Page 259 - Agriculture_Form_Three

Agriculture for Secondary Schools

Pigs must be well managed to have good health for better production. Pigs and rabbits
can be infested with different parasites such as mange/mite, lice and ticks. These
parasites can be controlled by dipping for ecto-parasites and administering drugs for
endo-parasites. Furthermore, some diseases such as African swine fever, anthrax,
FMD, enzootic pneumonia for pigs and coccidiosis and respiratory infections for
rabbits may be problematic to these animals. These diseases can be prevented by
confining animals indoor, keeping them away from wild animals, and enforcing
quarantine. In some cases, affected animals can be slaughtered to control the disease
especially if not affected by anthrax disease. The following should be observed to
keep the animals healthy: inspect your animals at least once a day and separate sick
animals from the healthy ones. Consult a veterinarian regularly for any unusual
illness of the animals and keep records of disease diagnosis and treatments.

Breeding management of livestock kept for meat
The aspects of reproduction and breeding of livestock have been detailed in Chapter
Seven of this book. It is important that you revisit the chapter to be conversant
with the aspects of breeding of different animal species. In this section, breeding of
animals for meat production (cattle, goats, sheep, pigs and rabbits) is highlighted.

Cattle: A good beef cow should be able to calve at least once per year. A cow which
does not calve regularly should be culled from the herd, that is, being slaughtered
or sold. The age at first mating for a heifer is 15 - 21 months. Young bulls become
mature enough to serve cows and heifers at the age of at least 18 months. Bulls
should be separated from cows and heifers until when required for mating. The ratio
of bulls to heifers/cows should be about one bull to 25 - 30 cows/heifers. Bulls will
detect and mate cows/heifers when on heat. In case artificial insemination is planned
to be used, you should observe the heat signs from the cows/heifers correctly. The
common heat signs include the cow/heifer becoming restless; white mucus being
discharged from the vulva; and animals tending to mount others and stand when
mounted. Consult the inseminator for the service to make sure that an animal is
served on time. The gestation period for cows is 270 - 280 days. Ensure safe place
for the cow during parturition or calving.

Goats and sheep: Goats and sheep become sexually matured and reach puberty
stage at the age of about 5 months. Allow young does/ewes to mate for the first
time at the age of 7 - 8 months. Keep the goats/sheep in a ratio of 30 - 40 females
to one male breeding buck/ram. When goats/sheep become mature, they begin to
go through cycles of heat periods. Cycles of heat period are called oestrus cycles,
which occur at an interval of 18 - 21 days and each heat period lasts for about 24
to 48 hours. Natural mating can be done using buck/ram bred at the farm or from

Student’s Book Form Three
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AGRICULTURE FORM 3 9.11.2022.indd 248 10/01/2025 12:32