Stock and breeds
Rabbit farming part 9: Rabbit hair production
When discussing textiles, the term "angora" by itself always and exclusively refers to the hair of Angora rabbits. The hair of Angora rabbits is one of five keratinic textile fibres of animal origin that have significant economic value. Sheep's wool, at over 1,3 million metric tonnes annually, is by[...]
Cattle breeds part 5
Sussex Sussex cattle are one of the oldest and purest English breeds and are popular in Southern Africa's beef industry. The breed descended from horned red cows once found in Sussex and Kent in southern England. These cattle were draft animals for years before ultimately being slaughtered for beef[...]
Poultry farming Part 6.1: Poultry health
Chickens get sick very easily. Disease can kill your whole flock overnight, so it is important to make sure that you do everything you can to keep them healthy. The two most significant diseases are Newcastle disease (ND) and avian influenza (AI), also known as bird flu. Newcastle disease[...]
Rabbit farming part 8: Rabbit slaughter and meat marketing
Among domestic livestock, rabbits are one of the most productive. On the same quantity of feed and water a cow will produce 500 grammes of meat while rabbits can produce three kilogrammes. The production of fryers Producing one kilogramme of marketable fryer (dressed weight) requires a commercial concentrate supply[...]
Cattle breeds Part 4
Santa Gertrudis Robert Kleberg Jr of King Ranch in the United States developed the Santa Gertrudis cattle breed. Kleberg's 400 000 ha ranch had 6 000 Hereford and Shorthorn cows. These animals grew well, but struggled to adapt to South Texas's climate, insects, and diseases. Therefore, they decided to[...]