Animal

Husbandry
Today we'll learn about

what is animal husbandry

cattle farming
poultry farming
egg and broiler production
fish production
bee~keeping
 What is Animal husbandry ?

Animal husbandry refers to livestock raising and

selective breeding. It is the management and
care of animals in which the genetic qualities and
behavior of animals are further developed for
profit. A large number of farmers depend upon
animal husbandry for their livelihood.
 Cattle farming

Cattle farming involves the rearing and management of two

types of animals- one group for food requirements like milk and
another for labour purposes like ploughing, irrigation, etc.
Animals which provide milk are called milch/dairy animals. For
example, goats, buffalo, cows, etc. Animals which are used for
labour are called draught animals.

Since dairy animals are cared for and bred for milk, we need to improve milk production to
meet the requirements. The period after the birth of a calf, when a cow starts to produce
milk, is called the lactation period. We can enhance milk production by increasing this
lactation period. But along with milk production, quality must also meet. Dairy farm
management is the management of the milch animals with the goal of enhancing the
quantity and quality of the milk produced. For this reason, high-yielding and disease-
resistant breeds are developed.
 In poultry farming, rearing and management of fowls are done for two purposes-

Production of the eggs.

Poultry Production of meat or flesh.

In order to meet the quantity and quality requirements, a variety of strains (breeds) are raised. These improved
strains include layers which produce eggs and broilers that provide meat.

Farming.
Since poultry farming is a profit-making business, its primary focus is on maximum production with less
expenditure. For this reason, cross-breeding of local and foreign breeds was started. Cross-breeding aims
for raising breeds with desirable traits.

For example, Indian Aseel/Asil and foreign Leghorn breeds were bred to raise variety of breeds.

Crossbreeding in poultry farming helped to meet the commercial purpose and management easily. They
focused on:

Quantity and quality of chicks

Dwarf broiler parents for more chick production
Adaptation/tolerance to high temperature
Low maintenance and minimum feeding requirements
Egg and broiler production

Hens raised for egg production are called layers. Young

birds are vaccinated. Their food should be rich in vitamins,
minerals and macronutrients. They start laying eggs at the
age of 5 months. The average egg production period in
commercial layers is 500 days.
Broilers are quick growing birds which are raised for 6-8
weeks. They attain the weight of 700g to 1.5kg. Their food is
rich in vitamin A and K.

of livelihood for 14 million people. These 14 million people cast
Fish Production
These are further divided into coastal fisheries that are near
Fish are a very high source of proteins and
have great nutritional value. Fish
production was initially dependent on fish
capturing. However, most of the captured
fish were used for industrial purposes and
were hardly consumed by man. Therefore,
an alternative method to increase fish
production was devised that includes
farming and husbandry of economically
important aquatic organisms. This is
known as aquaculture.
<3 Marine fisheries :
With the Indian landmass being a peninsula, we have been
blessed with a coastline of 7517 km. Thus, fishing is a source
their fishing nets in marine fisheries, i.e. in marine waters-
the sea and the ocean.
the shore and off-shore or deep-sea fisheries that are
deeper in the sea.
Sardines, mackerel, hilsa, tuna, Pomfret, mussels, prawns,
oysters, etc. are some common types.
The use of echo-sounders and satellites for the location of
large fish to increases the yield.
<3 Inland fisheries :
In this, fishing is done in freshwater bodies, such as lakes,
ponds, rivers, and tanks. Reservoirs where freshwater
bodies and seawater bodies join also form inland fisheries.
The method incorporated here is generally pisciculture, as
the yield of capture fishery is not very high.
5-6 species are reared in one water body. This selection of
species is such that they have different food habits yet
there is no competition for food.
Common varieties reared are Rohu, Catla, Grass Carp,
Common Carp, etc.
Bee keeping
Bee keeping
Honey is widely used and therefore beekeeping for
making honey has become an
agricultural enterprise. Since bee-keeping
needs low investments, farmers use it as an
additional income generating activity. In
addition to honey, the beehives are a source
of wax which is used in various medicinal
preparations.

The local varieties of bees used for

commercial honey production are Apis cerana
indica, commonly known as the Indian bee,
A. dorsata, the rock bee and A. florae, the
little bee. An Italian bee variety, A. mellifera,
What is Bee has also been brought in to increase yield of
keeping ?? honey. This is the variety commonly used for
commercial honey production
Thank you !!!