Introduction to Livestock and Poultry Production

This book has been aimed at those involved in animal husbandry as a guide into the production techniques involved in livestock and poultry. The manipulation of animals for the benefit of human beings is an integral part of the story of civilisation. Animal production in different areas and cultures of the world reflects the importance of domestic animals as sources of food, power, fibre, hides and skins. Poultry farming is the practice of raising poultry, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese, as a subcategory of animal husbandry, for the purpose of farming meat or eggs for food. Livestock are an integral component of agriculture and make multifaceted contributions to the growth and development of the agricultural sector. Livestock make substantial contributions to environmental conservation, supplying draught power and manure for fertilizer and domestic fuel that save on the use of petro-products. The traditional curriculum for the study of animal husbandry deals with the technology of cattle, horse, pig, swine, sheep, goat and poultry production, and the book undertakes a detailed look into the breeding, rearing and feeding techniques that have a telling effect on the growth or shrinkage of livestock numbers not ignoring the effect of natural conditions. This book will be highly useful for progressive farmers and students in the disciplines of animal nutrition, livestock production and management and agronomy.