Observation

Question 1 was popular among candidates and marks were above average.                                                        

1. Few candidates recorded poor marks in Question 1(b) by writing ‘they lay fertilized eggs, ‘raised under semi-intensive system’ as characteristics of local chickens in West Africa.

(b)        Although many candidates were able to state the methods of semen collection, few of them lost marks for poor spelling of terms e.g. dummy.

The expected answers include:

a(i)         Reasons for preserving fresh meat

• Prevents deterioration/spoilage/ avoid food-borne diseases
• Maintains flavor and aroma/maintains original taste
• Preserves nutrients
• It could improve flavor (depending on the method of preservation)
• Prolongs shelf-life
• Avoids wastage
• Avoids high costs of production
• For future use/period of scarcity
• Increases tenderness/completes rigor mortis
• Avoids contamination
• Minimizes weight loss/shrinkage

(ii) Forms of processed meat

• Minced meat e.g. corned beef
• Meat floss/shredded meat e.g.dambonama
• Roasted meat (kilishi, suya)
• Canned meat
• Smoked meat
• Sausage
• Salted meat/cured meat
• Dried meat e.g. kundi
• Fried meat
• Burgers (hamburger, beef burger, chicken burgers)
• Boiled meat
• Hotdog
• Cooked ham
• Bacon
• Salami
• Pepperoni
• Best jerk meat
• Cattle skin (ponmo)

(b)Characteristics of local chicken in West Africa

• They are broody
• They mostly roost
• They are hardy
• Have small body size
• Low egg production
• Resistant to pests
• Resistant to diseases
• They are good mothers
• They can fend for themselves/extensive/roam about
• They can survive on low quality feed
• Tough meat
• Slow growth rate
• Multi-coloured
• Ability to fly high
• Small egg size
• They are foragers
• They live long
• Some have feathers on legs
• Some have naked/partial naked neck
• (c) (i)        Methods of semen collection

• Dummy method
• Artificial vaginal cervix
• Electro-ejaculator/prostate massage
• Hand massage
• Semen recovery from vagina after service

           
            (ii)        Precautions that should be taken during the process of artificial insemination

• The male and female animals should be well positioned
• Use disease-free animals
• Ensure good farm sanitation
• Ensure proper cleaning of the animals
• Ensure proper disinfection of equipment
• Use contaminant-free semen
• Ensure proper heat detection before administering the semen
• Ensure appropriate semen dilution factor
• The equipment should always be kept warm and dry
• Ensure the insemination gun does not go beyond the cervix to avoid puncturing the uterine wall
• The end of the pipette should be kept up at an angle of 30 degrees to avoid going into the bladder
• Ensure the semen comes from proven males date records
• Replace damaged structures
• Ensure proper biosecurity