Proper Hygiene and Health in Animal Husbandry: Key to Boosting Yield
How does maintaining proper hygiene and health impact animal husbandry yield?
a. Proper hygiene and health have no impact on animal husbandry.
b. Proper hygiene and health decrease the yield in animal husbandry.
c. Proper hygiene and health are essential for increasing animal husbandry yield.
d. Proper hygiene and health have a negative effect on animal husbandry yield.
Answer:
Maintaining good hygiene and health in animal husbandry is important in boosting yield because it reduces the spread of diseases, helps maintain a healthier environment, and enhances the welfare and productivity of the animals. Soil health also plays an essential role in providing nutritious feed. Therefore, hygiene, health, and careful handling of antibiotics are essential for sustainable and productive animal farming. Therefore, the correct option is B.
Explanation:
Proper hygiene and health are indeed essential for increasing the yield in animal husbandry. This is because unhealthy and unhygienic conditions can lead to the spread of diseases among the livestock, affect their growth and productivity, and subsequently diminish the yield.
Maintaining health and hygiene can help prevent this. For example, the regular cleaning of animal houses reduces the risk of infections. Good personal hygiene habits of the animal handlers also help to prevent the transmission of zoonotic diseases that can affect both animals and humans. Furthermore, healthy animals are less stressed, have better immune systems, and are hence more productive.
Moreover, the use of antibiotics should be regulated. The excessive use of antibiotics in animal feed not only promotes bacterial resistance, but also does not contribute to the overall health of the animals. Rather, it's used mainly to enhance production, which is not a sustainable practice in the long term.
Soil health also plays a pivotal role in animal agriculture. High quality soil, rich in organic matter and a diversity of organisms, supports the growth of nutritious feed crops for the animals, which in turn boosts their health and productivity.
Therefore, maintaining proper hygiene and health is a key factor in sustainable and productive animal husbandry.