In this article we will discuss about the management procedures adopted in various farm systems:- 1. Dairy Farm Management 2. Poultry Farm Management 3. Animal Breeding 4. Bee-Keeping (Apiculture) 5. Fisheries.
Dairy Farm Management:
It is the management of animals for milk and its products for human consumption. Dairying generally deals with the processes and systems to improve quality and quantity of milk. Milk yield mainly depends on the quality of breeds.
The dairy farm management includes following processes:
(i) Selection of good breeds containing high yielding potential (under the climatic conditions of the area) and resistance to the diseases.
(ii) Cattle should be housed-well, have sufficient water and should be kept in diseased-free conditions.
(iii) They should be fed in scientific manner with the emphasis on quality and quantity of fodder.
(iv) Regular inspection and keeping proper records of all the activities of dairy is also important.
(v) Regular visits of a veterinary doctor is necessary.
(vi) Stringent cleanliness and hygiene of both the cattle and the handler are very important during milking, storage and transport of milk and its products.
Poultry Farm Management:
The term ‘poultry’ means rearing of domesticated birds, i.e., fowls, geese, turkeys and some varieties of pigeons but more often is used for fowl rearing.
Fowls are reared for food or for their eggs. Poultry birds reared for meat are called broilers and layers are female fowls raised for egg production.
The poultry farm management includes following processes:
(i) Selection of disease-free and suitable poultry breeds.
(ii) Housing should be safe and provided with proper ventilation.
(iii) Proper food and water should be provided.
(iv) Healthcare and hygiene of poultry birds is mandatory.
Animal Breeding:
It is an important aspect of animal husbandry, which aims to increase the yield of animals and to improve the desirable qualities of produce.
Breed is a group of animals related by descent and similar in most characters like general appearance, features, size, configuration, etc.
Animal breeding can be classified as:
Inbreeding:
The crossing of closely related animals within the same breed for 4-6 generation is called inbreeding.
The strategies for inbreeding are:
(i) Superior males and females of the same breed are identified and then mated. A superior male is bull, which gives rise to superior progeny as compared to other males.
(ii) The progeny obtained from such type of matings are evaluated and superior males and females among them are identified for further mating.
(iii) In case of cattle, more milk per lactation is the criteria for superior female for cow and buffalo.
Following are the advantages of inbreeding:
(i) Inbreeding is necessary to evolve a pure line in any animal breed.
(ii) It exposes harmful recessive genes that are eliminated by selection.
(iii) Superior genes can be accumulated and inferior or undesirable genes can be eliminated by inbreeding.
(iv) Productivity of inbreed population can be increased by the selection at every step.
(v) It increases homozygosity (the state of possessing two identical forms of a particular gene, one inherited from each parent).
(vi) Continued inbreeding (mainly close inbreeding) reduces fertility and even productivity. This is called inbreeding depression.
To overcome this inbreeding depression, related animals of the breeding population should be mated with unrelated superior animals of the same breed.
Out-breeding:
Breeding of unrelated animals either of the same breeds but not having common ancestors for 4-6 generations (out-crossing) or of different breeds (cross-breeding) or even different species (inter-specific hybridisation) is called out-breeding.
This can be further classified as follows:
(i) Out-crossing:
It is the practice of mating of animals within the same breed but having no common ancestors on either side of their pedigree upto 4-6 generations. The offspring (result of mating) is known as an outcross. It is known to be the best breeding method for animals that are below average in milk production and growth rate of beef in cattle, etc. A single outcross may help to overcome inbreeding depression.
(ii) Cross-breeding:
It refers to the mating of superior males of one breed with the superior female of another breed. This is done to combine the desirable qualities of the two breeds into one individual.
The hybrid progeny may be used for the commercial production or they may be subjected to some form of inbreeding and selection. This is to develop new stable forms that may be superior to the existing breeds.
A new sheep breed, Hisardale is developed in Punjab by crossing Bikaneri Ewes and Marino Rams.
(iii) Interspecific Hybridisation:
It is the practice in which animals of one species with the animals of another species, are crossed e.g., mule. A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.
In these cases, like mule, the progeny may be of considerable economic value and have combine desirable features of both the parents.
Artificial Insemination (AI):
It is a method of controlled breeding in which the semen collected from a superior male parent is injected into the reproductive tract of the selected female parent by the breeder. The success rate of artificial insemination is fairly low.
The advantages of artificial insemination are:
1. Semen can be used immediately or can be stored and frozen for later use.
2. Semen from a desired breed can be easily transported in a frozen form to distant places where the selected females are present and can be used for impregnating the females on a large scale.
3. It helps in overcoming several problems of normal mating.
Bee-Keeping (Apiculture):
Bee-keeping is also called Apiculture. It includes the maintenance of hives of honeybees for the production of honey and beeswax.
Honey can be used as a food of high nutritive value. And a number of ayurvedic medicines also contain honey.
Beeswax produced by honey bees is used in industry for the manufacture of cosmetics and polishes. Apiculture can be practiced in any area, where there are sufficient wild shrubs, fruit orchards and cultivated crops.
Several species of honeybees are reported in different parts of India, but the most common species reared by bee-keepers is Apis indica.
The important point that should he kept in mind for successful bee-keeping are:
1. Knowledge of the nature and habits of bees.
2. Selection of suitable location for keeping the beehives.
3. Catching and hiving of swarms (group of bees).
4. Management of beehives during different seasons.
5. Handling and collection of honey and beeswax.
Ecological Importance of Bees:
Honeybees are the pollinators of many of our crop plants, e.g., sunflower, apple, pear and mustard (Brassica). Hence, keeping beehives in crop areas during flowering period increases pollination and improves honey yield.
Fisheries:
A large number of our population is dependent on fish products and other aquatic animals like prawn, crab, lobster, edible oyster, etc. For food, the common freshwater fishes are catla, rohu and common carp.
The marine fishes include, Hilsa, Sardines, Mackerel and Pomfret to meet the increasing demand of fisheries, different techniques like Aquaculture and Pisciculture are applied. Blue revolution is the increased production of fish products. It was being implemented and started in India during the 1960s, along the same lines as ‘Green Revolution’.
Economic Importance of Fisheries:
Following are the economic importance of fisheries:
(a) It has an important place in Indian economy. It also provides income and employment to millions of fishermen and farmers, especially in coastal states.
(b) A large part of human population depends on fish and fish products.
(c) Fish liver oil is a natural source of vitamin-A. It is used in medicines.
Aquaculture involves the production of useful aquatic plants and animals, such as fishes, prawns, crabs, molluscs (edible and pearl oysters). The practice of fish rearing is called Pisciculture. It involves proper utilisation of freshwater, brackish water and coastal areas.