Small Animals - Handling Animal Production
This lesson focuses on the soft treatment
(in feeding , handling, etc) required by small animals
to obtain efficient yield.
Objective
At the end of these lesson, the students, farmers or students, will
be capable of technically handling the production of layer chicken,
broilers, milk goats, rabbits and guinea pigs for meat.
Preparation
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Get some pictures or drawings of people feeding the chicken, measuring
distance between pubic bones, which shows feather position of favorable
vs. unfavorable layer chickens.
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Get some pictures of people killing chickens.
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Get some pictures of people milking goats, putting a vaccine, cutting
horns, and feeding them.
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Get some pictures or drawings of people holding small and adult
rabbits, determining their sex, healing their ears from acarus,
killing and pealing them.
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Get some pictures or drawings of people holding, castrating and
killing guinea pigs.
 Click on the magnifying
glass of any image for enlargement. |
Concepts to be taught
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Layer chickens have habits and respond very well to soft and routine
treatment.
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Broilers not very demanding concerning handling techniques or practices.
The most important thing is to make sure that they always have food
and water.
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Goats are animals that respond very well to soft and constant treatment.
Preferably, the same person should do all the handling and they
must respect their feeding and milking routine.
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Rabbits need a lot of constant attention in order to be efficient.
They respond well to the constant and handling performed by the
same person.
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Routine is more important than the person doing it, when it refers
to obtaining a productive yield from the guinea pig.
Introduction
Small animals require constant and careful attention for efficient
yields. Domestic animals are usually routinely. Any unexpected change
causes too much stress and reduces the immediate yield. It will be very
important to maintain a routine when taking care of the animals that
will form part of the farmer's group; the handling should be in charge
of the same person as well.
When there is a need to change something, this must be done gradually.
Special attention should be paid when changing food.
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| #1 |
Concept #1
Chickens respond well to soft and routinely treatment.
In order to obtain an adequate yield from layer chickens, we must make
sure that we are using the appropriate race for egg production. We must
also provide shelter that will protect them from the environment and
natural enemies and make sure that the diet they are receiving is appropriate
for their needs. Along to these factors that are determinant to the
exploitation success, we must make sure that the daily attention required
by them is the best possible. Chickens respond very well to soft treatment.
Loud noises, unexpected movements, strange animals, lack of food or
water, will be immediately reflected in the suspension of posture. If
these factors are constantly repeated, the production will be extremely
irregular and anti-economic.
The chronological order of the routine handling practices for layer
chickens is as follows:
According to the proposed program for the Small Scale Agriculture Model,
the chicken will be delivered to the farmer after the first 22 or 24
weeks, with their respective vaccines and ready to produce eggs.
Before receiving the chickens, the farmer must have enough food for
a month which is equal to 50 kg of food for 12 egg-laying chicken of
light race. He must also make sure that the chickens will have enough
fresh and clean water and that the places where they are going to eat
and drink are clean and disinfected (#2). It is necessary to assure
that the watering place is functioning adequately and that the general
conditions for the chicken productive life will be appropriate, this
will last around 12 to 14 months (#3).
The same day the chickens are delivered, they must be given water and
food, throughout the following days the food will be supplied preferably
in two shifts, one very early in the morning and the other in the middle
of the afternoon. The food quantity to be supplied must be enough to
maintain a good production level as well as an adequate health and well-being.
For a light chicken. 125 grams daily are enough. Overfeeding the chickens
will only increase the production cost because there is more waste and
besides getting fat, the birds become less productive. We will try to
supply half of the food in the morning and the rest in the middle of
the afternoon (#4).
The water must be available at all times.
The prepared food must be stored in a fresh and ventilated place, never
in direct contact to the floor or exposed to the sun or rain. It is
recommendable to build a wood platform of about 10 cm of height over
which the food will be stored. The wood platform for 50 kg. of food
will be 50 cm by 50 cm (#5).
We must take into account that the food should be out of reach of any
type of animal that can eat it as well as contaminate it. These animals
could be dogs, cats, rats, birds, chickens and others (#6).
Concerning health management, as a general rule, chickens will be delivered
to the farmer with all the vaccines for a year of laying. In some places
there will be a need for additional vaccines; however, this will be
determined by the veterinarian of the school that sponsors the program
(#7).
Taking in account that the water available is not potable in most of
the places where the agricultural model is developed in a small scale,
it would be convenient to treat the water with chloride prior to giving
it to the chickens. The water treatment must be done in the same way
that is done for humans (see lesson # 5.1, concept #2 of the family
health lessons from the curriculum materials).
Even though chickens receive treated water, periodically (every two
to three months) it will be convenient to kill the parasites , especially
tapeworm and threadworm (rounded bugs). An effective process against
tapeworm is the use of components based on tin-arsenate or tin-dibutyldimalate
. For threadworm we can use products based on didakol, piperazine or
tetramisol. In all cases, the school veterinarian must be aware to make
sure the treatment are being applied correctly (#8).
The laying period is normally about 12 months. The laying is initiated
between the 24th and 25th week and in the good quality egg-laying it
can be longer, 14 months. A good guide to determine the replacement
guide of chickens is their laying percentage. As long as the percentage
is over 60%, the birds can be maintained (#9).
Generally, the laying percentage quickly increases from the beginning
(24 weeks) to 30-31 weeks of age and then starts to decrease gradually
until the 75th week ( 11th laying month), excellent egg-laying can maintain
an acceptable laying (60% or more) until the 88th week of age (14 months).
A laying inferior to 60% is not profitable because if under normal
conditions the laying is maintained below this percentage, it is convenient
to replace the chickens. If the laying has unexpectedly decreased, we
must find the cause and correct it. The probable causes could be: lack
of food or water, diseases, stress or change of food. We will try to
correct the problem and if after that the laying continues to be low,
the best option will be to replace the chickens.
It will also be necessary, after many weeks of laying, to make sure
that the chickens are laying. If from a cage where three chickens exist
we are collecting only two eggs, one of them is not laying. There are
many ways to determine if a chicken is laying and its effectiveness
level.
The first guide to determine if a chicken is a layer is the size and
color of its crest and ranula. Good layers have big and bright red crests
and ranula. Another useful guide is the pigmentation and size of the
anus. Good layers have a large anus with no pigmentation. A bad layer
has a small anus with a yellow pigmentation.
The distance between pubic bones and the end of the sternum is another
precise guide to determine the quality of a layer due to the direct
relationship between the distance and the quality. The easiest way to
do it is to measure, with the hand closed, how many fingers fit between
the last vertebra and the end of the sternum. If 4 fingers can fit,
then it is an excellent layer, if the number is 3 it is a good layer,
if only 2 can be fit then it is a bad layer.
An additional way to determine the laying quality is to look at the
wing's feathers. Bad layers will have feathers 1, 2 and 3, irregular,
while good layers show a simultaneous change.
None of these criteria is absolute and must never be used independently.
If there is doubt about the quality of a layer, and there is one that
fits all these characteristics, that could probably be the bad one.
NOTE FOR THE INSTRUCTOR
The school that sponsors the programs must constantly maintain chickens
in storage for the replacements that must be done by the farmers. For
this reason, it is important to establish and maintain a confident source
of good quality chicken to constantly supply them for the farmers. A
new lot of chicken must be purchased every 6 months.
The chickens must be kept in cages at the schools so that when farmers
get them and put them in cages, the chickens will not suffer much stress.
While at the school, the chicken must be fed with the same diet the
farmers will give them. However, those diets must be adjusted to the
requirements according to their age.
When the laying period has ended, the chicken will be an additional
source of meat for the family.
Learning activity #1
Weigh the feed to determine the amount that must be supplied daily
to the chickens. Clean and disinfect drinking and feeding troughs. Prepare
chloride-treated water for the chickens. Calculate production percentages
to find if level reaches 60%. Observe good and bad layers according
to their crest and ranula, anus pigmentation, distance between pubic
bones and sternum and feather changes.
Concept #2
Broilers are not very demanding concerning handling
The breeding of broilers is much more simple and less risky than for
layers. The chicken stay with the farmer for 7 weeks. They are delivered
with all the vaccines and do not require more sanitary attention (as
long as this guide's recommendations are observed) until they are killed
or sold.
Chronologically, the required activities are the following: the cages
for the 1-week old chicken must be built and disinfected before they
are delivered to the farmer (if used previously). The food must have
been prepared for the whole period (7 weeks). In order to feed 12 chickens
for 7 weeks it is necessary to have 45 kg of food.
To assure a fast growth, the chickens must have food available all
the time.
We must be careful not to fill the feeding trough too much (never more
than 50% of the feeding trough) in order to avoid wasting. As long as
they have food and water, chickens will grow without any problems.
It will also be necessary to make sure that the cages are in a place
protected from the direct sunlight, wind and rain, as to avoid unexpected
visits and closeness to animals that could scare them.
After the chickens are four weeks, they must be moved to a larger cage,
where they will stay until the 8th week. Prior to moving the chickens
to a bigger cage, it must be assured that the same is disinfected, if
it has been used previously; the same procedure must be followed for
the drinking and feeding troughs. In the same manner, it must be assured
that the treated water with chloride and food will be available all
the time.
After the 6th week, the bigger chickens can be consumed by the family.
When they reach the 8th week, all the chickens left must
be sold or killed. From that age on, all the food that they
consume will cause losses to the farmer. Besides that, it
is supposed that the farmer will have a new chicken group
of 4 weeks of age that will require the space.
The food must be stored in a place protected from the sun, rain, strange
animals and over a platform that will separate it from the floor.
When the chickens are raised in cages it is possible that after the
6th week, the heaviest chickens present injures in the legs,
caused by their weight, and show the tendency to remain
resting in the mail, this will soon cause an injure in the
sternum. If this is observed, those chickens must be killed
for family consumption. If they are left too much time in
this condition, they will start to lose weight and their
appearance will deteriorate due to the leg’s inflammation
as well as that of the breast zone.
If you notice that the chickens are not reaching 2 kg of weight in
8 weeks, it will be necessary to determine the cause before giving the
farmer a new group of chickens. The most probable causes could be an
inappropriate water supply or the use of contaminated water. In many
cases, the farmers are used to diluting the food only with corn, which
results in a deficient diet that cannot support the fast growth of improved
chickens. It can also be that the food quantity supplied is not enough,
or that the preparation was not adequate regarding quantity, process
or mixture. In many cases, the mixture of proteins and minerals has
been stored for a long time or it could even be that the chicken quality
is not as expected. In any case, it will be completely necessary to
determine the problem’s cause and solve it prior to continuing with
a second chicken delivery.
NOTE FOR THE INSTRUCTOR
The school that sponsors the program must perfectly arrange the acquisition
of one-day chickens so that when the farmer has sold or consumed all
the chickens from the first group, a new group of eight-day chickens
could be provided to him to continue with the breeding.
Learning activity #2
Teach them to disinfect the cages as well as to supply food to chickens.
Fill some feeding troughs at 100%, others at 50% and observe the waste.
Concept #3
Goats are routine animals and there must be consistency in their treatment
to obtain efficient yields (#10).
If goats are integrated to the model, there are some principles that
must be known in order to obtain the maximum benefit of the goat’s milking
capacity.
First, it is important to know that goats are very intelligent animals
and that respond extremely well to soft and dedicated treatment. We
must also be aware of the benefits received from them and show our gratitude
through a good treatment. Hard or rude treatment will inhibit their
production capacity. As an example we have that, if at the time of milking
the goat gets scared, its milk production will notably decrease as a
consequence of the hormonal effect caused by the stress. This produces
an immediate epinephrine discharge (adrenaline) which is a vasoconstrictive
hormone. On the other hand, soft treatment and strokes before milking
produce an immediate oxciticine discharge which is a vasodilator hormone;
this will ease the coming of all the milk existent in the udder (#11).
As a general rule, it is also convenient for only one person to be
in charge of the goats’ care. They will recognize that person and will
respond more easily to his or her requirements.
The times of food supply as of milking must be respected day after
day.
The food supply must be done in two parts, the first in the morning
and the second in the afternoon. The daily portion will be divided in
two equal portions.
The milking must be done twice a day as well.
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| #12 |
Goats that have recently given birth will produce colostrum for two
or three days; this colostrum must exclusively be for the young born
since it contains the nutrients that he needs, as important antibodies
for living. After the fourth day, the milk can be available for family
consumption. The goats who integrate the model must be of excellent
quality and produce between 3 and 4 liters per day. The normal production
will be of 60% in the morning milking and 40% in the afternoon (#12).
Milking:
The following steps must be followed during the milking:
It must always be done at the same time. Preferably, it should be done
in the same place and by the same person. The goat will be moved to
the milking platform and will receive between 200 to 300 grams of balanced
food. If possible, the goat should be combed in order to clean all the
dirt and to remove dead hair so that they will not contaminate the milk.
The milker will wash his hands with water and soap, and then will wash
the udder and nipples with clean water. The milking process starts by
taking the nipple in the hand and closing the thumb and the index in
a way that the milk located in the nipple cannot go back to the udder.
Then, the middle and ring finger are closed which will cause all the
milk to be ejected through the nipples. This action will be repeated
until all the milk from the udder is extracted. At the beginning, this
duty can be hard but it becomes easier throughout time #13 and #14).
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| #15 |
The milker must be careful not to pull down the nipple.
It is not recommendable to wet the hands to milk, it is unnecessary
and anti-hygienic. It would be better if the milker perform the operation
sitting down, it is more comfortable than standing up. The milk container
must be placed under the goat and not behind her posterior extremities
(#15). When starting the milking, the first two milk jets must be discarded,
these are the ones that clean the conducts and are generally full of
bacteria. It will be also convenient that the starting jets of each
nipple be observed in a small and dark container. If there are curds
or pus in one of the nipples’ milk, this must not be consumed. There
is no problem in consuming milk from the healthy nipples.
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| #16 |
Dehorning
Goats have horns by nature; although some are born without them. Such
characteristic is associated most of the times with sterility and hermaphroditism;
it will be convenient to discard the animals born without horns (#16).
At birth it is easy to determine if the animal will or not have horns.
The newborn young’s forehead must be observed; if the fur is swirly
in the possible horn places, then the animal will have horns. It is
very convenient from the handling point of view, that the goats do not
have horns. In order to get this, the best option would be to perform
the dehorning before the first 30 days. There are three different methods
for dehorning: chemically (using caustic paste), surgically (using a
bistoury) or by cauterization (using electricity or fire).
Any method chosen for dehorning is similar and must follow these steps:
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Cut all the fur in the area where the horns would grow.
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If the dehorning will be with chemicals, the best will be to count
on a dehorning cage to hold the young not older than 5 days. Vaseline
must be rubbed around the small horn in order to protect the adjacent
tissue from the caustic paste's effect. Then, the caustic paste
will be applied over the horns and the young must be held during
10 to 15 minutes until the paste's action have ended. The area will
be temporarily covered with a patch to avoid the paste's effect
in other areas of the same animal or others.
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A surgical dehorning must be performed by a veterinarian.
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Vaseline must be rubbed around the horns, if the dehorning is performed
with a cauterizing,. Two circles will be cut in a piece of paper
so that the horns will appear through the holes. Cauterizing paste
will be rubbed in the horn and the cauterant will be applied for
8 to 10 seconds while the animal is being held.
Cutting hoofs
When goats are bred in stables, the periodical cutting of hoofs becomes
necessary. It is necessary to use pruning scissors and one must be careful
not to damage the internal tissues of the hoof. The cutting must be
done following the natural hoof’s border until this is even with its
base. If the hoof is injured while performing the operation, it would
be necessary to disinfect using ether or croesus.
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| #17 |
Castration
It is expected that 50% of the young are males and 50% are females.
The females will be used to replace the dams, to increase the herd or
to sell them as future reproducers. On the other hand, the males will
be sold as future reproducers only if the show unusual characteristics,
otherwise they will be castrated and bred for meat (#17).
There are three common methods for young goats’ castration: using a
knife, by emasculation and by “elastración”
The knife method is simple and must be performed as soon as the testicles
have descended to the scrotum. A helper will immobilize the goat in
dorsal position, exhibiting the scrotum so that the operator can castrate.
The scrotum will be held firmly an a cut will be made, using a sharp
knife or a shaving lamina, in the terminal zone in order to extract
the testicles. This will be done one testicle at a time. Once the testicle
is extracted, the spermatic cord will be preferably cut using an hemostatic
tweezer to diminish the hemorrhage. After both testicles are extracted,
the injuries will be disinfected.
The emasculation method is more simple and consists of the use of an
emasculating tweezer which, after holding the young goat in the floor,
will help to put pressure in the spermatic pack for a minute; during
that time it will be possible to cut the spermatic cord without affecting
the scrotum skin. This is normally done one testicle at a time. In few
weeks the testicles will disappear.
The third castration method uses rubber rings which will be placed
in the scrotum's base with the help of an "elastradora" tweezer. The
rings are kept in this position until after one or two weeks, the completely
cut the scrotum with the testicles in its interior and castrate the
animal.
Any method used must be performed when the young goats are between
2 and 5 days.
With the castration, it is possible to notably improve the meat flavor;
regular males have a disagreeable flavor. Also, they cannot fecundate
the females any more.
Learning activity # 3
Organize a field day where the students can learn how to milk, castrate,
cut hoofs and dehorn.
NOTE FOR THE INSTRUCTOR
Goats often present contagious abortion, brucelosis, or malta fever.
The goats must be vaccinated if there were cases of contagious abortion
in the area. This must always be done under direct supervision of the
veterinarian from the school that sponsors the program.
CONCEPT # 4
Rabbits respond well to good treatment and to routine handling.
In order to get a good yield from rabbits, there are some factors that
must be taken in account such as housing. Many small species tolerate
the food contaminated with their own excrement; however, rabbits do
not. If the food or the water is contaminated, they must be changed
in less than 24 hours so that the rabbits will not suffer of coccidiosis
which is the disease that most affects and kills rabbits around the
world (#18).
The younger animals are who most suffer of coccidiosis. If the cages
are built adequately (that is, using mesh floors that allow the excrement
to pass to the floor) and the water and food supply are correctly handled,
it is easy to control the young rabbits mortality. The main duty will
be to daily renew the water if open or automatic drinking troughs are
used. If fodder is used as feed, it should be supplied daily; any leftover
from the previous day must be eliminated (#19).
The reason for these recommendations is that the coccidiosis is a disease
caused by a normal parasite from the adult rabbits (a protozoon of the
genre Eimara), that turns to be very pathogenic if the young rabbits
consume water or food contaminated by the mother’s excrement. The incubation
period of this protozoon is 24 hours, reason why the daily renew of
water or food every day is essential in order to avoid a second ingestion
of parasites.
The fact that rabbits ingest their own excrement, is not cause of contamination
or re-infestation. Coprophagia is normally performed at night; rabbits
only ingest their own excrement directly from the anus. When there is
not enough time to complete their incubation period, coprophagia does
not cause coccidiosis.
With this background, it is expected to be clear the important need
of using a mail floor for the rabbits cages.
Feeding must be very constant regarding the time the food is supplied.
Rabbits eat around 180 times in 24 hours. Preferred eating times are
very early in the morning and late afternoon. But if there is food available,
rabbits can eat all the time. We should take advantage of their capacity
to eat all the time when breeding rabbits for meat production so that
they will grow faster. It is recommended For the nursing mother, it
is also recommended for her to have available food at all times. The
reproductive males and the pregnant female must receive restricted food
(150 g daily of dry materia per animal and per day).
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| #20 |
Rabbit reproduction
Rabbits reach puberty between the age of four and six months. It is
not recommended to start their reproduction at that age, it is better
for the females to weigh between 2.5 and 3 kg, besides reaching the
puberty.
Natural mating is the simplest method of rabbit reproduction. In this
case, females must be taken to the male’s cage; otherwise, they will
fight if the male is taken to their cage (#20).
Female rabbits are of induced ovulation and do not present clear estrus
symptoms. The estrus cycle lasts about 16 days; the female can conceive
on 12 of these. Observing the vulva before taking the female to the
male helps determine the conception probability. If the vulva is pink,
humid and a little inflamed, the moment is appropriate. On the other
hand when we see a pale, dry and reduced vulva, the conception probabilities
are minimum.
If we determine that the female is in her appropriate moment, we will
take her to the male cage and witness the mating, this will take no
more than 30 seconds. The male will mount the female in her posterior
part, the female will raise her posterior rain in order to easy the
copula, the male will jump over one of the sides as soon as he has ejaculated.
In some cases the male will transmit a low scream, this is normal. If
the male does not jump, the copula has not been performed. We will have
to determine the cause. Some times and especially the new females do
not raise the posterior train. In this case it is very easy to help
the male. We will hold the female’s ears and some of the back skin with
our left and right hand, through the inguinal zone we will raise her
posterior train exposing the genitals to the male that is mounting.
Immediately after the mount, the female must return to her cage; the
date of the mating must be registered in a card of notebook that will
allows us to easily remember the date. The male must always stay in
her cage alone. If she conceived, after 31 days she will born. For this
we must prepare the nest and put inside the cage in the 28th day of
gestation according to the date registered for the female.
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| #21 |
After 14 days of gestation, it is easy to determine if the female conceived
or not through softly touching the abdominal zone. If she conceived,
the fetus will be felt in the size of small crystal balls or marbles.
If she did not conceive, we must repeat the mating immediately (#21).
In the female rabbits, many times there is present a physiologic condition
after the mount called false gestation. This is due to the female ovulating
but not conceiving and last approximately 28 days. The female in this
time acts as if she were pregnant and even prepares her nest using the
breast fur. When this case is present, we will wait for one or two weeks
and will repeat the mount. The false gestation is present when the female
has been mounted by a sterile male or could have been induced by other
females, specially when more than one female are kept in the cage. This
is the reason why we must keep only one female per cage. If, on the
other hand, the presence of an sterile male is detected, this must be
immediately separated.
When giving the nest to the female, this must have dry and clean material
so that the female can give birth. The cereal straw is very good. Also,
hay and wood shaving are used. The day before birth, the female pull
out fur from her chest, neck and back to prepare the nest where she
will give birth. Most of births happen at night and almost never require
especial attention. It will be very important that the female will not
be perturbed neither during birth nor in the following days. If the
female perceives that her nest has been touched by an strange, she will
abandon the young. After 110 days of giving birth this risk does not
longer exist.
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| #22 |
If for any especial reason, it would be necessary to observe the young
rabbits, we will try to do so when the mother is eating and previously
impregnating our hands with her smell. This can be done by rubbing the
mother with our hands or taking some fur from the nest and rubbing it
over our hands. The best will always be to avoid to the maximum the
contact with the nest and leave the female in peace and quietness. If
there is no lack of clean water and enough good quality food, the female
will raise all her young rabbits. The separation age of the young from
the mother will depend on the feeding system that is being used. If
fodder is the only food being used, the weaning cannot be done before
45 days but, if good quality concentrates are being used the young can
be weaned after 30 days (#22).
At the weaning moment, the young rabbits must be separated by sex.
To determine the sex at that age is not difficult. The young
will be taken with the left hand, and holding his or her
ears and some skin from the back we will make him or her
rest on out right hand. With our right thumb we will slightly
press the front of the genital zone. If it is male we will
observe a slight circular projection. If, on the other hand,
it is female, the projection will be elongated having the
proximal border higher than the distal border.
After separating the young rabbits by sex, they must be put in different
cages, separating males from females. Normally the rabbits bred for
meat reach their market weight after 2.4 to 3 months; for this reason
the castration becomes necessary.
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| #23 |
Holding and transportation of rabbits.
For many activities the rabbit hutch becomes very important in transporting
rabbits from one place to another. Traditionally, the rabbits are held
by their ears to be transported. This is INCORRECT, the animals suffer
and can be hurt. The right way of holding them is by a good part of
their back’s skin with one hand and letting them rest on the other hand.
To move small animals it is not necessary to let them rest on the other
hand. In order to move small young rabbits, the better way to do so
is to hold them by the waist with our thumb and index (#23).
How to kill rabbits.
The traditional ways to kill rabbits are cruel and inappropriate.
To kill a rabbit, first we must make sure that its molting season is
over so that its fur can be used. This is easily done by passing our
hand rom the back to the neck. If our hand ends up with a lot of fur,
the rabbit is molting and it is not recommended to kill him. It will
be better to wait a couple of weeks. If, on the other hand, our hand
is clean, the animal is in an appropriate state to use its fur. We will
proceed to kill him. In order to do so, we need a sharp knife and an
appropriate place where the rabbit can be hung by its extremities at
the same height of the operator's face. The place could be a tree or
a wall with long nails studded up to the middle.
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| #24 |
It is necessary to know the steps for an adequate killing. In the first
place we must make the animal dizzy (not kill him) and this can be done
by holding with one hand the posterior extremities and giving him a
rabbit punch behind the ears, then we proceed to hand the animal by
its posterior extremities either opening a little the skin in the hocks
between the tendons and the tibia and passing the nails or thick thread
through the hocks (#24).
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| #25 |
After that we will immediately proceed to cut the jugular vein or the
carotid arteria or both in order for the animal to bleed to death. It
is convenient that the animal bleed while alive so that the bleeding
will be better. After the animal had bled and died, we will proceed
to peal (retire the skin). For this purpose, we will cut with a sharp
knife the skin around the hocks and then with a cut through the inguinal
zone we will unite the cuts of both extremities. With the help of our
fingers, we will separate the legs’ and back’s skin, cut the tail and
the skin that surrounds the genitals. We will mutilate the anterior
extremities at the level of the carpus and separate the head. After
that we will pull down the skin which will come off in one piece, eventually
it will be required to separate parts of the muscles that stick to the
skin in the ventral middle line and close to the anterior members. This
will be done using our hands or a knife, always taking care not to hurt
the skin. The skin extracted will be put in a tensor in order to dry
it in the shade for any posterior use (#25).
The canal left (the rabbit without skin) must be eviscerated. In the
ventral middle line a cut that goes from the genitals to
the sternum will be made. Being careful not to injure the
bladder and to contaminate, the pubic symphysis (cartilaginous
union over the genital region) will be cut, the anus and
genitals will be separated from the rest of the body and
the rest of viscera are easily separated. After all the
viscera are separated, the sweat glands located on the sides
of the anus stuck to the muscle must be cut. It is easy
to recognize them by their different form and color. If
they are not removed, the meat will be contaminated with
a strong and uncomfortable odor. The liver, heart and lungs
are eatable. The liver must be separated from the gall bladder
and carefully observed to guarantee that it is healthy.
If there are abnormal formations regarding texture or color,
it must be thrown away. After that, the canal must be washed
and refrigerated or used immediately.
Learning activity # 4.
To get a group of young rabbits and to practice the transportation
and separation by sex.
To observe at least two natural mountings and to learn how to hold
the female in order to ease the mount. To kill and eviscerate a rabbit.
Concept # 5
Guinea pigs are animal that grow and reproduce well if they do not
lack good shelter and food.
Guinea pigs are animals original from the South American Andean zone
and in their domestication it has not been developed much
interaction with the human being. As long as they are protected
from the environment and do not lack food, they will grow
and reproduce in a beneficial economic manner for the farmer.
List of figures for: Handling Animal Production
(Click on the magnifying glass of any image for enlargement)
1. Drawing showing soft treatment of small
animals.
2. Drawing showing clean and disinfected
cage.
3. Drawing showing result of good feeding
of Egg-laying Chickens.
4. Drawing showing feeding shifts.
5. Drawing showing storage of food.
6. Drawing of animals that harm the feed.
7. Drawing showing the importance of needed
vaccines.
8. Drawing of healthy hens.
9. Drawing showing egg-laying.
10. Drawing of some goats.
11. Drawing showing feeding of goats.
12. Drawing of milk goats.
13. Drawing showing the process of milking.
14. Drawing showing steps to milking a goat.
15. Drawing of milking.
16. Drawing of the time period for dehorning
and castration.
17. Drawing of the castration.
18. Drawing of rabbits.
19. Drawing of the rabbit's quarters.
20. Drawing of rabbit reproduction.
21. Drawing showing detection of pregnancy
in rabbits.
22. Drawing of the weaning period.
23. Drawing sowing handling or holding of
rabbits.
24. Drawing of how to kill a rabbit.
25. Drawing of the skining process.
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