Agricultural Science – Primary 5 (Third Term) Lesson Notes

Week 5: Management of Farm Animals (Feeding, Keeping Records, Sanitation)

Lesson Details

Behavioral Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:
1️⃣ List tools used for managing farm animals.
2️⃣ Explain different methods of farm animal management.
3️⃣ Describe how to properly care for farm animals.

Key Words

  • Management

  • Sanitation

  • Records

  • Feeding

  • Hooves

  • Sterilization

Set Induction (Funny Classroom Interaction)

Teacher: “Who has ever taken care of a pet before?”

Tolu: “Me, ma! I have a dog, and I give it rice and stew every morning!”

Teacher: “Rice and stew? Your dog must be a Nigerian dog!” (Class laughs)

Aisha: “I had a chicken, but it ran away when my mum left the gate open!”

Teacher: “Oh no! Your chicken must have been looking for freedom.” (Class giggles)

Teacher: “Today, we will learn how to manage farm animals properly so they don’t run away like Aisha’s chicken or eat the wrong food like Tolu’s dog.”

Farm Animal Management

Entry Behaviour

Pupils are already familiar with some farm animals and basic care, such as feeding chickens or giving water to goats.

Learning Resources & Materials

✔ Pictures of farm animals and their homes
✔ Sample tools (rope, notebook, bottle, thermometer)
✔ Videos of farmers managing animals

Building Background / Connection to Prior Knowledge

Teacher: “Last week, we learned about rearing chickens, rabbits, and snails. Who can remind us what we feed chickens?”

Emeka: “Ma, we give them grains like corn!”

Teacher: “Very good! But how do we know if a chicken is sick?”

Zainab: “It will look weak and not eat.”

Teacher: “Excellent! Today, we will learn how to manage farm animals by feeding them properly, keeping their records, and keeping them clean.”

Embedded Core Skills

✔ Critical Thinking – Pupils will discuss farm animal care techniques.
✔ Communication Skills – Pupils will describe their understanding of farm management.
✔ Creativity – Pupils will suggest ways to keep animals healthy.

Instructional Materials

A thermometer
A rope
A sample notebook for record-keeping
A water bottle for feeding medicine

Best Ways to Manage Farm Animals (Feeding, Records, & Sanitation)
Successfully managing farm animals goes beyond simply feeding them. To maintain a productive and healthy farm, it’s important to develop a routine for proper feeding, maintaining detailed records, and ensuring excellent sanitation practices. Here’s a breakdown of best practices for managing your farm animals in these key areas:

1. Feeding Farm Animals: Ensuring Nutrition and Health
a. Provide a Balanced Diet
Each type of animal requires a specific diet to thrive. Make sure that the food you provide meets the nutritional needs of the animals you’re raising.

Chickens: Feed them a balanced mix of commercial poultry feed that contains proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Supplement their diet with grains, vegetables, and fruits.

Rabbits: Hay (especially Timothy hay) should form the bulk of their diet, supplemented with fresh vegetables like carrots, lettuce, and cabbage. Limit fruits to small portions due to their sugar content.

Snails: Offer leafy greens, vegetables, and fruits like cucumbers and lettuce. Snails also need a source of calcium, so provide crushed eggshells, limestone, or a calcium supplement.

b. Offer Clean, Fresh Water
Always ensure that your animals have access to clean, fresh water. Clean water is essential for digestion, hydration, and overall well-being. Dirty or stagnant water can lead to disease and dehydration.

c. Feeding Schedule
Create a consistent feeding schedule to prevent overfeeding or underfeeding. Feeding your animals at the same time every day helps maintain their digestive health. Make sure to provide adequate quantities of food based on the animal’s size and type.

2. Record Keeping: Tracking Health, Production, and Expenses
a. Animal Identification
Start by assigning a unique identifier to each animal, whether it’s a tag, band, or name. This will help you track their health and performance more easily. Keeping proper records also helps you identify any issues that need attention.

b. Health and Vaccination Records
Document the vaccinations and treatments each animal receives. For example, with chickens, record their vaccination against diseases like Newcastle disease or avian influenza. For rabbits, record the dates they are dewormed or treated for parasites. Keeping this information organized will help you maintain the animals’ health and avoid repeat issues.

c. Breeding and Production Records
If you’re raising animals for reproduction, such as breeding rabbits or chickens for egg production, keep detailed records of breeding dates, birth dates, and the number of offspring. This allows you to track productivity and plan for future breeding or culling.

d. Feeding and Growth Records
Keep track of how much feed each animal consumes and how they grow over time. This will help you assess the effectiveness of your feeding program. If an animal isn’t growing as expected, you can evaluate its diet or health status.

e. Financial Records
Maintain records of your farm’s expenses, including feed, equipment, veterinary costs, and other overheads. Also, keep track of sales (eggs, meat, or offspring) to evaluate profitability.

3. Sanitation: Keeping a Clean and Healthy Environment
a. Regular Cleaning of Housing
Keeping your animals’ living spaces clean is essential for preventing diseases. Clean their pens, coops, or huts regularly, removing manure, old bedding, and uneaten food. This not only improves the environment but also prevents the buildup of harmful bacteria or parasites.

Chickens: Clean the nesting boxes, roosting areas, and feeders regularly.

Rabbits: Change the bedding in their hutches and remove waste at least once a week.

Snails: Ensure their pens are moist but not waterlogged and remove any decaying food or waste.

b. Disinfection
Periodically disinfect the housing areas with a safe, non-toxic cleaner. This reduces the risk of infections and pests, which can spread quickly in poorly cleaned environments. Be sure to clean any equipment, such as water dispensers and feeding troughs, regularly to avoid contamination.

c. Pest and Parasite Control
Regularly check for pests and parasites, such as lice, mites, ticks, or rodents, which can affect farm animals. Use appropriate treatments, such as dusting powder for chickens or dewormers for rabbits, as needed. Ensuring a clean environment will reduce the risk of pests in the first place.

d. Waste Management
Properly dispose of animal waste to prevent contamination of the environment. For example, you can compost manure from chickens and rabbits and use it as fertilizer for crops. If you have snails, their waste can also be composted and used in your garden.

4. Best Practices for Managing Animal Health
a. Regular Health Checks
Perform regular health checks to ensure your animals are in good condition. Look for signs of disease, injury, or abnormal behavior. For chickens, check for signs of mites or infection, while rabbits might show signs of discomfort through reduced activity or eating habits. Snails should be monitored for sluggishness or shell damage.

b. Veterinary Care
Establish a relationship with a local veterinarian who can provide medical care when necessary. Schedule regular checkups and vaccinations as recommended for each type of animal. Having a vet on call is especially important for dealing with emergencies or illnesses.

c. Biosecurity Measures
To protect your animals from disease outbreaks, implement biosecurity measures like limiting visitor access to your farm, disinfecting equipment before use, and maintaining strict hygiene standards.

By following these best practices for feeding, record-keeping, and sanitation, you’ll be well on your way to successfully managing your farm animals. Whether you’re rearing chickens, rabbits, or snails, consistency and attention to detail are key. Keeping animals healthy and productive requires dedication, but the rewards — from fresh eggs to healthy meat and sustainable farming practices — make it all worthwhile.

Through my experience, I’ve found that maintaining a clean environment, staying on top of records, and feeding animals the right way leads to happy, healthy animals and a thriving farm. It’s all about building good habits that last long-term.

Farm Animal Management

Lesson Content

Tools for Managing Farm Animals

1️⃣ Thermometer – Used to check the body temperature of animals. If an animal has a fever, it might be sick.
2️⃣ Strip Cup – Helps dairy farmers check if milk is clean and free from disease.
3️⃣ Hoof Trimming Tools – Used to trim animal hooves so they don’t grow too long.
4️⃣ Glass Slides – Used by veterinarians to check animal blood for diseases.
5️⃣ Bandages and Clean Cloth – Used to treat wounds and broken legs.
6️⃣ Medicine Bottle – Used for giving medicine to sick animals.
7️⃣ Sterilization Container – A pot used to boil and sterilize farm tools to kill germs.
8️⃣ Sharp Knife or Scalpel – Used for farm procedures like castration.
9️⃣ Notebook and Pen – Used to keep farm records.
Rope – Used to tie animals or assist in difficult births.

Approaches to Farm Animal Management

1️⃣ Feeding
✔ Provide animals with a balanced diet (grains, grass, minerals, and water).
✔ Feed animals at the right time daily.
✔ Store animal feed properly to prevent contamination.

2️⃣ Keeping Records
✔ Write down when an animal gets sick and the treatment given.
✔ Record the number of animals on the farm.
✔ Track how much food the animals eat daily.

3️⃣ Sanitation
✔ Clean animal houses regularly to remove dirt and manure.
✔ Provide clean drinking water for animals.
✔ Disinfect tools and farm equipment to prevent disease spread.

Class Activity 

 Why do we need to manage farm animals properly?

Teacher: “What happens if we don’t take care of our animals?”

Musa: “They will run away like Aisha’s chicken!”

Teacher (laughing): “Not just that. They can also get sick and die.”

 Why do farmers keep records of their animals?

Emeka: “So they don’t forget the names of their goats?”

Teacher: “Not really, Emeka. They keep records to know when an animal is sick, how much food is given, and how many animals they have.”

 How do we know if an animal is sick?

Zainab: “It will look sad and stop playing.”

Teacher: “Yes, sick animals may also stop eating or have a fever.”

What do we use a thermometer for on a farm?

Aisha: “To check if the farmer is hot?”

Teacher (laughing): “No! It is for checking the temperature of animals to see if they have a fever.”

Why do we clean animal houses?

Tolu: “So they can have a fresh-smelling home like us!”

Teacher: “Yes! Clean houses keep animals healthy and free from diseases.”

Itemize the tools for farm animal management.

Musa: “Ropes, knives, and notebooks!”
Teacher: “Good start, but let’s add more. We also use a thermometer, strip cup, hoof trimming tools, medicine bottles, and sterilization containers.”

Describe four approaches to farm animal management.

Zainab: “Feeding them and keeping their homes clean?”
Teacher: “Yes! Proper feeding and sanitation are important. The other two are keeping records and preventing diseases.”

Explain the meaning of food contamination.

Emeka: “When food falls on the floor?”
Teacher: “That is one way food gets contaminated! Food contamination means when food is made unsafe by dirt, germs, or harmful chemicals.”

How can we identify food that is contaminated?

Aisha: “If it smells bad?”
Teacher: “Correct! We can also check for mold, unusual color, and insects in the food.”

What does ‘risk factor in food’ mean?

Tolu: “Is it when food is risky to eat?”
Teacher: “Yes, Tolu! A risk factor in food is anything that makes food unsafe, like poor storage or exposure to germs.”

Give three examples of risk factors in food.

Musa: “Dirty water, expired food, and dirty hands!”
Teacher: “Fantastic! Other examples include not cooking food properly and keeping raw and cooked food together.”

Assessment / Evaluation

1️⃣ List three tools used for farm animal management.
2️⃣ Why is it important to keep farm animals clean?
3️⃣ Explain why keeping records is useful on a farm.
4️⃣ What happens if we don’t feed farm animals properly?
5️⃣ How does a thermometer help in managing animals?

Conclusion

Teacher: “Today, we learned about feeding, keeping records, and maintaining sanitation on a farm. Who can tell me one important thing they learned?”

Musa: “I learned that farm animals need a clean house like us!”

Aisha: “I learned that a thermometer is for checking animal temperature, not the farmer’s!” (Class laughs)

Teacher: “Excellent! Now, go home and tell your parents what you learned today.”