Routine Management Practice in Farm Animals

Selection is the process of picking or selecting from a mixed population, those animals with bleeding value as parents. Selection is undertaking to maximize genetic gain. It helps to select animals that are capable of transmitting their genetic attributes with their offspring. Animals with desirable characters like good meat production and egg laying are selected. Selection is grouped into two main classes.

1. Natural selection: This is the ability of individual animals to weather through unfavorable environmental forces to survive and reproduce. Those that are unable to survive die of or are rejected.
2. Artificial selection: This selection is done by man using his intelligence and influence to select and made animals in order to increase the number of animals. There are four types of artificial selection:

1. Mass selection: Animals are selected or rejected on the basis of their own performance (merit). Animals with the desired characteristics are chosen in preference to those not possessing any features from a large group of animals.
2. Progeny selection: Animals are selected on the performance of their progeny or offspring. Mothers of the best performing are retained while the mothers of offspring that do not perform well are discarded.
3. Family selection: Animals are selected or rejected on the basis of the performance of the relatives or family. It is useful when family size is large and heritability is low.
4. Pedigree selection: Animals are selected or rejected on the basis of performance of the ancestors. This selection is based on the belief that ancestors have passed on their traits to the animals being considered and so the animal is likely to perform equally or even better than the ancestors.

Advantages of Selection

1. It ensures that only the best naturally available animal is selected.
2. Animals with the desirable character are selected.
3. Animals from the best breeds are bred for distribution.
4. Animals with undesirable characteristics are detected and rejected.
5. Selection reduces the spread of diseases.
6. It also reduces the spread of parasites associated with breeding stocks.

Disadvantages of selection

1. Selection is tedious and time consuming.
2. It is very costly in terms of time and money.
3. It requires expertise which may not be readily available.
4. It brings about elimination or exclusion of some desirable traits of some parent stocks.
5. No new desirable characteristics are introduced.

Culling

Culling is defined as the removal of diseased, poorly performing or destructive animals from a flock of farm. That is, culling is the term used to describe the removal from the flock, those animals that are no longer productive in the farm.

Reasons for Culling Animals

Animals are culled for various reasons among which are:

1. Failure to reproduce, or cessation of production.
2. Excessive consumption of feeds.
3. Cannibalism among animals.
4. Broodiness in case of birds.
5. Fighting among animals.
6. Low egg production in the case of birds.
7. Ill health of animals.
8. Overweight due to excess fat.
9. Pronounced deformation of parts of the body.
10. Extremely light body weight.

For a farmer to cull an animal, such animal must show certain undesirable qualities or characteristics features. These features in poultry birds fir example are:

1. Presence of pale and scaly comb
2. Pale and scaly wattles.
3. Sunken, dull and split pupils.
4. Yellow beak.
5. Rounded and lustreless tail feathers broken after laying for some time.
6. Hard abdomen with little or no capacity.
7. Narrow distance between breast bone and pelvic bones to 2-3 fingers.
8. Overweight due to excess fat.
9. Extremely light weight.
10. Hard and dry skin.
11. Small dry vent.
12. Yellow shank.
13. Cannibalism.
14. Broodiness.
15. Low egg production or cessation of laying.

Advantages or Benefits of Culling Farm Animals

1. It reduces cost of production.
2. It enhances greater production of animals.
3. It reduces the cost of feeding the animals.
4. It increases the efficiency of production.
5. Animals with undesirable characteristics are eliminated.
6. The incidence and spread of poultry diseases is minimised.
7. The incidence and spread of poultry pests is minimised.
8. The extra cost of feeding unproductive birds is eliminated.
9. A large floor space is available for the rest of the birds.
10. Egg pecking is minimised.
11. Cannibalism is minimised.
12. Hen day production percentage is increased.

Ear notching

Ear notching is one of the methods used in the identification of farm animals. Ear notching are small cutting made on the ears of farm animals especially cattle, sheep, goat and pigs.

Advantages of Ear notching

1. The number can easily be seen from a long distance.
2. They are easy to read and understand.
3. The number cannot easily be rubbed off except the ears are cut off.
4. It has no serious adverse effect on economic or useful parts of the body.
5. Ear notching can easily be performed on farm animals.

Disadvantages of Ear notching

1. Marketing on the ears can cause infections if the cut area is not properly treated.
2. Understanding of the marks may be difficult for a new employee in the farm.
3. The cutting may heal up, thus making marking difficult to read.

Tattooing

Tattooing is another method used in the identification of farm animals. Tattooing is a practice whereby the numerals are letters are formed from metal pins which are then pressed on to the ears of the animals.

The metals pins used carry certain code numbers. Tattooing is used on animals like cattle, sheep, goat and pigs.

Advantages of Tattooing

1. It is easy to carry out.
2. It is not expensive to do.
3. Numbers can easily be seen and read from a distance.
4. It may not have any effects on the animal.

Disadvantages of Tattooing

1. The metal pins can easily fall off.
2. When stuck to objects, metal pins can easily tear off the ear of the animals.

Chaining

Chaining is another method used in the identification of farm animals. It involves the trying of metal chains round the neck of farm animals like cattle, sheep and goat. Chaining may not be necessary in pigs since the animals are more or less neckless.

Advantages of Chaining

1. It is cheap to carry out.
2. It is easy to perform.
3. The chains have no effects on economic part of the body (e.g. the neck).

Disadvantages of Chaining

1. The numbers may not be easily seen.
2. It can get stuck to an object and break off.
3. Not good for short animals as the chains may be touching the ground.