Page 169 - Agriculture_Form_Three

Agriculture for Secondary Schools

Activity 7.4
1n groups, perform the following tasks:
1. Discuss and prepare breeding calendars of the following animal classes; cow,
pig and goat. In planning the breeding calendar, consider the animal is in its first
heat period. Some of the questions to guide your planning are:
(a) What are the management practices needed to the animal expected to be
mated?
(b) The animal has unfortunately missed conception in her first heat period,
when will you take again the animal for mating?
(c) If successfully bred, what are the estimated dates for the preceding major
events to parturition?

2. Summarise your deliberations and present them in class.

Exercise 7.1
Answer the following questions:
1. Define the following terms in relation to animal breeding and reproduction:
(a) Reproduction
(b) Fertilisation
(c) Breeding
(d) Ovulation
(e) Parturition
2. Differentiate between Natural mating and Artificial mating in farm animals.
3. State any six signs of heat that are observed in cows when they are on heat.

4. Outline the advantages of artificial insemination over the natural mating.

Livestock breeding systems

In livestock breeding, the animals with desired characteristics are selected and
allowed to mate. In this way, the desirable genes from these animals are inherited,
that is, transmitted to the offspring making it to have similar performance or even
better than the parents. Proper livestock breeding is required so as to ensure continued
improvement of farm animal generation after generation. Thus, the main objectives
of proper livestock breeding are to:

(a) obtain high quality animal products, e.g., milk, meat, wool and eggs.
(b) increase production capacity of the animal in terms of quantity, for example,
milk yield, growth rate, weight gain and number of eggs.

Student’s Book Form Three
158

10/01/2025 12:31
AGRICULTURE FORM 3 9.11.2022.indd 158
AGRICULTURE FORM 3 9.11.2022.indd 158 10/01/2025 12:31