Livestock Production In Nigeria Essay

Problems of livestock production in Nigeria

The problems facing livestock production in Nigeria include inadequate feeding or malnutrition of the animals, poor marketing and distribution outlets for the animals and their products, inadequate finance or capital to transform the peasant form of framing in Nigeria to commercial/mechanized agriculture. There are also problems of inadequate qualified manpower in the field of agriculture, lack of data to compute actual animals and the unfriendly government policy on agriculture.

Principles of livestock management

Selection of good animals for the farm

The best start of good livestock management lies in the selection of good animals for the farm. Selections of farm animals depend on number of factors including;

a) Heredity: the parents of the farm animals, especially the sire (male) has to be well

Rabbits and Donkeys.

The quantity and quality of food fed to animals is very important in animal management. Food should be regular, never fed stale, and contain the relevant nutrients for the development of the animals. Such nutrients include Water, Carbohydrates, Fats and Oil, Protein, Minerals and Vitamins. These nutrients play very important roles in the life of the animals.

Housing

Housing of farm animals is next in importance only to feeding them in their management. They are housed to protect them from wild beasts, thieves, strong wind, rain, too strong directs heat from the sun, disease causing organisms and pests. Several factors have to be considered in housing of farm animals:

a) Type of animals: birds require smaller houses and more temporal structures while bigger animals such as cattle require stronger and better ventilated structure.

b) Type of production: where the product is expensive, cleanliness is important, as in the production of Milk, cheese and eggs. The building must be such that should be regularly