Animal
Husbandry
Giacomini Mattia
Inglese
3˚A
What is it ?
It is the branch of agriculture concerned with the
breeding of farm animals:
 Cattle
 Pigs
 Sheep
 Horses
 Poultry
History of Husbandry
Domestication of wild animals started in the Prehistoric
period, and they were:
 Sheep (northern Iraq)
 Goats (same region)
Modern Development
Selective breeding
Advances in animal nutrition
Vet medicine
Artificial insemination
Embryo transfer
Farm Specialists
Breeders
Milkers
Feeders
Health specialists
Vets
Cattle Raising
Cattle have been domesticated since the
Neolithic period
Breeds of Cattle
A breed is a group of animals of common descent,
possessing distinctive characteristics that distinguish
them from other groups within the same species
The Cattle Family
Cow
Milking cow
Heifer
Milker
Calf
Ox
Steer
Bull
Cattle raising
It is divided into two types
Dairy cattle
Beef Cattle
Breeds of Cattle
Dairy cattle
Holstein Black/White
Pezzata rossa
Brown Swiss
Breeds of Cattle
Beef cattle
Chianina
Limousine
Simmenthal
Charolais
Cows are Ruminants
They have a digestive
system that allows them
to regurgitate and
rechew food
The cud is digested by
specialized
microorganisms that
live in the rumen
Stomach
 Rumen (fermentation vat)
 Reticulum (rumen’s “assistant”)
 Omasum (dehydrator)
 Abomasum (true stomach)
Cows’ Life
 Gestation period is 9 months
 Newborn calf weighs 35-40 kg
 Dairy cows are slaughtered when they are 5 years old
 Dairy cows provide 90% of world’s milk production
 Farmers use machines to milk 100 cows for 1 hour