Animal Husbandry

I

Introduction

Animal Husbandry, breeding, feeding, and management of animals, or livestock, for the production of food, fiber, work, and pleasure. Modern methods concentrate on one type of animal in large, efficient farming units that generate animal products at the highest rate of return for investment. Intensive husbandry conditions include large numbers of animals in small lots, enriched feed, growth stimulation by various means, and vaccination against disease. Most of the world’s domestic animals, however, are raised in small units under less efficient conditions and at lower rates of return.

Animals furnish more than one-fourth of the world’s total value of agricultural products. They supply a much higher proportion of human food in the developed countries than elsewhere. In the United States, animal products account for more than one-half of the total agricultural income.

Traditional husbandry practices are closely associated with the degree of control needed over the animals that are kept and with the uses to which they are put. Most domesticated animals have multiple uses; for example, animals kept primarily for work also supply milk, meat, and clothing materials. The animals and their uses, however, are closely associated with the culture and experience of the people who care for them (see Agriculture: History). In some regions of the world, cattle are not considered for use in the production of food. Studies have shown that the work power, fertilizer, milk, and the fuel from dung that the cattle provide in these regions are more efficient animal products than meat. Analysis of other cultural practices has often revealed unexpected efficiency of use fitted to local circumstances.

Environmental influences such as climate also play an important role in the domestication and use of animals. Water buffalo are used as draft animals to pull wagons and farm equipment in southern Asia, where they are adapted to the high temperature and humidity, while horses, which thrive in moderate climates, were the principal draft animals in the temperate regions until they were replaced by tractors. Cattle from India that are acclimatized to hot and humid conditions are prevalent in the southern United States because they are better adapted to the climate of the region than European cattle.

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II

Draft Animals

Domesticated animals used primarily for work, transport, and leisure are widely distributed. They include the horse, mule, donkey (see Ass), ox, buffalo, camel, llama, alpaca, yak, reindeer, and dog.

Modern horses are thought to have descended from one or more of three subspecies, including the tarpan, Przewalski's wild horse, and the European forest horse. They are still used for draft in many countries of the world. They are also used for controlling other types of animals, for carrying packs, and for riding for leisure and sport. The world population of horses is estimated at about 56 million; approximately half are in North and South America and Africa, and half in Asia and Europe. Almost half of the 13 million or so mules in the world are found in Asia and the rest is fairly evenly distributed in Africa, North and Central America, and South America. Of the more than 40 million donkeys, about half are in Asia and one-fourth in Africa.

Camels, llamas, and alpacas are used for carrying packs. Of about 18 million camels in the world, approximately three-fourths are found in Africa and the rest in Asia. The llama and alpaca are mostly limited to small areas in South America, although their popularity is increasing in North America. Practically all water buffalo are found in Asia. They are used primarily as draft animals but have potential for the production of milk and meat. Oxen are also important draft animals in Asia and in some parts of southeastern Europe. Dogs are used as draft animals in Alaska and Siberia, and are also used to control sheep and other animal herds.

III

Sheep and Goats

Sheep are used for wool, meat (mutton and lamb), and to a small extent for milk. Sheep are commonly divided into three types based on whether their wool is fine, medium, or coarse. Perhaps the first animals to be used in husbandry, they were domesticated in southwestern Asia about 11,000 years ago. About 1 billion are now widely distributed throughout the world, with the largest populations in Asia, Africa, Oceania, Europe, South America, and the western United States. Commercial sheep farming is usually conducted on large tracts of land, divided into operational units containing 1,000 or more animals per unit. Sheep are also raised as a secondary enterprise on many small farms. They are well adapted to semiarid regions and to land that is too steep or rough for the cultivation of crops.

Goats were first domesticated in the same region as sheep, and for the same uses, but about 1,500 years later. Worldwide population is estimated to be more than 740 million and shows a similar distribution.

IV

Swine

Recent evidence suggests that swine were domesticated about 9,000 years ago in several world regions simultaneously. Worldwide population is estimated to be more than 940 million. Approximately half are raised in Asia, primarily in China. Europe, North America, and South America also have large numbers. Unlike most domestic animals, pigs are omnivorous and compete directly with humans for many foods. In the United States their production is concentrated in the Midwest, where pig husbandry is based on the conversion of corn and soybean meal into meat under intensive conditions. See also Hog.

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