animals are protected from bad weather like sunshine and heavy rains

Disadvantages of zero-grazing

• It’s very expensive to start and maintain
• The farmer gets over worked
• There is easy spread of diseases and pests
• It involves of either buying feeds or growing fodder crops
• Much labour is required to feed and monitor the animals

Learner’s activity

1. Explain the following terms;
2. Herding
3. Zero grazing
4. Outline any three advantages of herding
5. How can zero grazing be a disadvantage to a farmer?

LESSON 4       :       HOUSING OF CATTLE AND FENCING  

Like any other animals, cattle need good housing. They should be provided with shelter for the following reasons;

• To protect them from bad weather like heavy rain and strong sunshine.
• To protect cattle from thieves and attacks by wild animals
• To maintain their health and ease their feeding

Qualities or characteristics of a good house of cattle  

The house for cattle is called a byre / kraal.

It has the following characteristics;

• Well ventilated for free air circulation.
• Has a strong floor made of concrete for easy cleaning.
• Has a slanting to enable urine drain out.

Materials used to build cattle houses include

Wood, concrete, metals, bricks, plastics, stones etc

Fencing

A fence is a barrier of life or dead materials divided in areas of land

There are two types of fences namely;

• Planted fences
• Constructed fences

Planted (natural) fences are made by planting certain types of plants along margins of a given piece of land.

Constructed (artificial) fences, are fences were people-made materials are used to create a barrier along a particular piece of land.

The materials used when constructing artificial fences include;

• Treated poles
• Bubbled wires
• Bricks
• Wire nets
• Chain links, etc

This type of fence is the most popular one.

Importance of fencing

• Natural fences act as wind breaks thus controlling soil erosion
• Natural fences can maintain soil fertility by adding humus to soil
• Fencing controls the spread of pests and diseases to animals
• It also prevents animals from destroying people’s crops
• It allows proper use of pasture and makes culling easy

Learner’s activity

1. Give two reasons for housing cattle
2. What name is given to the house for cattle
3. List any two qualities of a good house for cattle
4. What do you understand by the term “fence”?
5. Identify any two reasons for fencing farm animals

LESSON   5:     STARTING A LIVESTOCK FARM

Livestock refers to the animals kept on a farm. These may include;

• Poultry
• Goats
• Sheep
• Pigs and
• Cattle

Livestock farming is the rearing of farm animals.

It’s important to people in the following ways;

• It’s a source of income when animals and their products are sold
• It’s a source of food
• It provides employment opportunities to people

Requirements for starting a livestock farm.

Land this is a place on which the farm is started. It may be obtained in the following ways;

• By buying
• Through inheritance
• From donation

Capital, this is the money used to buy things needed to start a farm. Some of the things the money may be used for include;

• Buying land if it is to be bought
• Constructing animal houses, stores, office and stationery.
• Preparation of pasture
• Bringing water on the farm
• Paying workers and experts for the treatment an vaccination of the farm animals before the farm starts producing.
• Buying drugs, acaricides and necessary equipments for the farm.

Labour, this includes people who do activities on a farm both skilled and unskilled workers.

Market, in live stock farming, marketing refers to the demand for cattle or their products.

Demand for cattle products means the desire and ability to pay for the products.

Therefore, it’s important to know whether people are ready to buy the products from the farm.

The type of livestock, the farmer needs to identify which animals he or she wishes to keep.

Learner’s activity

1. Give a difference between livestock and livestock farming
2. Today in Uganda, many people prefer livestock farming to crop growing. Give two reasons for this.
3. Identify any two ways of obtaining land for starting a livestock farm.
4. List any two activities done by skilled and non-skilled worker on a farm.
5. Give two ways in which capital can be used in starting a livestock farm