Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v4 - SHS 1

Lesson Video

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Performance objectives

• Identify and describe various animal husbandry practices.
• Explain the importance of proper farm animal management.
• Identify tools used in animal management.
• Understand how these practices ensure food security.

Lesson summary

In Ghana, farm animals are a major part of our lives. From the chickens in our backyards that give us eggs for breakfast, to the goats and sheep sold during festivals like Eid al-Adha and Christmas, animals provide us with food, income, and cultural value. However, simply owning an animal is not enough to get these benefits. To raise healthy, productive animals, we must care for them properly using specific skills and techniques. These are called animal management practices. This lesson will equip you with the practical knowledge and skills needed to manage farm animals effectively, whether for your family's use or as a future business.

Lesson notes

A. What are Animal Management Practices?

Animal management practices (also called animal husbandry practices) are the series of planned activities and skills that a farmer applies in the day-to-day care of farm animals. The goal is to ensure the animals are healthy, comfortable, productive, and safe, which in turn makes the farming venture profitable and sustainable.

These practices can be grouped into several key areas: Housing and Shelter: Providing a safe and comfortable place for animals to live. Feeding and Watering: Giving animals the right type and amount of food and clean water. Health Management: Keeping animals free from diseases and parasites. Breeding Management: Selecting good parent animals and managing reproduction. Routine Management Practices: Specific tasks performed at different stages of an animal's life (e.g., identification, castration).

B. Detailed Explanation of Key Practices Housing and Shelter What it is: The provision of a structure (pen, house, kraal) to protect animals. Why it is important: Protection from weather: Protects animals from harsh sun, heavy rain, and strong winds. Protection from predators: Keeps animals safe from snakes, hawks (for chicks), and thieves. Control and management: Makes it easier to feed, water, observe, and treat animals. Disease control: Prevents the easy spread of diseases by controlling contact between animals. Ghanaian Examples: Poultry: The deep litter system is common. A floor (concrete or earth) is covered with wood shavings or sawdust. Feeders and drinkers are placed inside. It must be well-ventilated to prevent heat stress. Goats and Sheep: Simple pens or kraals made from wood, bamboo, or mud bricks. They often have a raised slatted floor to allow droppings and urine to fall through, keeping the animals clean and dry. Cattle: Often kept in a kraal or paddock, which is a fenced area, sometimes with a simple roof for shade. Feeding and Watering What it is: Providing a balanced diet and constant access to clean water. Why it is important: Growth: Proper nutrition is essential for young animals to grow fast and strong. Production: For layers to produce eggs, or for cows to produce milk, they need energy and nutrients from food. Health: A well-fed animal has a stronger immune system to fight off diseases. Ghanaian Examples of Feedstuffs: Energy Sources: Maize, cassava peels, millet, pito mash (a by-product of pito brewing). Protein Sources: Groundnut cake, soya bean meal, fish meal. Forages (for goats, sheep, cattle): Elephant grass, Guinea grass, legumes like *Centrosema*. Water: Must be clean and fresh. Dirty water is a major source of diseases like cholera in poultry. Water should be provided in troughs or drinkers that are cleaned daily. Health Management What it is: All activities aimed at preventing and treating diseases. Prevention is always better and cheaper than cure. Key Practices: Sanitation: Keeping the animal house and surroundings clean. This includes regular removal of dung, changing of litter, and washing of feeders and drinkers. Vaccination: Introducing a weak or dead form of a disease-causing organism into the animal to stimulate its body to produce antibodies. This provides protection against future infection. *Example:* Vaccinating day-old chicks against Newcastle Disease (known locally as "kɛtɛbro"). Parasite Control: Internal Parasites (Worms): Controlled through deworming using drugs called anthelmintics. External Parasites (Ticks, Lice): Controlled by dipping (walking animals through a bath of chemicals) or spraying. Specific Routine Management Practices and Tools

Evaluation guide

• Apply the skills in farm animal management practices for rearing animals.
• Collaborative learning: The teacher puts learners in mixed -ability/mixed -
• gender groups (where appropriate) to disc uss the various animal husbandry
• practices and the tools used for performing those activities. Learners with