Livestock Production And Management

Description

Animal-rearing has originated during the cultural transition to settled farming communities rather than hunter-gatherer lifestyles. Animals are ‘domesticated’ when their breeding and living conditions are controlled by humans. Over time, the collective behavior, life cycle, and physiology of livestock have changed radically. Many modern farm animals are unsuited to life in the wild. Dogs were domesticated in East Asia about 15,000 years ago, Goats and sheep were domesticated around 8000 BC in Asia. Swine or pigs were domesticated by 7000 BC in the Middle East and China. The term ‘livestock’ is nebulous and may be defined narrowly or broadly. On a broader view, livestock refers to any breed or population of animal kept by humans for a useful, commercial purpose. This can mean domestic animals, semi-domestic animals, or captive wild animals. Some people may use the term livestock to refer to only domestic animals or even to only red meat animals. During the history of animal husbandry, many secondary products have arisen in an attempt to increase carcass utilization and reduce waste. Farming practices vary dramatically worldwide and between types of animals. Livestock are generally kept in an enclosure, are fed by human- provided food and are intentionally bred, but some livestock are not enclosed, or are fed by access to natural foods, or are allowed to breed freely, or any combination thereof. This book dwells deep into each aspect of livestock production and offers insights into the practices of the industry at large.