Animal Husbandry Giacomini Mattia Inglese 3˚A

What is it ? It is the branch of agriculture concerned with the breeding of farm animals:  Cattle  Pigs  Sheep  Horses  Poultry

History of Husbandry Domestication of wild animals started in the Prehistoric period, and they were:  Sheep (northern Iraq)  Goats (same region)

Modern Development  Selective breeding  Advances in animal nutrition  Vet medicine  Artificial insemination  Embryo transfer

Farm Specialists  Breeders  Milkers  Feeders  Health specialists  Vets

Cattle Raising Cattle have been domesticated since the Neolithic period

Breeds of Cattle A breed is a group of animals of common descent, possessing distinctive characteristics that distinguish them from other groups within the same species

The Cattle Family  Cow  Milking cow  Heifer  Milker  Calf  Ox  Steer  Bull

Cattle raising It is divided into two types Dairy cattle Beef Cattle

Breeds of Cattle Dairy cattle Holstein Black/White Pezzata rossa Brown Swiss

Breeds of Cattle Beef cattle ChianinaLimousine Simmenthal Charolais

Cows are Ruminants They have a digestive system that allows them to regurgitate and rechew food The cud is digested by specialized microorganisms that live in the rumen

Stomach  Rumen ( fermentation vat)  Reticulum (rumen’s “assistant”)  Omasum (dehydrator)  Abomasum (true stomach)

Cows’ Life  Gestation period is 9 months  Newborn calf weighs kg  Dairy cows are slaughtered when they are 5 years old  Dairy cows provide 90% of world’s milk production  Farmers use machines to milk 100 cows for 1 hour