The Principles of Proper Livestock Management

June 9, 2023June 28, 2023 Agric4Profits

The ultimate objectives of livestock management (livestock production) are adequate supply of good-quality animal products and by-products, which not only assures huge profits on investment but also sustains livestock production systems.

This makes it highly imperative to adopt highly efficient principles and practices of livestock production, especially in the selection of the breeder stock.

The principles of proper livestock management include the following;

1. Selection of Good Animals

The best start for good livestock management lies in the selection of good animals for the farm. The selection of farm animals depends on several factors, including;

Heredity – The parents of the farm animals, especially the sire (male), have to be well known and must be of proven stock with superb economic and performance record;

Health – The animal must be healthy, and this may be certified by looking at the eyes, which should be clean and clear i.e. free from mucus, lachrymation, and blood-shot. The nose should be fairly moist but not running, not swollen, and free from ticks and other animal pests.

The mouth, tongue, teeth, and gums should be moist, blood-filled, and free from swelling wounds or cuts, or any infections. The teeth should be strong. The anus should be free from swelling or cuts; the dung and urine should be of the right texture (neither too hard nor too soft) and not stained with blood.

The legs should be well formed and free from infection such as swellings, cuts, and bruises. The skin coat should be shining, of the right color and covering, and free from cuts, bruises, and parasites.

Age – The younger the animals, the better and cheaper and the more the opportunity for maximum production.

Fertility and fecundity – Where an animal is to be used for breeding, it is important to select one from a well-known herd of very fertile and fecund animals.

Conformation or body-build – It is advisable to select an animal based on good conformation by examining the essential parts of the animal in relation to the purpose of keeping the farm animal such as;

Dairy production: Cows should be of slender body and low body weight, but the udders (milk factory) have to be big and healthy with pronounced and open teats;

Meatproduction: Beef animals should be very fleshy around the rump, forelimbs, and chest, with short legs and a square rump, and a long, broad back;

Farm power: Work animals should have long legs, thick necks, and broad shoulders for carrying the implements. They should be docile, of good temperament and very strong;

Egg production: Egg-laying beds should be of a good breed reputed to be a high egg-laying potential.

2. Proper Feeding

Different kinds of farm animals have different organs for food digestion, and these dictate the kind of food they eat.

Based on the food they eat, farm animals can be classified as herbivores (feed on plant materials); carnivores (feed on animal flesh); and omnivores (feed on both plant and animal materials).

The quantity and quality of food fed to animals are very important in animal management. Food should be regular, fed fresh, and contain the relevant nutrients (water, carbohydrate, fats and oil, protein, vitamins, and minerals) for the development of the animal. Feeding young animals is a delicate management affair and the following key points must be adhered to:

1. They should be fed small quantities of food per time, three or four times daily,

2. The food should preferably be in liquid form and high in protein,

3. In the case of mammals, they should be fed milk from their mother for at least two weeks,

4. They should always be fed at room temperature, and

5. When they are fed solid food, it has to be balanced, fortified with vitamins and minerals, and given in small quantities for a start.

3. Proper Housing

The housing of farm animals is a very important aspect of good livestock management. Farm animals are housed to protect them from wild beasts, theft, strong wind, rain, intense direct sunshine, pathogens, and pests. The following factors need to be considered in animal housing:

Type of Animal: Birds require smaller houses and more temporal structures while bigger animals such as cattle require stronger and more ventilated structures.

Type of Production: Where the product is expensive and cleanliness is important (e.g. meat, butter, cheese, eggs), the building must be such that can be easily and regularly cleaned.

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Type of Management: Housing is not important for the Free Range System. Similarly, elaborate housing is not necessary for the Semi-Intensive System. However, in intensive system where animals have been kept completely indoors the housing situation is critical to the successful management of business and profit.

Generally, the essential conditions for good housing include;

1. The protection of animals from rain, heat, wind, pests, and pathogens;

2. The provision of a dry bed (e.g. dry clean grass);

3. Avoidance of draught;

4. Keeping off flies as much as possible;

5. Avoidance of overcrowding;

6. Removing dung and manure from the house regularly;

7. Avoiding sharp edges and holes in buildings to prevent accidents with animals;

8. Consistent provision of strong fence to facilitate the exercise by animals, and where possible, few trees for shade;

9. Provision of feeding and water troughs within the building as well as on the paddocks; and

10. Provision of a separate building/area where sick animals can be isolated as a preventive disease control measure.

4. Proper Grooming of Farm Animals

Farm animals are groomed by brushing, washing, and cleaning all their body parts. The reasons for grooming are many and include;

1. Keeping the animal free of ectoparasites, which are brushed off when grooming is done properly;

2. Encouraging the taming of the animals to facilitate easy handling by husbandmen;

3. Quick detection of wounds, cuts, and injuries, sickness, and animals in heat;

4. Keeping animals warm, particularly after exposure to cold or rainy weather;

5. To facilitate operations such as dehorning, tattooing, and castration, on the animals; and

6. To stimulate milking.

5. Disease Control in Farm Animals

Livestock diseases are of paramount importance to farmers because of their economic effects. Livestock diseases constitute a major factor in poor animal performance. They cause loss of production through death and frequently, a loss of body condition.

Animals are born free of diseases or parasites but they usually acquire these maladies through contact with diseased animals, improper sanitation, and improper management, feeding, and care. Many diseases are transmissible between classes of animals and from classes of animals to Man (zoonotic diseases) e.g. Bird flu, rabies, and mad cow disease.

The signs of ill-health include a change in general posture of the animal, loss of appetite, raised hair coat and lusterless hair, sunken eyes, lacrimation or glued eyes, dungs with poor consistency, scouring, dark/bloody urine, bad breathing, and other detailed signs detectable by the Veterinarian such as variation in body temperature, pulse rate, and behavioral pattern.

There are several common diseases associated with livestock, classified according to the etiological agents responsible for them, such as viral, bacterial, protozoan, helminthic, ectoparasitic and rickettsial diseases. Also, the diseases require different measures of controlling them such as good sanitation, quarantine, dipping, culling, and vaccination.

6. Pasture Establishment

Pastures are established to provide a favorable environment for seed germination, seedling emergence, and growth of planted vegetative material in relation to initiation of new roots and shoots; to destroy or control the growth of unwanted, competitive plants, and to remove unproductive plants to facilitate re-seeding of the pasture species.

The successful establishment of a pasture is directly influenced by soil type and fertility, type of pasture species, rainfall, availability/cost of planting material, type and quality of animal to be fed, and management skill.

Examples of tropical grass and legume pasture crops include Axonopus compressus, Digitaria decumbens, Melinis minutifolia, Panicum maximum, Pennisetum purpureum (grass), and Calopogonium mucunoides, Centrosema pubescens, Gliricidia sepium, Leucaena leucocephala, Pueraria phaseoloides and Stylosanthes guyanensis (legume).

grass-legume mixtures (2:1) are more desirable than either grass or legume pasture because legumes have higher nutrient quality than grasses; legumes have a different growth cycle, they add variety to diet quality, and they fix nitrogen which facilitates the growth of associated plant species in the pasture.

7. Pasture Management

The main aims of good pasture management are to obtain maximum herbage yield with the highest possible nutritive value throughout the year at the lowest possible cost; to keep pasture productive and prevent any overall decline in quality; to ensure efficient utilization of forages and convert the feed to saleable products such as meat and milk, and to maintain a good grass-legume balance in the pasture.

Pastures are managed during establishment following planting and after establishment or in established pasture. Management during establishment involves early grazing, weed control, and pest and disease control (through propagule treatment, good crop hygiene, crop rotation, disease-resistant varieties, and plant quarantine).

After establishment, pastures are managed by controlling the stocking rate (number of grazing animals per unit hectare of land per time), animal distribution in space and time (by fencing), animal quality (based on adaptation to forage, climate and performance) and renovation (through re-seeding and fertilizer application).

8. Grazing Management

This aims at obtaining and maintaining a high production of consistently good-quality forage, maintaining a favorable balance between different herbage species in the pasture, achieving efficient utilization of forage, and high animal production.

The choice of grazing systems depends on climate, topography, forage species, and intensity of grazing. The different types of grazing systems are continuous grazing (extensive, animals remain in paddocks for prolonged periods); rotational grazing (intensive, improved pasture/ley pasture, division of paddock); zero-grazing/soiling (animals kept indoors or in the paddock); strip grazing (modification of rotational grazing, restricted grazing of animals); and deferred grazing (preserved areas for future grazing, hay, seed-set, or hay).

All systems require a regular water supply, race, and fenced paddocks.

9. Forage Conservation

This is one important way of improving animal performance during periods of forage scarcity and dry months, whereby excess herbage/fodder and forage crops such as cereals and legumes are kept for future livestock feeding.

Conservation processes include bush foggage (standing hay), hay (dehydrated green forage), silage (fermented green forage), silage haylage (ensilage hay in the absence of oxygen), husklage (salvage feed consisting primarily of husks and cobs with the limited grain), and fodder bank (fenced area of densely planted forage legumes).