How to Livestock

This bird disease is highly contagious, especially to domestic poultry. Death rates are high and no treatment is available.

Breeding management is important if you want to get the best out of your herd.

Cattle occupy a unique role in human history and some consider cattle the oldest form of wealth. One of the ways to get your cattle to multiply and your wealth to grow is through "breeding management".

A sow is a female pig used for breeding, and a healthy female can give six or more litters. This week we look at handling a pregnant sow.

This issue we look at three more ways to castrate your beef calves – rubber rings, open wound and the short-scrotum method.

Castration stops a bull calf’s testicles working so that it can’t reproduce, and also prevents the production of male hormones.

How to identify and treat diarrhoea in animals.

If you know what to look for, you can treat sick chickens, prevent diseases from spreading in your flock and select healthy chickens when buying new ones.

Dehorned cattle are easier to work with, house and transport. The chance of bad bruising is lessened, as is the danger of injury to udders, flanks and eyes, as well as to labourers working with the animals.

Preventing disease requires good management and a programme for vaccination, deworming and dipping, explains Peter Mashala.

Breeding in a beef herd can take place all year, or in a short breeding season. Each has advantages and disadvantages. Use the best one for your needs.

Proper management of goats is very important because they can cover a large area in a day searching for food. They are also intelligent and can get through fences and into other people's yards and vegetable gardens, creating problems between you and your neighbours.