Abstract:
Livestock experimental station is a government farm with three main enterprises i.e.; dairy, poultry, and piggery. It is aimed at producing high quality and quantity milk, beef, pork, eggs, and chicken for the community.
The industrial training at Livestock experimental station attempted to provide practical skills, field practice and experience to enhance the theoretical knowledge that is learnt in class. Therefore, my objectives were to acquaint myself with;
• The various animal husbandry practices and get hands on experience on animal welfare skills,
• The various breeds of dairy cattle, poultry, and pigs at LES,
• Animal diseases, their signs, symptoms, and treatment,
• Methods of pest control used by farmers in the three enterprises,
• Pasture management and preservation,
• Hatchery, piggery and poultry management and to practically get some knowledge on artificial insemination, multiple ovulation, embryo transfer and in vitro fertilization among others.
The training revealed that some of the theory taught in class slightly differs from what is practically done in the field, for example, very few welfare practices ate applied in the field. The obvious ones that are observed include, providing shelter, food, treating animals, allowing animals to rest as well as proper restraint of animals during milking among others but when it comes to moving animals in races, welfare is not followed at all because animals are beaten badly and sometimes they even bleed.
The training also revealed that production and management in any enterprise are two different broad activities which must move hand in hand for any farm to get the expected profit or even more. Production and management require a lot of hard work, sacrifice, dedication and determination.
It is therefore recommended that more animal husbandry officers should be trained to guide and advise farmers who are facing hardships in production and management.
