Observation

Question 5 was popular among candidates and performance was above average. However, only few candidates could give ways of improving decreased feed intake in sheep.

The expected answers include:

• Ways of controlling diseases in sheep production
• Isolation of affected sheep
• Treatment of affected sheep/appropriate medication
• Follow the required vaccination regimes regularly
• Quarantine new stocks before they are introduced on the farm
• Ensure proper sanitary/hygienic conditions on the farm
• Ensure proper biosecurity/provision of footbath
• Avoid the flock straying away from the farm or mixing up with flock from other farms
• Avoid stray animals on the farm
• Restrict number of visitors on the farm
• Dispose off dead animals/carcass properly
• Avoid overcrowding in pens
• Provide clean and adequate water regularly
• Discard leftover/contaminated feed properly
• Discard leftover water properly
• Provide good housing
• Proper feeding

• Ways of improving decreased feed intake of the flock of sheep
• Provision of balanced diet
• Regular disease control
• Regular pest control
• Provision of clean and adequate water
• Provide acceptable feed/feedstuff
• Supply of salt/mineral lick
• Controlled stocking
• Adequate sanitation
• Use of feed additives
• Ensure adequate ventilation
• Increase vitamin content in the diet/water
• Allow enough space for exercise 
• Deworming          
• Offer varieties of feed                                                                                                                                                                                    
• Explanation of methods of animal improvement
• Introduction

This involves bringing breeds of animals with superior and desirable characters (traits) from another farm into the farmer’s farm

• Selection

This involves deliberate choosing of animals with superior traits from a mixed population, for breeding

• Breeding

Breeding involves the transfer of desirable traits to offspring through mating of animals or other breeding methods

• Aims of animal improvement
• High reproductive efficiency
• High productivity/high yield
• Good mothering ability
• Cool temperament/ease of handling        
• High libido
• Resistance to pests
• Resistance to diseases
• High adaptability/adaptation to harsh environmental conditions
• Improved quality of produce
• Improved growth rate
• Early maturity
• Produce animals with high feed conversion efficiency