COURSE GUIDE ANP 202 PRINCIPLES OF ANIMAL PRODUCTION Course Team Dr. Samson O. Aribido (Course Developer/Writer) – Kogi State University, Ayingba Prof. Afolabi Adebanjo (Programme Leader)– NOUN Dr. Jari Sanusi (Course Coordinator) - NOUN NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA © 2018 by NOUN Press National Open University of Nigeria Headquarters University Village Plot 91, Cadastral Zone Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway Jabi, Abuja Lagos Office 14/16 Ahmadu Bello Way Victoria Island, Lagos e-mail: [email protected] URL: www.nou.edu.ng All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed 2010, 2018 ISBN: 978-058-912-1 ii ANP 202 COURSE GUIDE CONTENTS PAGES Introduction …………………………………………. iv What you will Learn in this Course………………….. iv Course Aims ………………………………………… v Course Objectives …………………………………… v Study Units…………………………………………… v Unit Structure……………….………………………… vii Tutor-Marked Assignment……………………………. vii Final Examination and Grading……………………….. viii Course Marking Scheme……………………………… viii Tutors and Tutorials…………………………………… viii Summary………………………………………………. ix iii INTRODUCTION This course guide provides a synopsis of the teaching schedules into which all study units in this course material are categorised. The Principles of Animal Production as laid out in this course guide are fundamental bases for acquiring knowledge, skills and techniques for animal production management and improvement that are needed to translate a livestock enterprise for higher productivity and profitability. Thus, understanding the guiding principles in animal production is akin to “holding the bull by the horns” which will afford a producer to tune his production activities for best results within the limits imposed by the environment and genetic make-up of the animal. This course; Principles of Animal Production (ANP 201) is an introductory course offered in the second year of B.Sc. Agric degree programme. It is a two-credit unit course consisting of 13 study units presently scheduled in the subsequent section. Each unit entails activities expected to be covered in one week of study. Learners are requested to schedule their study programme to accommodate Tutor-Marked assignments, references and weekly tutorials provided by facilitators. Regular attendance to the schedule of work and classes is encouraged for up-mobile learners. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS COURSE? Your expectations to acquire knowledge on principles of Animal Production have been carefully itemised in form of course guide and study units in this course material. The foregoing course overview briefly introduces you to changes in behaviour and ability you are likely to acquire with respect to practical knowledge and its applications to animal production for the benefit of mankind. The focus and purpose of the course are laid out in the course aim and objective to enable your mind concentrate on specific goals to be achieved as well as stimulate your interest in developing appropriate vision for overcoming constraints and improving livestock production in your environment. Thus, the study units are serialised to bring forth understanding of the subject matter from basic concepts, roles, constraints and strategies to specific techniques of livestock management as they relate to individual livestock specie in the tropical environment and under the systems the tropical environment has imposed. iv ANP 202 COURSE GUIDE COURSE AIMS The course aims at providing an understanding of the established facts underlying the management and operation of livestock production with a view to inculcating appropriate technical skills in students to enable them increase production, improve productivity and cope with challenges arising there from. COURSE OBJECTIVES Specific objectives are set from the foregoing in a pattern such that at the end of the course, students (or readers) should be able to: • Appreciate historical and current advances in the development of animal production; the roles of animal production and its relationship with other life sciences. • Recognise the overwhelming influences of the production environment and genetic constitution over improvements in productive performance, system of livestock production, development of natural adaptation and acclimatisation features in animal breeds. • Identify physical and production traits of indigenous breeds of livestock and some exotic breeds. • Employ basic principles and techniques of animal breeding while using criteria from production records, physical evaluation and livestock judgments. • Apply principles and tools of animal management for the husbandry of various classes and types of livestock namely cattle, sheep and goats, pigs, poultry, and rabbits. STUDY UNITS The thirteen study units contained in the course are as follows: MODULE 1 Unit 1 An Overview of Animal Production: Concepts, Roles, Constraints and Strategies Unit 2 Effects of the Tropical Environment on Animal Production Unit 3 Adaptation and Acclimatisation as Means of Coping with Environmental Stress Unit 4 Systems of Livestock Production Unit 5 Principles and Techniques in Livestock Breeding v MODULE 2 Unit 1 Livestock Breeding in the Tropical Environment Unit 2 General Principles of Cattle Production Unit 3 General Principles of Sheep Production Unit 4 General Principles of Goat Production MODULE 3 Unit 1 General Principles of Pig Production Unit 2 General Principles of Poultry Production Unit 3 General Principles of Rabbit Production Unit 4 Livestock Management Tips The first unit provides an overview of animal production. It also introduces learners to the concepts and the evolution of the traditional techniques of livestock production to modern scientific techniques with vast linkages with other life sciences. The growth in the skills of managing livestock has led to modernisation and automation of various techniques that forecloses gap between demand and supply of animal products, such that livelihood, employment, food and other socio- economic roles of this subject matter are fulfilled. However, problems and constraints are still emerging but knowledge based solutions are being deployed in form of new strategies. Study units 2, 3 and 4 describe peculiar influence of the tropical environment on animal performance and perhaps, survival. This peculiarity imposes enabling environment for major constraints to animal productivity, demanding that learners must be guided to appreciate and assist animals to ameliorate or overcome through the application of appropriate biological and environmental principles. One of such means of overcoming environmental constraints is to organise animal production into different systems that suit specific condition, socio-economic ability of the producers and other considerations central to the entire production activities or processes. Units 5 and 6 illustrate the principles of animal breeding and their application in selecting replacement stock for tropical farm animals. Genetic (inherited) factors are the second set of variables (to those of environment) that control the features, traits, performance and other productive abilities of an animal and its generations to come. Breeding and other management skills are means for drawing from large pool of genetic resources reserved in animal to the fore of productivity and profitability. In fact it may be assumed that if learners imbibe the principle of animal breeding one half of this course and its objectives would have been achieved. vi ANP 202 COURSE GUIDE The general principles of management for cattle, sheep, goat, pig and poultry including pullets and broiler and rabbits are provided in study units 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 respectively. The units map out the precepts for undertaking practical activities in animal production by the general principles of management of various livestock species. Unit 13 is an extended summary of management tips for livestock production not restricted to particular animal species but to the farm enterprise. Unit Structure Each study unit is presented in the following table of content that forms the unit structure. 1. Introduction 2. Objectives 3. Main Content 4. Conclusion 5. Summary 6. Tutor-Marked Assignment 7. References/Further Reading TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) account for 30per cent of your total course work. At least four TMAs are given in each study unit, three of which you expected to answer and submit for grading by Facilitator/Assessor. The assignments would be returned to you for your review. This course material and suggested reading and references will assist learners to complete their assignments and prepared for examination. Learners are however strongly warned against copying in verbatim their responses on assignment or memorising from the course content. You are required to undertake independent reading of relevant materials, extract useful points. The totality of your comprehension of the subject matter from the study unit, references and other relevant material should broaden your mind to address problems and give professionals insights and practical skills to the subject of animal production at a degree level. Appropriate time schedule for assignments and examination have been provided, ensure that you adhere strictly to the schedule. In any circumstance that you are unable to meet time schedule for assignment, timely arrangement of work at a new date should be made with you facilitator. vii ASSESSMENT The overall evaluation of students consist of two phases – one phase consist of continuous assessment i.e. the Tutor-Marked Assignments (TMAs) and the other consist of the Final Written Examination, covering all areas of the course which will scheduled at your study centre. The work you submit to your tutor for assessment (TMAs) will account for 30 per cent of your total course work at the end of the course you will need to sit for a final or end of course examination of about 2-3 hours duration. This examination will account for 70 per cent of your total course work. The TMA as a matter of compulsion must be submitted to your tutor within the stipulated period for assessment. It is important to revise self- assessment exercises, TMAs and Tutor’s comments in preparation for your examinations. FINAL EXAMINATION AND GRADING The final examination at the end of this course will hold for 2-3 hours and it will be graded on a score of 70 per cent of total course work. The examination questions will reflect understanding of the subject matter or topics discussed in this course material. Application of the principles of animal production to solve farm condition problems commonly experienced by farmers will be expected. As much as possible the entire course content will be covered in the assessment, sound grasp of every discussion on the main content through reading formalisation with reference materials may be very helpful to you. A revision of TMAs and comments of facilitators prior to the examination is strongly advisable. COURSE MARKING SCHEME Assessment Marks Obtainable 1. Tutor-Marked Assignments: Select best 3 at 10% each = 30% of 1-4 No. course work. 2. End of Course Examination = 70% of Course Work Total = 100% Course Work TUTORS AND TUTORIALS Tutorials covering a total of 16 hours have been slated to assist you in assimilating this course. Information regarding the dates, time and location of the tutorial will be conveyed to you as well as the name and phone contact of your facilitator. The facilitator to whom you are assigned will expect that you forward your assignments by post at least viii ANP 202 COURSE GUIDE two working days prior to the deadline for submission. The facilitators have been instructed to mark record and also comment on your assignments and later return them for your revision. It is important to establish contact with your facilitator as soon as you are assigned to him/her for one or more of the following reasons: • If you do not have clear understanding of the study, reference material or assignment given. • If you have difficulties with marking or grading of the TMAs or self-test. Attendance at tutorials is extremely desirable as it affords face-to-face contact between the learners and the facilitator. Active participation at tutorial would assist the facilitator to know the point of intervention to help your understanding. Tutor-marked assignment presented at the end of each is a set of exercises for learners to attempt and return to the facilitators for assessment and grading as part of continuous assessment. Facilitators are requested to return marked assignments to their students to determine their performance and makes necessary adjustment where needed. SUMMARY Principles of Animal Production as a course aims at offering the learner the basic concepts and the principles underlying the techniques and methods for raising farm animals for improved productivity and profitability. On completion of this course, learners would have been sufficiently equipped with knowledge on concepts of the subject, interrelationship between traditional scientific methods of producing livestock, roles, constraints and strategies associated with animal production, the overbearing influence of the tropical environment, systems of animal management, breeding and genetics and the application to replacement stock, general principles of management to livestock species commonly found in Nigeria and management tips for animal farm enterprise. In addition, learners will be able to answer such question as: • Explain briefly the concept of animal production. • Identify important roles and constraints to livestock production in Nigeria. • Enumerate direct effects of tropical climate on animal production and discuss their management implications. • Pinpoint rationale for restriction on importation of European cattle breed into Nigeria. • List and discuss the various modes of energy transfer. ix • Describe the influence of heat stress on five specific animal performance traits. • List and describe systems of livestock production you are familiar with under the traditional system. • Identify and describe factors affecting system of livestock production in Nigeria. At the end of this course the basic principles of animal production would have been sufficiently revealed to you to enable you acquire further instructions for your professional growth and development. I wish you the best in your learning and as you grow through the noble profession of Animal Production for your personal good and Nigeria at large. x