"Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products."
The integration of animals such as chickens, goats, and bees into a Permaculture system for increased productivity and sustainability.
Animal Welfare: The study of providing adequate physical and emotional well-being to farm animals.
Grazing Management: The science of effectively managing pastures and land to optimize animal grazing.
Animal Production Systems: The various systems, such as intensive or extensive, used to raise and breed farm animals.
Livestock Selection and Breeding: The process of selecting and breeding animals with desirable traits for optimal production, health, and sustainability.
Animal Feed and Nutrition: The science of creating balanced diets for farm animals, considering nutritional requirements and sustainability.
Animal Health and Disease Control: The study of maintaining the health of farm animals with preventative measures and treatment for diseases.
Animal Behavior and Communication: The understanding of the behavior, communication, and social structures of farm animals to improve management practices.
Poultry Production: The science of raising chickens, ducks, and other fowl for meat and eggs.
Dairy Production: The science of milk production, including cow, goat, and sheep milk.
Aquaculture: The practice of cultivating freshwater and saltwater animals such as fish and shellfish.
Reproduction in Livestock: Understanding the reproductive processes of livestock, including artificial insemination, gestation periods, and breeding cycles.
Ecological Pest Management: The management of pests without the use of harmful chemicals, considering ecological context and biodiversity.
Integration of Livestock into Permaculture Systems: How to integrate livestock into permaculture systems, such as rotational grazing, and using manure for soil fertility and improving yields.
Ethical Considerations in Animal Husbandry: Understanding the ethical considerations in animal husbandry, such as animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and social justice.
Regenerative Agriculture: A holistic approach to agriculture, aimed at improving soil health, biodiversity, and community resilience.
Grazing systems: This involves keeping animals in a designated area, such as a pasture, and allowing them to graze on the grass or other plants. These systems can be rotational, in which animals are moved to different paddocks to prevent overgrazing and allow plants to recover.
Silvopasture: A type of agroforestry in which livestock are raised among trees or wooded areas. This practice benefits both the animals and the environment, as the animals can feed on the plants in the wooded areas, while the trees provide shade, shelter and nutrients for the animals.
Pastured poultry: This involves raising chickens or other poultry in mobile pens or tractors, which are moved regularly to fresh pasture. This ensures that the birds have access to a diverse diet of grasses, weeds, insects and other invertebrates.
Aquaculture: This involves breeding and raising fish and other aquatic animals in tanks or ponds. This practice can be sustainable if the fish are carefully tended and the water quality is managed effectively.
Beekeeping: This involves keeping honeybees for honey production and pollination services. Beekeeping can be integrated into a permaculture system by allowing bees to forage on plants in the surrounding area.
Vermiculture: This involves using worms to break down organic waste and producing nutrient-rich worm castings for use as fertilizer. Worms can also be fed to animals as a source of protein.
Composting toilets: This involves using a specially designed toilet that separates urine and feces for composting. The resulting compost can be used as a fertilizer in agriculture or gardens.
Biogas production: This involves using organic waste to produce biogas, a renewable energy source. The waste is broken down in an anaerobic digester to produce methane, which can be used for electricity or heating.
Integrated pest management: This involves using natural methods to control pests and diseases, rather than relying on chemical pesticides. This can include practices such as crop rotation, intercropping, and the use of natural predators.
Multi-species grazing: This involves grazing different types of animals together, such as cows, sheep, and chickens. This can provide a more diverse diet for the animals and reduce the occurrence of parasites and diseases.
"It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock."
"Husbandry has a long history, starting with the Neolithic Revolution when animals were first domesticated, from around 13,000 BC onwards, predating farming of the first crops."
"Cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs were being raised on farms."
"Major changes took place in the Columbian exchange when Old World livestock were brought to the New World."
"Livestock breeds like the Dishley Longhorn cattle and Lincoln Longwool sheep were rapidly improved by agriculturalists, such as Robert Bakewell, to yield more meat, milk, and wool."
"A wide range of other species, such as horse, water buffalo, llama, rabbit, and guinea pig, are used as livestock in some parts of the world."
"Insect farming, as well as aquaculture of fish, molluscs, and crustaceans, is widespread."
"Modern animal husbandry relies on production systems adapted to the type of land available."
"Subsistence farming is being superseded by intensive animal farming in the more developed parts of the world."
"Beef cattle are kept in high-density feedlots."
"Thousands of chickens may be raised in broiler houses or batteries."
"On poorer soil, such as in uplands, animals are often kept more extensively and may be allowed to roam widely, foraging for themselves."
"Most livestock are herbivores."
"Pigs and chickens are omnivores."
"Ruminants like cattle and sheep are adapted to feed on grass."
"They can forage outdoors or may be fed entirely or in part on rations richer in energy and protein, such as pelleted cereals."
"Pigs and poultry cannot digest the cellulose in forage."
"They require other high-protein foods."
"Animal husbandry is concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products."