Livestock and their products
| Animal | Products |
|---|---|
| Cattle | Milk, meat (beef), hides, draught power, manure |
| Goats and sheep | Meat, milk, skins, wool |
| Pigs | Pork, bacon, lard |
| Poultry (chicken, ducks, turkeys) | Eggs, meat, feathers, manure |
| Rabbits | Meat, fur |
| Bees | Honey, wax |
| Fish | Food, oil |
Tanzania has one of the largest herds of cattle in Africa. Livestock are valuable for food, income, manure, transport and ploughing, and in many societies they show wealth and are used for dowry.
Systems of keeping livestock
| System | Meaning | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensive | Animals roam over large areas, nomadic pastoralism | Low cost | Overgrazing, disease, low yield |
| Semi-intensive | Grazing plus supplementary feeding | Moderate cost and output | Needs fencing and management |
| Intensive | Animals kept in buildings and fed | High yield, less land | High cost, disease spreads fast |
Terms in livestock production
| Animal | Male | Female | Young |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | Bull | Cow | Calf |
| Goat | Billy | Nanny | Kid |
| Sheep | Ram | Ewe | Lamb |
| Pig | Boar | Sow | Piglet |
| Chicken | Cock | Hen | Chick |
Feed conversion and stocking rate
Worked exampleFeed conversion ratio
A broiler chicken eats 4.5 kg of feed and gains 2.25 kg. Find the feed conversion ratio.
- Divide.
Answer: The FCR is 2: 2 kg of feed for each 1 kg of meat.
Try itFeed conversion and stocking rate
Choose the feed eaten and the weight gained, and the number of cattle on a pasture.
Key terms
- Livestock
- Animals kept for farm products.
- Extensive system
- Keeping animals over large areas at low cost.
- Intensive system
- Keeping animals in confinement with feeding.
- Stocking rate
- The number of animals per hectare.
Summary
- Livestock give meat, milk, eggs, hides, manure and power.
- Systems are extensive, semi-intensive and intensive.
- Know the names for male, female and young animals.
- FCR = feed ÷ weight gain.