Cattle Diseases
Animal Husbandry of Class 12
Cattle Diseases
Various types of diseases are caused by protozoans, viruses, bacteria, helminthes etc.
Viral
Rinderpest (Cattle Plague) : It is characterised by the lesions in the mouth, high fever, excessive salivation, reddening of eyes and loss of appetite.
Foot and Mouth disease : Blisters on feet and mouth, excessive salivation, reduced appetite, soreness of mouth and high body temperature. It is the most common disease of the cattle. It is contagious and fatal.
Cow Pox : The disease is characterised by appearance of small nodules and fever.
Bacterial
Anthrax - Bacillus anthracis : It is a malignant bacterial disease that afflicts cattle, sheep, goat and pig. It is also contagious and fatal. The infected animal shows swellings on neck and different body parts. The disease is even transferable to human beings.
Salmonellosis : It is caused by bacteria. In this disease diarrhoea with blood clots and fever occurs.
Haemorrhagic septicemia (gal ghotu) - Pasteurella pestis
Black scour - Clostridium chauvi
Protozoan
Tick fever (Texas fever) - Babesia bigemina
Coccidiosis - Coccidia
Helminthic
Fluke diseases - Fasciola hepatica, F. gigantica
Ascariasis - Ascaris
Goat (Capra capra)
Its called poorman’s cow because it gives only a small amount of milk.
Domesticated during 670 B.C., used for milk, meat, wool and hide. India has 19% of the world goat population (mainly in Rajasthan) Various breeds of domestic goats have been raised from the wild goat (Capra hircus) from Baluchistan and West Sind. Pashmina wool is obtained from Pashmina goat of Kashmir. Mohair is a fine, white strong and lustrous fibre obtained from Angora goats. Mohair fibres are also greatly valued for making superior shawls and fabrics. Famous angoora wool is obtained from a rabbit. Goats thrive in deserts, can eat grasses, even prickly plants, shoots of shrubs and trees. They are also fed upon mineral mixture, oil cakes, pulses, sesame (til), corn, jowar etc. Goat’s milk is richer in minerals than the cows. Usually the minerals (e.g., Calcium, Phosphorous) are added to the concentrate.
Sheep (Ovis aries)
Sheep raising is an important occupation in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, mainly for good quality wool and meat. Many improved breeds have been raised by cross breeding with exotic breeds. Maerinos is the most popular fine wool breed (exotic) of sheep.
Feeding of sheep : Sheep feed on natural grasses, weeds, shrubs of pasturesand hillsides. In winter they are fed on foliage, dry fodder and grain.
Shearing : Shearing means cutting of a wool in sheep with shears. Shearing is done after the winter or after the rainy season when the weather is neither too cold nor too hot. Shearing is done mechanically either with clippers, a pair of scissors or by power-operated machine.
Diseases of Sheep : These include haemorrhagic septicaemia, anthrax, foot and mouth disease, sheep pox, black quarter, rinder pest, diarrhoea, fascioliasis and coccidiosis.
Pig (Sus scrofa)
Most economical, ‘meat making machine’ Pork (meat) is less expensive and more fatty. Ham, bacon and sausages are prepared from pig meat. Fat also used for making soap.
Hide for leather and hairs as bristles of brushes.
It’s dropping is good source for N,P,K fertilizers.
In India it was reared by only traditional pig-keepers; but now there are many commercial pig breeding farms.
Horse (Equus equus)
An intelligent, fast learner and loyal friend of man mainly used for riding, transportation and defense services.
Besides straw and green grasses they are feed upon oats, barley, gram and hay. Rearing in well ventilated stalls also include everyday cleaning and grooming. Reproductive rate is low compared to other pets. For professional games like racing, polo etc. the breeds are prepared and trained by high skilled professionals
onkey (Equus asinus)
Low performer but highly resistant to weather condition; thrives on low quality and small amount of food and has low cost of maintenance. Used mainly for carrying clothes, soil and bricks etc. For their cool temperament they are most useful in hilly areas, places of hustles and battle fields. Small grey and large white are the two breeds
The larger white variety of wild ass, found in Rann of Kutch, is a rare endangered species
Mule
Mule is a hybrid of male donkey (jack) and female horse (mare) the hybrid of reciprocal cross is henny. Both are sterile. It has the virtues of both large and strong as horse but firm and cool like donkey, hence is very suitable for defence services. Donkey stallion imported from Europe is used to raise mule in India. Horse, donkey and mule are beasts of burden & used mainly for transport.
Camels
The ‘ship of desert’, is most useful in desert region.
There are two varieties : (i) Arabian camel (Camelus dromediaris) – the one humped Indian camel and (ii) Bactrian camel (C.bactrianus) – the two humped African camel.
It is important also for milk.
Indian breeds include Jaisalmeri, Sindhi and Bikaneri in Rajasthan and Kutchi in Gujarat.
Common diseases are anthrax, pneumonia, camel pox and surra.
oultry
Rearing of fowls (chicken), ducks, turkeys, patriges and pheasants for their egg and meat. India has become 5th largest country in the world in poultry production after China, former USSR, USA and Japan.
The specialised meat producing poultry birds are called broilers while the ones specialised for egg laying are known as layers.
The tremendous rise in a availability of poultry products is called silver revolution. India is the original home of jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) from where it spread in other parts of world. Now most common and rich source of animal protein. Consumption of eggs in India has risen many thousands times.
Its farming is more beneficial than livestock as it is easy to raise and maintain, faster breeding and growth, short life span, requires little space and can be acclimatized to various climatic conditions, average yields is 60 eggs per year, but in better breed it is upto 240 per year. Food includes cereals, millets, oil cakes, protein concentrates, fish and meat meal, minerals and vegetables. Poultry is the most efficient converter of low fibre food stuff (which is unfit for human consumption) into highly nutritious animal protein food.
Indigenous Breeds (Desi type)
Aseel, Malay, Karaknath, Ghagus, Chittagong, Brahma, Busra, etc., Aseel is used in cockfighting game. Aseel and Malay taken to Europe about 2000 years ago through middle east gave rise to present day European breeds. The indigenous hens are Aseel, Kadaknath,Chattisgarh and Busra. The most popular breed is Aseel. They possess the advantage of being hardy (strong) and possess natural immunity against common diseases. The disadvantages are : They are smaller in size, slow growing, lay small-sized eggs and less number of eggs.
Exotic Breeds (Improved type)
White Leghorn; Rhode Island Red, Plymouth Rock (Broiler), New Hampshire, Black Minorea. The White Leg horn is the most popular egg breed all over the world, because it has small sized body and therefore, it requires less feed for its maintenance. Rhode Island Red is also good egg layer and broiler (meat yielding).
Cross breeds of these types have high egg yield while some are good broilers (for meat) with high nutritive value. Poultry exclusively grown for meat are called broilers, high egg yielding are called layers.
The young growing birds before the attainment of sexual maturity are called growers. The period from sexual maturity till the end of egg laying is known as laying period and the birds are called layers.