All Topics  
Animal husbandry

 

   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link

 

Animal husbandry


 
 

Animal husbandry, also called animal scienceAnimal science

Animal science is described as "studying the biology of animals that are under the control of mankind"...
, stockbreeding or simple husbandry, is the agriculturalAgriculture

Farming redirects here. For Farming in computer games, see Farmer ....
 practice of breeding and raising livestockLivestock

Livestock is the term used to refer to a domesticated animal intentionally reared in an agricultural setting to make produce suc...
. It has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals.

The science of animal husbandry is taught in many universitiesUniversity

A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees at all levels in a variety o...
 and collegeCollege

College is a term most often used today to denote an educational institution....
s around the world. Students of animal scienceAnimal science

Animal science is described as "studying the biology of animals that are under the control of mankind"...
 may pursue degrees in veterinary medicineVeterinary medicine

Veterinary medicine is the application of medical, diagnostic, and therapeutic principles to companion, domestic, exotic, wi...
 following graduation, or go on to pursue master's degrees or doctorates in disciplines such as nutritionNutrition

Nutrition is a science which studies the relationship between diet and states of health and disease....
, geneticsGenetics

Genetics is the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms....
 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, farming 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 swineherdSwineherd

A Swineherd is a person who looks after pigs, rather like a shepherd looks after sheep....
 is a person who cares for hogs and pigs (older English term: swine). A shepherdShepherd

A shepherd is one who takes care of sheep, usually in flocks in the fields....
 is a person who cares for sheep. A goatherdGoatherd Summary

A goatherd or a goatherder is a person who herds goats for a living....
 cares for goats. A cowherd cares for cattleCattle

Cattle are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae....
. 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. CamelCamel Summary

Camel refers to either of the two species of Camelid....
s are also cared for in herds. In TibetTibet

Tibet is a region in Central Asia and the home of the Tibetan people....
 yaksYak

The yak is a long-haired humped domestic bovine found in Tibet and throughout the Himalayan region of south central Asia, as...
 are herded. In Latin AmericaLatin America

Latin America is the region of the Americas where Romance languages those derived from Latin are officially or primarily s...
, llamaLlama Summary

The llama is a large camelid that originated in North America and then later on moved on to South America....
s and alpacaAlpaca

The Alpaca is a domesticated breed of South American camel-like ungulates, derived from the wild vicua....
s are herded.

In more modern times, the cowboyCowboy

A cowboy tends cattle and horses on cattle ranches in North and South America....
s 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 helicopterHelicopter Overview

A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors, Helicopters are classified as ...
s.
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 inseminationArtificial insemination

Artificial insemination is when sperm is placed into a female's uterus, or cervix using artificial means rather than by natu...
 and embryo transferEmbryo transfer

Embryo transfer refers to a step in the process of in vitro fertilization whereby one or several embryos are placed into the...
 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 animalsWildlife

The term wildlife refers to living organisms that are not in any way artificial or domesticated and which exist in natural h...
 from diseaseDisease

Contagious redirects here. For the Isley Brothers song of that name, see Contagious ....
, predationPredation Summary

A predator is an animal or other organism that hunts and kills other organisms, called prey, for food in an act called...
, and the like as vindication for captive breeding.

Some techniques of animal husbandry such as factory farmingFactory farming

Factory farming is a term used to describe a set of often controversial practices in large-scale, intensive agriculture, usu...
, tail dockingDocking (animal)

History of docking and croppingOriginally, most docking was done for practical purposes....
, the Geier HitchGeier Hitch

The Geier Hitch is a tool or technique used in livestock management that many purport to be animal cruelty....
, and castrationCastration

Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a biological male loses use of the testes....
, have been condemned by animal welfareAnimal welfare Summary

Animal welfare is the viewpoint that animals, especially those under human care, should not suffer unnecessarily, including ...
 activists and groups such as Compassion In World FarmingCompassion In World Farming

Compassion In World Farming is a European based animal welfare organisation, which has branches in the United Kingdom, Chin...
. Genetic engineeringGenetic engineering Overview

Genetic engineering, genetic modification and gene splicing are terms for the process of manipulating genes, us...
 is also controversial though it does not necessarily involve suffering. Animal rightsAnimal rights

Animal rights, animal liberation, or animal personhood, Michael, Steven....
 activists are often opposed to all forms of animal husbandry.

Some domesticated species of animals, such as the vechur cowVechur cow

The Vechur cow is a rare breed of Bos indicus cattle named after the village of Vechur in Kottayam district, Kerala, Ind...
, are rare breeds and are endangeredEndangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms , which because it is either few in number or threatened by changing en...
. They are the subject of conservation efforts.

See also

  • Domestication of animals
  • Animal keeping
  • AquacultureAquaculture

    Aquaculture is the cultivation of the natural produce of water ....
  • BeekeepingBeekeeping

    Beekeeping is the practice of intentional maintenance of honeybee hives by humans....
  • BreederBreeder

    A breeder is a person who practices the vocation of mating carefully selected specimens of the same breed to reproduce speci...
  • CunicultureCuniculture

    Cuniculture is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising domestic rabbits, usually for their meat, fur, or wool....
  • Dog breedingDog breeding

    Dog breeding is the vocation of mating carefully selected specimens of the same breed to reproduce specific, consistently re...
  • Environmental effects of meat productionEnvironmental effects of meat production

    Environmental effects of meat production include pollution and the use of resources such as fossil fuels, water, and land....
  • Factory farmingFactory farming

    Factory farming is a term used to describe a set of often controversial practices in large-scale, intensive agriculture, usu...
  • Feed conversion rate
  • Food industryFood industry

    The food industry is the complex, global collective of diverse businesses that together supply much of the food energy consu...
  • Horse breedingHorse breeding

    Horse breeding refers to the human-directed process of planned mating of horses....
  • PoultryPoultry

    Poultry is the class of domesticated fowl used for food or for their eggs....
  • Pastoral nomads
  • Sheep husbandrySheep husbandry

    Sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep....
  • ShepherdFacts About Shepherd

    A shepherd is one who takes care of sheep, usually in flocks in the fields....
    ing
  • StockmanStockman

    In the Australian lexicon, a stockman is the name given to a person who looks after the livestock on a station....
  • TranshumanceTranshumance

    Transhumance is a term that has two accepted usages: * Older sources use the term transhumance for vertical seasonal livesto...
  • Block & BridleBlock & Bridle

    The National Block & Bridle Club is a college club founded on December 2, 1919, in Chicago by Iowa State University, Kansas...


External links

  • Livestock Behaviour, Design of Facilities and Humane Slaughter