Cattle Farming II – SS1 Livestock Farming Lesson Note (Third Term)

Cattle management is the care of cattle kept for beef (meat) or milk, using a suitable system and sound routine practices.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Distinguish beef cattle from dairy cattle by their look, management and examples.
2. Describe the nomadic (extensive), semi-intensive and intensive systems of keeping cattle.
3. Explain identification, castration, dehorning and culling.
4. Name three common cattle health problems and state how ticks are controlled.
5. Label the hump, udder and hoof of a cow.

What is the difference between beef cattle and dairy cattle?

Beef cattle are reared for meat, while dairy cattle are reared for milk.

Beef cattle (the meat makers)

• Goal: to grow big, heavy muscles as quickly as possible.
• Look: blocky, rectangular body, wide, with much flesh on the back and thighs.
• Management: often kept on large open grazing land, with plenty of grass and fattening feed.
• Examples: Angus, Hereford and the local N’dama.

Dairy cattle (the milk makers)

• Goal: to produce a high volume of milk every day.
• Look: leaner than beef cattle, with a large udder (the milk bag) and a wedge shape, narrow at the front and wide at the back.
• Management: needs high-quality feed and plenty of water. Cows are milked at the same times each morning and evening.
• Examples: Holstein-Friesian, Jersey and the local White Fulani, which serves both purposes (dual purpose).

Comparison of beef and dairy cattle

What are the external parts of a cow?

The external parts of a cow are the features you can see on the outside of the body.

• Hump: a fleshy lump over the shoulders of humped (zebu) breeds such as the White Fulani.
• Udder: the bag under the hind part of a cow that holds and gives out milk.
• Hoof: the hard covering of the foot, split into two toes.
• Horns: hard growths on the head, which may be removed (dehorning).
• Ear: the place where the identification tag is clipped.

What management systems are used in Nigeria?

There are three systems of keeping cattle: nomadic (extensive), semi-intensive and intensive.

Nomadic (extensive) system

• Meaning: herders move cattle from place to place in search of green grass and water.
• Advantage: it is cheap, with little spending on feed or housing.
• Disadvantage: animals get tired and sick, spread diseases and wander into people’s farms.
• Other problem: land is becoming scarce as farms and towns grow, so free movement is harder.

Semi-intensive system

• Meaning: cattle graze in a fenced area by day and are kept in a shed at night.
• Advantage: they get extra feed (concentrates) and protection at night.
• Disadvantage: it needs fencing, a shed and more labour than the nomadic system.

Intensive system

• Meaning: cattle stay in one place and the farmer brings all the feed and water to them.
• Advantage: it gives high milk yield or heavy meat, and disease control is easier.
• Disadvantage: it costs the most to run.

Comparison of the three systems

What are the important management practices?

There are four routine practices in cattle management: identification, castration, dehorning and culling.

1. Identification

• Meaning: giving each animal a number or mark so it can be recognised.
• Ear tags: plastic numbers clipped to the ear.
• Branding: marking the skin with a hot or cold iron.
• Ear notching: cutting a small shape into the ear.
• Use: shows which cow has been treated, which is pregnant and which belongs to whom.

2. Castration

• Meaning: removing or destroying the testicles of young male calves not needed for breeding.
• Result: the animals (steers) become calmer and give better meat.
• Burdizzo: a tool that crushes the cords without cutting the skin.
• Rubber ring: a tight ring that cuts off blood supply.
• Surgical method: the testicles are cut out with a clean, sharp knife.

3. Dehorning

• Meaning: removing the horns, best done while the calf is very young.
• Reason: prevents cattle from hurting each other or the farmer.
• Hot iron: burns the horn bud so it does not grow.
• Caustic potash: a chemical paste applied to the horn bud of a young calf.
• Saw or cutter: used to remove the horns of older animals.

4. Culling

• Meaning: removing weak or unproductive animals from the herd.
• Who is culled: old, sick or poorly producing cows that no longer give milk or calves.
• Benefit: saves feed and space for productive animals.

What health problems affect cattle in Nigeria?

Three common health problems of cattle in Nigeria are tsetse fly infection (sleeping sickness), ticks and foot and mouth disease.

Tsetse flies

• Disease: they carry “sleeping sickness” (nagana).
• Resistant breeds: the Muturu and N’dama can survive it, so they are valued in tsetse areas.

How are ticks controlled?

Ticks are controlled by applying chemicals called acaricides to the cattle.

1. Dipping: cattle pass through a dip tank filled with acaricide solution.
2. Spraying: the acaricide is sprayed over the whole body with a spray pump.

Foot and mouth disease

• Type: a viral disease.
• Signs: sores on the mouth and between the hooves, so the cow walks or eats with difficulty.

Why are water and records important?

Water and records are important because they keep the herd healthy and help the farmer plan.

• Water: a cow can drink over 60 litres a day, and milk is mostly water.
• Breeding records: the mating date shows when to prepare for the arrival of the calf.
• Health records: show which animals were treated, dipped or vaccinated.
• Production records: show which cows give the most milk or gain weight fastest, to guide culling.

Evaluation

1. You see two cows. One is very fat and wide, and the other has a very large, hanging udder. Which is for beef and which is for dairy?
2. Why is the extensive system (moving cattle around) becoming difficult in Nigeria today?
3. Name the three management systems for cattle and state one disadvantage of the nomadic system.
4. What is castration, and why is it done?
5. Name the chemicals used to control ticks and state two ways of applying them.

Assignment

Draw a simple diagram of a cow. Label the hump, the udder and the hoof.