Everything about Animal Husbandry totally explained
Animal husbandry, also called
animal science,
stockbreeding or
simple husbandry, is the
agricultural practice of
breeding and raising
livestock.
The science of animal husbandry is taught in many
universities and
colleges around the world. Students of
animal science may pursue degrees in
veterinary medicine following graduation, or go on to pursue master's degrees or doctorates in disciplines such as
nutrition,
genetics and
breeding, or
reproductive physiology. Graduates of these programs may be found working in the veterinary and human
pharmaceutical industries, the livestock and pet supply and feed industries, or in academia.
Historically, certain sub-professions within the field of animal husbandry are specifically named according to the animals that are cared for.
Different types of animal husbandry
A
swineherd is a person who cares for hogs and pigs (older English term:
swine). A
shepherd is a person who cares for sheep. A
goatherd cares for goats. A
cowherd cares for
cattle. In previous years, it was common to have herds which were made up of sheep and goats. In his case, the person tending them was called a shepherd.
Camels are also cared for in herds. In
Tibet yaks are herded. In
Latin America,
llamas and
alpacas are herded.
In more modern times, the
cowboys or
vaqueros of North and South America ride horses and participate in cattle drives to watch over cows and bulls raised primarily for food. In Australia many herds are managed by farmers on
motorbikes and in
helicopters.
Today, herd managers often oversee thousands of animals and many staff. Farms and ranches may employ breeders, herd health specialists, feeders, and milkers to help care for the animals. Techniques such as
artificial insemination and
embryo transfer are frequently used, not only as methods to guarantee that females are bred, but to help improve herd genetics. This may be done by transplanting
embryos from stud-quality females, into flock-quality surrogate mothers - freeing up the stud-quality mother to be reimpregnated. This practice vastly increases the number of offspring which may be produced by a small selection of stud-quality parent animals. This in turn improves the ability of the animals to convert feed to meat, milk, or fiber more efficiently and improve the quality of the final product.
Ethical aspects of animal husbandry
There are contrasting views on the ethical aspects of breeding animals in captivity, with one debate being in relation to the merits of allowing animals to live in natural conditions which are reasonably close to those of their wild ancestors, compared to the view that considers natural pressures and stresses upon
wild animals from
disease,
predation, and the like as vindication for captive breeding.
Some techniques of animal husbandry such as
factory farming,
tail docking, the
Geier Hitch, and
castration, have been condemned by
animal welfare activists and groups such as
Compassion In World Farming.
Genetic engineering is also controversial though it doesn't necessarily involve suffering.
Animal rights activists are often opposed to all forms of animal husbandry.
Some domesticated species of animals, such as the
vechur cow, are rare breeds and are
endangered. They are the subject of conservation efforts.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Animal Husbandry'.
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