Course Title: Livestock Management

Course Code: ASN 103 (Theory), ASN 104 (Practical)

Credit Hour: 02 (Theory) + 01 (Practical)

Livestock
Livestock are those species of animals which are domesticated, reproduce (populated) freely
under human condition having economic importance to human. Eg. Cattle, Buffalo, Sheep,
Goat, Pig, Horse etc.

Poultry

Poultry are those species of birds which are domesticated, reproduce (populated) freely under
human condition having economic importance to human. There are 11 species of poultry as
Chicken, Duck, Goose, Guineafowl, Pheasant, Peafowl, Pigeon, Quail, Ostrich, Turkey and
Swan.

Ornithology

The study of birds which are not classed as poultry is known as ornithology.

Management

It is the art and science of combining ideas, facilities, processes, materials and labour to produce
and market a worthwhile product or service successfully.

Farm

An organized decision making unit within which crop and livestock production is carried out
for the purpose of satisfying farmer’s goals.

Manager

Is one who conducts business affairs with economy. In other words, manager is an organizer
and a converter, who converts resources into products.

Qualifications of an Ideal Manager

The following qualifications are essential for a good livestock manager-

i. Character: Absolute sincerity, honesty, integrity, loyalty and ethical.

ii. Industry: Work, work, work; enthusiasm, initiative and aggressiveness.
iii. Ability: Livestock know-how, experience and business acumen. The capacity to arrive
systematically at the financial aspects and convert this information into sound and
timely management decisions. Knowledge of how to automate and cut costs, common
sense, organization, imagination and growth potential.
iv. Plans: Set goals, prepares organization chart and job description, plans works and works
plans.
v. Analysis: Identifies the problems, determine pros and cons, then comes to a decision.
vi. Courage: To accept responsibility, innovate and keep on, keeping on.
vii. Promptness and dependability: A self-starter, has “T.N.T.” means that he does it today,
not tomorrow.
viii. Leadership: Stimulates subordinates and delegates responsibility.
ix. Personality: Cheerful, not a complainer.

Functions of Manager

Managers just don't go out and haphazardly perform their responsibilities. Good managers
discover how to master five basic functions of management. It includes-

i. Planning: The basic function of farm management. It is about deciding in advance what
to do, when to do and how to do. It bridges the gap from where we are & where we
want to be”. The manager first needs to decide which steps are necessary to accomplish
the intended goal.
ii. Implementation: It is the execution of planned activities as per schedule and allocated
resources to bring the intended results.
iii. Evaluation and control: includes three steps-

a. Establishment of standard performance

b. Measuring actual performances
c. Comparison of plan versus achievement and finding out deviation if any.
d. Taking corrective actions i.e. what changes to be made, how and where?
 Differences between ruminants and non-ruminants

Differential Ruminant Animals Non-Ruminant

points

Definition Refer to animals that chew and Refer to the animals that digest food in
regurgitate their food more than once one stomach (Simple digestive system)
and digest it multiple times in different
stomachs (Complex digestive system)

Stomach Complex stomach with four Simple stomach with a single

type compartments (Rumen, Reticulum, compartment (Monogastric)
Omasum and Abomasum)

Cud chewing Chew cud (Rumination) Do not chew cud (No rumination)

Cellulose digest all plant carbohydrates including Cannot digest cellulose

digestion cellulose with the help of cellulase from
bacteria

Feed type Mainly herbivores Mostly omnivores or carnivores

List of ruminants and non-ruminants

Ruminants Non-ruminants
Cattle Elephant
Buffalo Rhinoceros
Sheep Hippopotamus
Goat Horse
Nilgai Zebra
Giraffe Ass
Bison Pig
Llama Dog
Camel Monkey
Rabbit
Hamster
 Figure: Digestive system of cow

Figure: Digestive system of horse

Figure: Reproductive system of cow

 Figure: Reproductive system of bull

Some Common Terminology

Details Cattle Buffalo Sheep Goat Pig

Species Bovine Bovine or Ovine Caprine Swine

Bubaline
Groups of Herd Herd Flock Flock or band Drove or herd or
animals stock

Adult male Bull Buffalo bull Ram or tup Buck Boar

Adult female Cow She buffalo or Ewe Doe Sow

buffalo cow
Young male Bull calf Buffalo bull Ram lamb or Buckling or Boarling
calf Tup lamb male kid
Young Heifer calf Buffalo heifer Ewe lamb or Goatling Gilt
female calf gimmer lamb
New born Calf Buffalo calf Lamb Kid Piglet or Pigling

Castrated Bullock or Buffalo Wither or Castrated Hog or stag

male steer bullock wedder or barrow
Sterilized Spayed Spayed Spayed Spayed Spayed
female

Act of Calving Calving Lambing Kidding Farrowing

parturition
Act of Serving Serving Tupping Serving Coupling
mating

Cry Bellowing Bellowing Bleating Bleating Grunting

 Some Related Terminology

Puberty

The period of life at which the reproductive organs first become functional. This is
characterized by estrus and ovulation in female and semen production in male.

Infertility

The inability of the animal to conceive and maintain pregnancy if served at the appropriate
time in relation to ovulation.

Sterility

A complete and permanent reproductive failure is known as sterility.

Parturition

The expulsion of foetus and it’s associated membranes from uterus through the birth canal by
natural forces and in such a state of development that the foetus is capable of independent life.

Management of Dairy Farm

The following important points must be considered for proper management of a dairy farm.

i. Care and management of cow during and after parturition

ii. Housing
iii. Raising dairy calf
iv. Keeping farm records
v. Other management such as
❖ Daily routine work
❖ Kindness in handling
❖ Grooming
❖ Drying off-milking will be stopped before 40-60 days of parturition.
❖ Detecting estrus and mating
❖ Pregnancy diagnosis
❖ Milking-regularly at the same time.
❖ Disease preventive measures-includes vaccination program against virus
and bacteria, testing program by veterinarian and deworming program
through faeces examination.
❖ Culling
❖ Control of bad habits-includes suckling, licking, kicking, fencing etc.
Record keeping

Record keeping is a necessary element of good livestock management. Farm records are like
the progress report cards students get at school. If farmers have farm records, they can tell how
well they are managing their farm in comparison to other farmers.

Importance of record keeping

✓ Helps in overall better supervision and management of herd

✓ Helps in determining the economics of dairy farm
✓ Helps to compare the herd performances in different years to determine the amount of
profit/loss each year
✓ Helps to identify problems/gaps and setting future goals/directions for the farm
✓ Inform farmers about strengths and weaknesses in their farm operation
✓ Helps in detection of abnormal conditions or disease status of the herd
✓ Helps in finding the commonly occurring diseases in the herd and thus to formulate in
time precautionary measures

Types of farm records

1. Animal identification/history record: It includes-

✓ Identification number
✓ Date of birth/purchase
✓ Breed type
✓ Calving period
✓ Lactation period
✓ Lactation yield
✓ Calf its sex and identification number
✓ Age when culled
✓ Date of disposal
2. Breeding Record: It includes-

✓ Birth date
✓ Name of sire and dam
✓ Heat dates, calving dates
✓ Earliest breeding date
✓ Pregnancy examination
✓ Expected calving date
✓ Drying off date

3. Milk Production record: It includes-

✓ Milking cow name or ID number

✓ Daily milk yield
✓ Start and end lactation period/date
4. Feeding record: It includes-

✓ Type of feed
✓ Quantity of feed
✓ Purchased feed price
✓ Quantity of feed intake
5. Financial record: It includes-

✓ Dairy farm asset

✓ Income/revenue
✓ Expenditure and sales records
6. Young stock record

✓ Calf number
✓ Sex of the calf
✓ Sire number
✓ Dam number
✓ Birth weight
✓ Weaning weight
✓ Service weight
✓ Weight at calving
✓ Age at weaning
✓ Age at first service
✓ Age at first calving
7. Health and treatment records

✓ Disease occurrence and date

✓ Vaccination
✓ Dipping/spraying
✓ Treatment
✓ De-worming
✓ Postmortem

Sample format of health and treatment records

Date Animal Kind of Name of Treatment Remarks

number disease disease
 Different body points of animal

The whole body of a cattle may be divided into 5 regions named-

a. Head region
b. Neck region
c. Forelimb region
d. Body region
e. Hind limb region

Points of head region

✓ Poll ✓ Eye (eye brows, eye lashes, lower and upper eye lid,
✓ Horns inner and outer canthus of eye)
✓ Forehead ✓ Upper and lower lip
✓ Bridge of nose ✓ Upper and lower jaw
✓ Nostrils ✓ Mandible
✓ Muffle ✓ Cheek
✓ Ear ✓ Chin
✓ Face ✓ Chin groove
✓ Mouth
✓ Angle of mouth

Points of neck region

✓ Apex of neck
✓ Base of neck
✓ Crest
✓ Jugular groove
✓ Trachea or wind pipe
✓ Dewlap

Points of forelimb region

✓ Hump ✓ Knee or carpal joint

✓ Shoulder joint ✓ Fetlock joint
✓ Points of shoulder ✓ Pastern joint
✓ Brisket ✓ Dew claws
✓ Point of elbow ✓ Coffin joint
✓ Elbow joint ✓ Hoof
Points of body region

✓ Back ✓ Udder (Female)

✓ Loin ✓ Teat (Female)
✓ Heart girth ✓ Milk vein (Female)
✓ Flank ✓ Scrotum (Male)
✓ Ribs ✓ Sheath (Male)
✓ Barrel ✓ Penis (Male)
✓ Belly
✓ Abdomen

Points of hind limb region

✓ Rump ✓ Hock joint

✓ Dock or tail head ✓ Shank bone
✓ Tail ✓ Hamstring tendon or tendon Achilles
✓ Switch of tail ✓ Fetlock joint
✓ Buttock ✓ Pastern joint
✓ Pin bone ✓ Dew claws
✓ Hip joint ✓ Coffin joint
✓ Thigh ✓ Hoof
✓ Stifle joint
✓ Point of hock

Joints of forelimb

i. Shoulder joint
ii. Elbow joint
iii. Hock joint
iv. Fetlock joint
v. Pastern joint
vi. Coffin joint

Joints of hind limb

i. Hip joint
ii. Stifle joint
iii. Hock joint
iv. Fetlock joint
v. Pastern joint
vi. Coffin joint
Figure: Identification of various body parts of a cow

Figure: Identification of various body parts of a horse

 Differential body points between cattle and horse

Body points name Cattle Horse

Horn, dewlap Present Absent

Forelock, temporal fossa, 3rd eye Absent Present

lid, zygomatic ridge, mane,
chestnut

Muzzle/Muffle Muzzle Muffle

Incisor teeth 8 in number only in lower jaw 12 in number in both jaw

Dental pad Present Absent

Neck Short and wide Long and narrow

Hump/Wither Hump Wither

Dew claw/Ergot Dew claw Ergot

Hoof Divided Undivided

Body Short and wide Short and narrow

Rump/Croup Rump Croup

Tail Switch at the end Covered with long hair

Dr. Sabbir Hossen Sabuz

Lecturer
Department of Animal Science and Nutrition
Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Science
Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University,
Dinajpur