CATTLE REARING - ANIMAL HUSBANDRY MANAGEMENT - CATTLE UNIT
Cattle arc the most common
type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the
subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and
are most commonly classified collectively
as Bos primigenius.
There are three cattle
production system/ Intensive system/ Semi-intensive system and extensive
system. But in Ebsu Teaching and Research Farm/ the system that is used there
is highly Extensive for now but plan is on grand to adopt intensive system of
cattle rearing.
a. White Fulani
b. Muturu and a crossbreed
of both.
In Ebsu Teaching and
Research Farm/ the cattle shed is of West African standard and it is made up of deferent sections which
includes: Crush/ Quarantine Unit, Isolation Unit, Paddock Unit/Average Weight Unit,
Water Trough Unite.
Crush: Crush is a strongly
built stall or cage for holding cattle safely while
they
are examined/ marked/ or given veterinary treatment. For the safety of
the animal and the people attending it/ a
close-fitting crush may be used to ensure the animal stands "stock
still".
The overall purpose of a crush
is to hold an animal still to minimise the risk of injury to both the animal
and the operator while work on the animal is performed.
Isolation Unit: Isolation
unit are specially designed to admit infected cattle to avoid transmitting
their infections to other animals. Isolation unit is always built on a separate
side in the cattle shed. :
Quarantine Unit:
This is another separate
unite in the cattle shed where newly introduced animal are kept for critical
examination by a veterinarian for some weeks, depending on the condition before
joining it with the rest of the
flock.
Paddock Unit: This is a constructed unit where the animal rest
after grazing.
Average Weight Unit: This is
the section, where the weight of every cattle in shed is decided with following
reasons.
·
Measure feed
conversion by monitoring weight gain over time to maximize yield - Well
informed management decisions are made for feed rationing to meet target
weights by date.
·
Monitor animal health
- Accurate measurement of body weight gives critical information about the
health of the animal. Changes in body
weight can provide
an early indication
of animal health problems.
·
Confirm animal
weights prior to mating - The live weight and condition of the animal can have
significant impact on the breeding performance.
·
Determine weaning
weights - The future performance of the animal can be directly linked to the
weight and maturity of the animal at the time of weaning.
·
Select animals by
weight for sale and slaughter - Drafting by weight for slaughter
insures that maximum profits
are returned to the
grower by accurate selection of animals based on weight.
MAJOR ACTIVITIES CARRIED
DONE IN THE
CATTLE UNIT.
(LARGE RUMINANT)
a. Cattle Inspection
b. Taking the cattle out for grazing in the nearby
field.
c. Modi cat: on
d. Sanitation
e. Post mortem inspection
CATTLE INSPECTION:
Inspection is one of the
major work carried out in the cattle unit as it will help you to identify weak
animals/ sick animals as well and it also helps you to know if there is
intrusion of any foreign body in to the cattle shed.
TAKING THE CATTLE OUT FOR GRAZING IN THE NEARBY FIELD
Grazing is a type of
feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants (such as grasses), and
also on other multicellular autotrophs (such as algae).
Grazing is important in
agriculture, in which domestic livestock are used to convert grass and other
forage into meat, milk and other products.
Grazing strategies
a. Continuous grazing and set stocking
b. Rotational grazing
c. Cell grazing .
d. Time control grazing
e. Spell grazing
Continuous grazing
Continuous grazing is a
management system where cattle graze from field to field or location to
location continuously. The main benefits of continuous grazing are that it is
simple to apply, requires minimal labour and can deliver good production and
land condition outcomes if managed well.
Disadvantages of set stocked
continuous grazing are that pasture utilisation may be above or below
the optimal level at any one time.
Rotational
grazing, cell grazing and time control grazing. Rotational grazing involves moving
livestock through a series of grazing land so when they have finished grazing the last field in
the series, the first grazing land has recovered to allow the rotation to
recommence. Rotations are
often organised around the plant growth cycles and aim to optimise pasture utilisation. A well designed
rotational grazing system/can also prevent uneven grazing across the grazing land.
SPELL GRAZING
Spell
grazing involves locking up pastures at critical times in their growth
cycle to
allow plants to replenish root reserves and set seed.
This
reduces the risk of over grazing and encourages pasture plant recruitment through seed set. An example of
spell grazing is wet season spell
grazing in northern cattle production systems which involves destocking paddocks during the wet season to
allow plant recovery and new
native pasture plant recruitment through seed set.
But in
Ebsu Teaching and Research Farm we practice time control grazing system and these are the available grasses
that our cattle feed on:
Elephant grass Penniselum purpureum
Carpet grass Axonopus fissifolius
Centre Centrosema
pubescens
Spear
grass imperata cilindrica
Eastern
gamagrass tripascum dactyloides
Devils grass cynodon dactylon
Star grass cynodon
plectostachyus
MEDICATION
These
are various means in which that we ensure that a healthy condition is maintained in our livestock.(Large
Ruminant).
a.
Vaccination: Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material to stimulate an animal immune system
to develop adaptive
immunity to a pathogen.
In Ebsu
Teaching and Research Farm, we vaccinated the cattle against ecto
parasites and
endo-parasites with the following drugs.
SILAGE
Silage
is fermented, high-moisture stored fodder which can be fed to ruminants or used as a biofuel feedstock for anaerobic digesters.
Silage Preparation:
·
Preparing the grass:
First, the pasture must be cut when the grasses contains their highest nutrient
levels. This is usually just before they are fully matured. This is important
because all forms of preserved gross such as boy and silage, will have lower
amount of nutrients than fresh pasture, so everything must be done to make the
product be as nutritious as possible.
·
Grass is allowed to
wilt in the field for a few hours to reduce the , moisture content to around 60-75%. This
moisture level will allow for optimum fermentation. If the grass is left out
longer, it may get too dry or it may get rained on. And both these will reduce
proper fermentation. Also, the longer the grass is left uncut, the higher the
loss of nutrients.
·
Fermentation: The cut
grass is chopped into even smaller pieces and then compacted
to get out
as much oxygen
as possible (This important because the micro-organisms,
called lactic acid bacteria, that are needed to carry out the fermentation,
like living in an oxygen-free environment). If the silage is to be stored piled
in a large pit or bucket,
depending on the size.
And tractors and other machineries are usually driven out
the piled grass until it is firm. And also the silage bacteria act on the
cellulose and carbohydrates in the forage to produce volatile fatty acids
(VFAs), such as acetic, propionic, lactic, and butyric acids. By lowering pH,
these create a hostile environment for
competing bacteria that
might cause spoilage, The VFAs
thus act as natural preservatives, in the same way that the lactic acid in
yogurt and cheese increases the preservability of what began as milk or
vinegar (dilute acetic acid) preserves
pickled vegetables. This preservative action is particularly important
during winter in
temperate regions, when
green forage is unavailable.
·
When silage is
prepared under optimal conditions, the modest" , acidity also has the effect of improving
palatability and provides a
·
dietary contrast for
the animal. (However, excessive production of acetic and butyric acids can
reduce palatability: the mix of bacteria is ideally chosen so as to maximize
lactic acid production.
·
Several of
the fermenting organisms
produce vitamins: for example, lactobacillus species produce
folic acid and vitamin B12
·
The fermentation
process that produces VFA also yields energy that the bacteria use: some of the
energy is released as heat. Silage is thus modestly lower in caloric content
than the original forage, in the same way that yoghurt has modestly fewer
calories than milk. However, this loss of energy is offset by the preservation
characteristics and improved digestibility of silage.
·
If the silage is
stored as bales, the balling machines will compact the grass as they work.
·
The next step is to
seal the compacted grass with plastic to keep oxygen out.
Mounds of silage
are covered with
old polythene (plastic) sheets and weighted down (usually with old
tires) to ensure maximum compacting;
bales are covered with plastic wrapping. The
problem with oxygen: Removing and keeping out oxygen is a key part in making
silage. This is because, fermentation has to happen under anaerobic
(oxygen-free) conditions or the correct type of micro-organisms won't grow. While
oxygen remains, plant enzymes and proteins to make energy, reducing the amounts
of these nutrient in grass.
·
Once all the oxygen
is used up, lactic acid bacteria starts to multiply. These are bacteria that
are needed to make silage, and they turn the plant sugars into lactic acid.
·
This causes the PIT to drop (the mixture becomes more acidic).
Once the PH is around 4-5, the sugar stops breaking down and grass is preserved
until the silage is opened and expose to oxygen. If the PH is not low enough, a
different kind of bacteria will start fermenting the silage, Producing
by-products (like ammonia) that taste bad to cows and sheep.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE QUALITY
OF FORAGE:
i. Temperature
ii. Maturity stage
iii. Leaf: Stem ratio
iv. Fertilization
v. Harvesting techniques
vi. Storage conditions
Forage quality decreases as
plants grow older. This occurs because, as plants get larger and more steamy, a
greater percentage of nutrients and dry matter is tied up in non-digestible
forms (Such as lignin). Greater amounts of non-digestible fiber resulting in
lower quality forage with decreased amounts of total digestible nutrients
(TON).
·
Species: plants
species can account for a wide variation in forage quality. Compositional
differences between species are reflected in the CP and NDF tests. Legumes are
larger in CP but lower in NDF than graases or grain silages. Weeds may or may
not change forage quality depending on species, stage of maturity and soil
fertility.
·
Maturity: As plants mature/ they increase in fiber and lighin
content. Increasing fiber (ADF and ADF) reduces digestibility and intake
potential. Lignin is essentially indigestible and therefore, the increasing
lignin content comes with increasing maturity also reduces digestibility. For
each one percentage unit of lignin, digestible dry matter (DDM) decrease three
to four percentage units.
·
Environment: Climate
conditions during growth and harvest of plants can greatly affect the quality
of forage. The most apparent environmental factors are temperature, light and
rainfall. Forage at the same maturity will be higher in fiber and CP when
growth occurs during high temperature compared to cool or normal temperatures.
Forages grown in hot climate will have a lower digestibility than forages grown
in colder at identical CP contents. Sunlight has variable affect on plant
nutrient values. Plants grown in bright light, generally has higher
digestibility than plants grown in shade, Cloudy weather may increase CP
content of plants. Moisture stress reduces plant growth but generally increases
leaf to stem ratios. Plants grown under moisture stress are usually higher in
digestibility (lower in fiber) and higher
in anti-quality factors (Alkaloids, nitrates and prussic acid) than plants
grown under normal moisture conditions.
·
Insect and disease damage: Both of these conditions result in leaf
losses which decrease CP and increase fiber content of plants. V
·
Soil Fertility: Fertilization of grasses with nitrogen (N) will
increase CP content. However, fertilization with other nutrients usually has
little effect on the nutrient content of forages. Extremes in soil mineral are
required to cause mineral deficiencies or toxicities in ruminant animals.
·
Harvesting and storage: Losses of highly digestible nutrients
occur during forage harvesting and storage. Keeping these losses to a minimum
is essential in attaining high quality forage.
·
Alternative material
to poultry litter in silage making:
·
Cassava leaves Shelled
corn Bermuda grass