i. Course Title: AS 303- SMALL RUMINANT MANAGEMENT
ii. Course Aim: To impart knowledge to students on the overall management requirements of the small ruminants
iii. Course Expected Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the course the students shall be able to:
• Identify meat and dairy breeds of sheep and goats.
• Perform routine husbandry practices for sheep and goat flocks (rearing of lambs/kids, replacement stocks and lactating and breeding animals, milking, ear tagging, castration, dehorning, hoof trimming, dipping/spraying, drenching etc).
• Formulate feed rations for feeding different classes of sheep and goats.
• Design and construct suitable house for sheep and goats.
• Prepare animals for livestock shows.
iv. Course status: Core
v. Credit rating: 7 Credits
vi. Total hours spent: 70 hours
Pre-requisite: AS 101
vii. Course contents:
Population and distribution of small ruminants (sheep and goats) in sub-Saharan Africa. Advantages, disadvantages and major constraints to small ruminant production. Production characteristics and systems of goats & sheep in various parts of the World. Breeds of goats and sheep and their characteristics. Meat and Milk production from goats and sheep. Parameters for assessing small ruminant productivity. Practical ways of increasing meat and milk production from small ruminants including consideration of improved nutrition/feeding, proper finishing of animals for slaughter, breeding/crossbreeding, housing and disease control. Skins, hair and wool production from goats and sheep.
Practical: Identification of sheep and goat breeds; judging for milk, meat and wool/hair production; farm practices such as identification, castration, hoof trimming, milking, kids/lambs rearing, docking, drenching, dipping, foot bath and spraying: determining the age by teeth; pregnancy diagnosis; shearing , record keeping; vaccination and preventive measures; shepherd calendar; visit to sheep and goat farms.
viii. Teaching and learning activities
Teaching activities
Teaching activities will involve lectures, tutorials and field work.
Learning activities
Learning activities will involve performing take home assignments, seminar presentations and independent reading. Students will be encouraged to do independent study by reading relevant reference books, teaching manuals, scientific papers and other learning materials.
ix. Assessment methods:
A variety of coursework assessments will be done and these include take home assignments, tutorials, seminar presentations and practical reports. There shall be written theory and practical tests given at appropriate time during the semester. In addition, there shall be an end of semester University examination.
x. Reading List:
Devendra, C. and McLeroy, G. B. (1987). Goat and Sheep Production in the Tropics. Second Edition. Intermediate Tropical Agricultural Series
K. W. McMillin and A. P. Brock, (2005) Production practices and processing for value-added goat meat, J. Anim. Sci. 83:E57-E68.
Steele, M.(1996). GOATS. The Tropical Agriculturalist (Series Editor, René Coste and General Editor, livestock volumes, Anthony J. Smith). Publisher: CTA, MACMILLAN, pp 152.
Raghavan, G.V. et al., (ed) (2000). Small Ruminant Production in India. IDRC and ICAR Publ., Tirupati and Ottawa, 1991, 240 p.
Gatenby M. Ruth (2002). SHEEP. The Tropical Agriculturalist (Series Editor, René Coste. Publisher: CTA, MACMILLAN, pp 178.
Steele M. (1996). The tropical agriculturalist: Goats. CTA & Macmillan. Oxford, UK.