a) Mention five characteristics considered during selection of livestock for breeding.
b) State five characteristics of a Zebu cattle.
c) State five functions of water in farm animals.
d) List five nutritional disorders in farm animals
Explanation
(a) Characteristics considered during selection of livestock for breeding;
- Productivity /yield/prolificacy
- Resistance to diseases
- Quality of product
- Early maturity/growth rate
- Adaptation to climatic conditions
- Good mothering ability
- Male with high libido
- Resistance to diseases
- Age of the animal
- Body form /conformation of livestock/body shape
- Economy in use of feed/feed conversion efficiency
(b) Characteristics of Zebu cattle;
- Humped
- Large ears
- Horned
- Resistant to trypanosomiasis
- Large dewlaps
- Large size
- Tolerant to drought
(c) Functions of water in farm animals;
- Helps in the excretion of waste products
- Lubricates joints
- Helps in blood circulation
- Helps in salivation
- Helps to maintain cell turgidity/body shape
- Osmoregulation
- Aids in digestion of feed/nutrient dissolution
- Needed for transporting nutrients to various parts of the body
- Helps to regulate body temperature/wallowing in pigs/body cooling/homeostasis
- Important constituents of milk, egg and meat
(d) Nutritional disorders in farm animals;
- Rickets
- Pellagra
- Scurvy
- Anaemia
- Bloat
- Milk fever
- Osteomalacia
- Osteoporosis
- Grass tetany
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Alopecia
- Pica
- Cannibalism
- Night blindness