Biology Research

Contents:
 About
 History
 Livestock Species
 Objectives
 Principles
 Branches
 Challenges and Concerns
 Advantages
 Disadvantages

Bibilography:
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_husbandry
 https://brainly.in/question/7023222
About
Animal husbandry is a branch of agriculture that focuses on the breeding, care, and
management of domesticated animals for various purposes, such as food production, labor,
companionship, and more. It plays a crucial role in meeting the global demand for animal-
derived products like meat, milk, eggs, and wool. It includes day-to-day care, selective
breeding, and the raising of livestock. A wide range of other species, such as horse, water
buffalo, llama, rabbit, and guinea pig, are used as livestock in some parts of the world. Insect
farming, as well as aquaculture of fish, molluscs, and crustaceans, is widespread. Modern animal
husbandry relies on production systems adapted to the type of land available. Subsistence
farming is being superseded by intensive animal farming in the more developed parts of the
world, where, for example, beef cattle are kept in high-density feedlots, and thousands
of chickens may be raised in broiler houses or batteries. On poorer soil, such as in uplands,
animals are often kept more extensively and may be allowed to roam widely, foraging for
themselves.

History
Animal husbandry has been a part of human civilization for thousands of years. Over time,
selective breeding and improved management practices have enhanced the quality and
quantity of animal products. The domestication of livestock was driven by the need to have
food on hand when hunting was unproductive. The desirable characteristics of a domestic
animal are that it should be useful to the domesticator, should be able to thrive in his or her
company, should breed freely, and be easy to tend.[2] Domestication was not a single event,
but a process repeated at various periods in different places. Sheep and goats were the
animals that accompanied the nomads in the Middle East, while cattle and pigs were
associated with more settled communities.[3] The first wild animals to be domesticated
were dogs. Prey animals, sheep, goats, pigs and cattle, were progressively domesticated
early in the history of agriculture. Cows was a great advantage to a villager as she produced
more milk than her calf needed, and her strength could be put to use as a working animal,
pulling a plough to increase production of crops, and drawing a sledge, and later a cart, to
bring the produce home from the field.
Livestock Species
 Animal husbandry covers a wide range of livestock, including:
 Cattle: Raised for meat and dairy production.
 Sheep and Goats: Raised for meat, milk, and wool.
 Pigs: Raised for pork production.
 Poultry: Includes chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese, primarily raised for meat and
egg production.
 Horses: Used for transportation, work, and leisure.
 Rabbits: Raised for meat and fur.
 Fish: Aquaculture involves raising fish in controlled environments, primarily for
human consumption.

Objectives of Animal Husbandry:

 Food Production: The primary goal is to produce meat, milk, eggs, and other animal-
derived products for human consumption.
 Work and Transportation: Horses, donkeys, and other animals are used for various
forms of labor, such as plowing fields, pulling carts, and carrying loads.
 Companionship: Some animals, like dogs and cats, are kept as pets for
companionship and emotional support.
 Fiber and Materials: Animals like sheep provide wool, while rabbits produce fur.
Principles of Animal Husbandry:
 Breeding: Selective breeding is essential to improve the genetic traits of animals,
such as growth rate, disease resistance, and product quality. The breeding of farm
animals seldom occurs spontaneously but is managed by farmers with a view to
encouraging traits seen as desirable. These include hardiness, fertility, docility,
mothering abilities, fast growth rates, low feed consumption per unit of growth,
better body proportions, higher yields, and better fibre qualities. Undesirable traits
such as health defects and aggressiveness are selected against. Selective breeding
has been responsible for large increases in productivity.
 Feeding: Proper nutrition is crucial to ensure the animals' health and productivity.
Diets are formulated to meet the specific needs of each species. Animals used as
livestock are predominantly herbivorous, the main exceptions being the pig and the
chicken which are omnivorous. The herbivores can be divided into "concentrate
selectors" which selectively feed on seeds, fruits and highly nutritious young foliage,
"grazers" which mainly feed on grass, and "intermediate feeders" which choose their
diet from the whole range of available plant material. Cattle, sheep, goats, deer and
antelopes are ruminants; they digest food in two steps, chewing and swallowing in
the normal way, and then regurgitating the semi digested cud to chew it again and
thus extract the maximum possible food value. The dietary needs of these animals is
mostly met by eating grass. Grasses grow from the base of the leaf-blade, enabling it
to thrive even when heavily grazed or cut.
 Housing and Shelter: Providing suitable housing and shelter protects animals from
harsh weather conditions, predators, and diseases. This is crucial in animal
husbandry because it directly impacts the health, safety, welfare, and productivity of
animals. Properly designed and maintained facilities can enhance the well-being of
animals and contribute to the success of agricultural and livestock operations.
 Healthcare: Hygiene is one of the main contributors to animal health on the farm,
bringing economic benefits through maximised production. When, despite these
precautions, animals still become sick, they are treated with veterinary medicines, by
the farmer and the vet. Animals are susceptible to a number of diseases and
conditions that may affect their health. Regular veterinary care, vaccinations, and
disease control measures are essential to maintain animal health.
 Reproduction Management: reproduction management is a critical aspect of animal
husbandry that affects genetic improvement, animal health and welfare, production
efficiency, and overall economic viability. It allows animal breeders and farmers to
exert control over the reproductive process, leading to healthier and more
productive animal populations while minimizing environmental impacts and resource
wastage.
  Waste Management: Waste management is critical in animal husbandry to protect
the environment, public health, and animal welfare, while also ensuring regulatory
compliance and resource efficiency. Proper waste management practices help
mitigate the negative consequences associated with the generation and disposal of
animal waste.

Branches of Animal Husbandry:

 Dairy: All mammals produce milk to nourish their young, but cows are predominantly
used throughout the world to produce milk and milk products for human
consumption. Other animals used to a lesser extent for this purpose include sheep,
goats, camels, buffaloes, yaks, reindeer, horses and donkeys. In the past, cows were
kept in small herds on family farms, grazing pastures and being fed hay in winter,
nowadays there is a trend towards larger herds, more intensive systems, the feeding
of silage and "zero grazing", a system where grass is cut and brought to the cow,
which is housed year-round.

Meat: Meat, mainly from farmed animals, is a

major source of dietary protein and essential nutrients around the world. Cattle,

sheep, pigs and goats are the main species involved. About half of the world's meat
is produced from animals grazing on open ranges or on enclosed pastures, the other
half being produced intensively in various factory-farming systems; these are mostly
cows, pigs or poultry, and often reared indoors, typically at high densities.
 Poultry: Poultry, kept for their eggs and for their
meat, include chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese and
ducks. The great majority of laying birds used for
egg production are chickens, they are known as
layers.
Majority of the poultry reared for meat is raised indoors in big sheds, with
automated equipment under environmentally controlled conditions. Chickens raised
in this way are known as broilers.

 Aquafarming: The controlled cultivation of aquatic organisms such as fish,

crustaceans, , molluscs, algae and other organisms. It is the breeding, growing, and
harvesting of fish and other aquatic plants, and is also known as farming in water.).
  Insects: Bees are kept in hives to harvest honey. Apart from the honey and wax they
produce, honey bees are important pollinators of crops and wild plants, and in many
places hives are transported around the countryside to assist in pollination.
Sericulture, the rearing of silkworms, was first adopted by the Chinese. The only
species farmed commercially is the domesticated silkmoth.

Challenges and Concerns:

 Animal Welfare: Ethical concerns regarding the treatment of animals and their living
conditions have led to increased scrutiny and the development of humane practices.
Possible measures of welfare include longevity, behavior, physiology, reproduction,
freedom from disease, and freedom from immunosuppression. Standards and laws
for animal welfare have been created worldwide, broadly in line with the most
widely held position in the western world, a form of utilitarianism: that it is morally
acceptable for humans to use non-human animals, provided that no unnecessary
suffering is caused, and that the benefits to humans outweigh the costs to the
livestock.
 Environmental Impact: Animal husbandry has a significant impact on the world
environment. Both production and consumption of animal products have increased
rapidly. Over the past 50 years, meat production has trebled, whereas the production
of dairy products doubled and that of eggs almost increased fourfold.
[78] Meanwhile, meat consumption has also nearly doubled worldwide. Within that
increased overall consumption of meat, developing countries had a surge in meat
consumption particularly in the portion of monogastric livestock.[79] Being a part of
the animal–industrial complex, animal agriculture is the primary driver of climate
change, ocean acidification, biodiversity loss, and of the crossing of almost every
other planetary boundary, in addition to killing more than 60 billion non-human land
animals annually.
 Disease Control: Effective disease control in animal husbandry is crucial not only for
the welfare of the animals but also for the sustainability and profitability of the
livestock farming industry. It requires a combination of preventive measures,
monitoring, and timely responses to ensure that diseases do not impact the health
and productivity of the animals.
 Sustainability: Sustainability in animal husbandry is crucial for addressing the growing
demand for animal products while mitigating environmental degradation, protecting
 animal welfare, and ensuring the long-term viability of the industry. It involves a
holistic approach that considers ecological, social, and economic factors in the
management of livestock operations.

Advantages:
 Animal livestock facilitates withinside the proper control of animals through
presenting sufficient food, shelter, and safety against sicknesses to domestic animals.
 It gives employment to a huge range of farmers and thereby will increase their
residing standards.
 It helps in developing excessive yielding breeds of animals through crossbreeding.

Disadvantages:
 Intensive agriculture involves the usage of numerous types of chemical
fertilizers, pesticides, and insecticides.
 It can cause overcrowding because of the reality that animals are kept in conserving
facilities which could cause pollutants and get away from illnesses and infection.