Animal Husbandry Definition
Animal husbandry Is one of the main branches of agriculture, which includes rearing and breeding livestock such as cows, goats, chickens and many more. They are domesticated in their favourable living to get the most of their meat, milk and other products. As the population is increasing day by day and as most of the population is highly dependent on animals and plants for survival because of their high nutrient value, it is imperative to increase food production to meet its demand. Therefore, proper care and management of domestic animals are necessary.
Animal Husbandry Classification:
Animal Husbandry is the proper care and management of domestic animals kept in their favourable environment, so they produce in better quality and quantity. Animal Husbandry classification can further be stated as below:
DAIRY FARMING: Milk eliciting animals are bred and taken care of to increase milk production and quality. For animal husbandry such as goats, sheep, buffaloes, horses and cows are the most predominant. The usage of milk all over the world is exorbitant. Therefore, the need to preserve milk in its best quality and quantity is critical.
POULTRY FARMING: Chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese are some of the animal husbandry examples of poultry birds that are reared and bred for eggs and meat. The most dominant among them are chickens that are raised for their eggs are known as layering and those raised for their meat are referred to as boilers. There are various artificial ways in which these poultry animals lay their eggs and they are also used for their meat.
MEAT: Meat being a staple food in most countries around the world, is always in high demand for its rich nutrients. Therefore, it’s important to produce meat in large quantities to feed the population. Cattle are reared and raised in a favourable environment so that the offspring take less time to mature and are ready for slaughter sooner.
BEE FARMING: Bee Farming, also referred to as Apiculture, is the process in which the colonies of bees are kept in man-made hives for honey and other products like beeswax, flower pollen and royal jelly. Apiarists or beekeepers produce honey for consumers and sell another byproduct of bees like beeswax for further sale. Beeswax is nowadays in great demand by the makeup and skincare industries as people opt for more and more organic products for their skin. Byproducts like flower pollen, bee pollen and royal jelly are also used to pollinate crops for better production , therefore, in high demand by the producers and sellers. Some examples of the bees that are kept for breeding are Apis Indica (Indian hive bee), Apis mellifera(European bee), Dammer bee.
FISH FARMING: Fish farming is known as Pisciculture, is the breeding of fish and other aquatic animals for example, Catfish, Tilapia, Common carp, Atlantic salmon etc. There are three types of aquaculture( fish farming):
1. Monoculture- It is the breeding of a single fish species to produce high production quality.
2. Polyculture- In this type, different fish species are reared in the same environment while keeping in mind their different eating habits.
3. Monosexculture- It is one of the most used cultures in fish farming. This includes breeding and rearing of all male or female populations of fish together. One example of such culture is Tilapia.
PIG FARMING: Another branch of Animal Husbandry, rearing and breeding of pigs as livestock is very common in many countries in the world. Pigs are domesticated mostly for their meat (bacon, pork) and their skin.
SHEEP FARMING: The farming of sheep is very pocket-friendly to the sheepherders as they do not require any expensive housing or expensive food. Sheep are herbivores and they are highly in demand for their wool and meat. The wool of the sheep is used worldwide for winter wear, blankets and other things.
Objectives/Goals of Animal Husbandry:
· To meet the increasing food demands of the growing population.
· To develop hybrid breeds of domestic animals.
· Conservation of primitive animal breeds.
· To provide proper care, food and shelter to protect animals from disease and other outside dangers.
· To raise the living standards of farmers as a large number of farmers are employed in animal husbandry.
· To increase the productivity of cattle and other poultry animals.
Importance of Animal Husbandry:
Animal Husbandry is very important to meet the unlimited demands of the growing population. There is a need to produce as much as possible with the help of the limited resources that humans have.
Animals kept and monitored while bred are high in their nutrient value and offer good quality products to the general public.
Animal Husbandry keeps in check the health, security, hygiene and medication of the reared animals, therefore, the risk of them getting sick is low.
Conclusion
Animal Husbandry is a process where the animals and aquatic species are kept in their artificial habitat. They are monitored to check their health and hygiene and protect them from any disease. It is essential to promote animal husbandry so that more and more people are well aware of this efficient way of getting the best quality and quantity of the products with the help of limited resources available. The technology is getting advanced every passing day and even better and easy methods are invented to save labour and time and get maximum profit.