MEANING OF FARM ANIMALS

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MEANING OF FARM ANIMALS

Farm animals, also known as livestock animals, are a group of animals which are reared in the farm either for food or for other purposes. These animals are specifically selected from among other groups of animals. They are kept in farms where they are taken care of. The rearing of these farm animals includes breeding, feeding, housing and a good health care. Farm animals include cattle, sheep, goats, turkeys, poultry birds (fowls), pigs, bees, rabbits, fish, shrimps, grasscutters, geese, ducks, snails, etc.
MEANING OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY
Animal husbandry is defined as the scientific method of rearing farm animals in a controlled environment with the aim of providing food and other purposes for man.
Animal husbandry involves taking certain animals from their natural environment to a different environment where they are kept, bred, fed, provided housing and taken proper care in terms of their health. All these are provided for the animals in order to enable them perform very well and even better than where they have lived in their natural habitats. In anima husbandry, proper attention is given to thes animals in terms of their breeding. To get goo breeds of the animals and in order to get th best performance from these animals, there mu be proper feeding, proper housing and als good care of their health. Examples of far animals that are good for husbandry includ cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry birds, bee fishes, snails, grasscutters, etc.
CLASSIFICATION OF FARM ANIMALS
Farm animals can be classified into five ma groupings. These groupings are based according to:
habitat
nature of their digestive tract
uses
the body size
the class the animal belongs to
the mode of reproduction
(1) CLASSIFICATION OF FAI ANIMALS ACCORDING TO HABIT
Habitat is defined as any environment in w an organism lives naturally. It is the natural h of an organism. For example, the habitat of fish is water.
Farm animals are therefore classified into two groups based on their habitats. These two habitats are terrestrial and aquatic habitats.
a. Terrestrial Animals: This refers animals that live on land. In other words, the animals live on the surface of the land. All the growth, development, feeding and all activities are related to land. Examples of farm animals that lived on land are poultry birds, cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits, geese, turkeys, pigs, ostriches and grass cutters.
b. Aquatic Animals: This refers to animals that live in water. In other words, these farm animals live inside any body of water such as rivers, lakes, streams, lagoons, wells, ponds, seas, etc. All their growth, development, feeding and all their activities are done in water. Examples of farm animals that live inside water are fishes, crabs and shrimps.
CLASSIFICATION OF FARM ANIMALS BASED ON THE NATURE OF THEIR DIGESTIVE TRACT (OR ALIMENTARY CANAL):
Digestive tract (or alimentary canal) is that part of the digestive system where digestion of food takes place in The body. Farm animals are again grouped into wo main classes based on the nature of their alimentary canal or digestive tract. These are:
a. Monogastric or Non-ruminant animals: These are animals which possess only ne stomach and they do not ruminate (i.e., they o not chew the cud). In other words, these animals have simple stomach and cannot digest cellulose and fibers properly. Examples are the pigs, rabbits and poultry birds like the domestic fowls, turkeys, ostriches and geese.
b. Polygastric or Ruminant Animals: These are farm animals which possess four stomach compartments (i.e., complex stomach) hence, they can ruminate or chew the cud. These animals can chew the cud and digest cellulose and fibres properly. The four stomach compartment of these animals are rumen (the gest), reticulum, omasum and abomasum’s(true stomach). Examples of ruminant farm animals e the cattle, sheep and goats. They are all herbivore (i.e., they feed mainly on herbs or grasses.
(3) CLASSIFICATION OF FARM ANIMALS BASED ON THEIR USES:
All the farm animals are reared for one or more uses to the farmers either for food or for other purposes. Some of the uses of farm animals include:
(a) Food: Virtually all farm animals provide food for mankind, especially protein, minerals and some vitamins. Some of these animals are cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits, fowls, turkeys and snails.
(b) Hides and Skins: Hides and skins are derived from the skins of cattle, sheep, goats, abbit etc. Hides and skins are used for bags, shoes, foot wears, jackets and decorations.
c) Horns: Horns are derived from animals ike cattle, sheep and goats. They are found in he head region of these animals. Horns are used s raw materials in knife handles, belt heads,
decorative purposes, fertilisers, feed ingredients and musical instruments e.g. flute.
(d) Milk: This is derived from farm animals like cows (cattle) ewe (sheeps), sows (pigs) and does (goats). The part that produces this milk is the mammary gland or udder. Milk provides protein in food, is used in baby food preparation, supplies minerals and vitamins to livestock.
(e) Income: All farm animals are also reared to provide income both to the farmers and the nation.
(f) Animal Dung or Manure: This is produced mainly by all terrestrial animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and poultry birds. Manure serves as fertilisers, it improves the structure and texture of the soil. It prevents erosion and has buffering effects on the soil.
(g) Eggs: These are mainly produced by poultry birds, e.g., fowls, turkeys, geese and ostrich. Egg is a source of protein. It is used in pharmaceuticals, and used industrially for paint making, adhesives, and scouring powder. Egg is a source of calcium in animal feeds. It is also used in the manufacturing of vaccines and cosmetics.
(8) Bone: This is derived from cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, etc. Bone is used as bone meal for livestock feeds, making of hoes. It provides vaccines and hormones from the bone marrow.
(9) Blood: This is derived from all farm animals especially cattle, sheep, goat and pigs. Blood is collected from these animals during slaughtering. Blood is used as blood meal for livestock feeds. It is also a source of vitamins and minerals to man, and also used industrially in providing hormones and other pharmaceutical products.
(10) Feathers: These are derived mainly from poultry birds such as domestic fowls, turkeys, geese and ducks. Feathers are used mainly for making pillows, cushions, mattresses and dusters