Question 3
(a) Mention four parasites of farm animals. [ 4 marks ]
(b) Enumerate five ways in which the keeping of ruminants is
important to the economy of your country. [ 5 marks ]
(c) List five management practices undertaken in cattle production. [ 5 marks ]
(d) State two ways in which each of the following management
practices is important:
(i) brooding;
(ii) debeaking;
(iii) culling. [ 6 marks ]
Observation
This question was quite popular among the candidates. Majority of them were able to mention parasites of farm animals, enumerate the ways in which the keeping of ruminants is important as well as list the management practices undertaken in cattle management as required in 3(a), (b) and (c) respectively. However, in 3(d), most of them could not state the ways in which brooding, debeaking and culling are important.
The expected answers include:
(3) (d) Importance of management practices
(i) Brooding
- Ensures easy access to feeds
- Ensures easy access to water
- Reduces mortality of chicks / piglets
- Enhances growth of chicks / piglets
- Protects chicks and pigs from predators
- Protects chick and piglets from bad weather
- Optimizes heath status/ quality of the chicks / piglets
(ii) Debeaking
- Reduces aggressiveness in birds
- Reduces / prevents cannibalism / pecking / feather picking
- Reduces egg eating / sucking
(iii) Culling
- Eliminates the cost of feeding unproductive animals / minimize cost of feeding / reduces feeding
- Reduces the spread of diseases among the flock
- Maintains high level of productivity in farm animals
- Removes unproductive/ unhealthy animals from the herd