WAEC Syllabus for Animal Husbandry

Understanding the WAEC syllabus for Animal Husbandry is crucial for preparing for the examination. This syllabus outlines the aims and objectives, along with notes and format for the Animal Husbandry exam.

Studying the Animal Husbandry syllabus is vital for effective exam preparation, as it provides a roadmap of the topics to cover and highlights key concepts to focus on.

Attempting to prepare for the exam without utilizing the Animal Husbandry syllabus is like tending to a farm without proper agricultural tools – it’s unlikely to yield productive results.

Ensure that you kickstart your exam preparations by thoroughly reviewing the syllabus.

This post includes the Animal Husbandry syllabus and recommended textbooks from the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

Feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comment section. I’m here to help!

WAEC Animal Husbandry

This syllabus has been designed to portray animal husbandry as a trade for livelihood with emphasis on the acquisition of knowledge and entrepreneurial skills in animal husbandry.

Candidates will be expected to answer questions on all the topics set out in the column headed Syllabus. The notes therein are intended to indicate the scope of the questions which will be set, but they are not to be considered as an exhaustive list of limitations and illustrations.

Aims and Objectives

The syllabus will therefore seek to assess candidates’ knowledge and skills in:

• basic animal production practices such as feeding, housing, pest and disease control;
• efficient and effective management  of animal enterprise;
• efficient processing, preservation, packaging, storage and marketing of animal products;
• basic entrepreneurial skills in animal husbandry related vocations;
• basic knowledge and skills in animal improvement and health.

Requirements

Schools offering Animal Husbandry are expected to raise at least one species of farm animals from each of the following groups:

• monogastrics e.g. poultry, pigs, snails, camel, donkey, horse, rabbit, bee.
• ruminants e.g. cattle, sheep and goat.
  • It is recommended that the schools should have agricultural laboratories.
  • It is also recommended that candidates keep practical notebooks and specimen albums which should contain records of activities undertaken and observations made on the school farm and field trips and of specimens collected.
  • It is also expected that the study would be supplemented by visits to well established livestock and poultry farms, abattoirs, feed mills, animal product-based companies and other institutions related to animal

Examination Scheme

There will be three papers, Papers 1, 2 and 3 all of which must be taken.  Papers 1 and 2 will be a composite paper to be taken at one sitting. 

PAPER 1: Will consist of forty multiple choice questions all of which should be answered within 40 minutes for 40 marks.       

PAPER 2: Will consist of six essay questions drawn from the entire syllabus.  Each question carries 20 marks.  Candidates will be required to answer four questions within 2 hours for a total of 80 marks.

PAPER 3: Will be a practical paper for school candidates and a test of practical work paper for private candidates. Each version will consist of four questions all of which should be answered within 1½ hours for 60 marks.

WAEC Animal Husbandry Syllabus

Livestock Production

1. Importance of farm animals
2. Classification of farm animals.
   • Classification of farm animals. 
   • Identification of ruminants and non-ruminants.
3. Internal organs and their functions in farm animals.
4. Body systems and their functions in farm animals
5. Reproduction in farm animals
   • Definition of terms used in livestock reproduction.
   • Reproduction in livestock(mammals).
   • Reproduction in poultry.
     • Reproductive  hormones and their functions.
     • Management of pregnant  farm animals.          
6. Livestock management systems.
7.  Management practices of livestock.

Animal Nutrition

1. Meaning and classes of animal feeds.
2. Animal feeds and feeding
   • Livestock rations
3. Formulation of livestock rations.
4. Processing and marketing of animal products.
   • Processing techniques for different farm animal products.
   • Marketing of animal products.

Pasture and Range Management

1. Pasture management.
   • Meaning and importance of pasture and forage crops.
   • Types of pasture and forage crops.
   • Terminologies in pasture management.
2. Rangeland improvement.
   • Meaning and characteristics of rangelands.
   • Methods of rangeland improvement. 
   • Importance of rangeland.
3. ANIMAL IMPROVEMENT

1. Animal improvement.
   • Meaning of animal improvement.
   • Aims/importance of farm animal improvement.
2. Methods of farm animal improvement.
   • Methods used in farm animal improvement.
   • Merits and demerits of methods used in farm animal improvement. 
3. Artificial insemination.
   • Meaning of artificial insemination.
   • Methods of artificial insemination.
   • Advantages  of artificial insemination.

Animal Health

1. Farm animal diseases and pathogens.
   • Concept of farm animal disease.
   • General symptoms of diseases in farm animals.
   • Diseases of farm animals, prevention and control.
   • Factors predisposing farm animals to diseases.           
2. Livestock parasites and pests.
   • Livestock parasites.
   • Livestock pests.

Animal Husbandry Practicals

1. Products and by-products of farm animals.
2. Identification of farm animals
3. Internal organs and their functions in farm animals.
   • Tools and equipment used in management of farm animals.
   • Feeds and feedstuffs
   • Pasture and forage crops.
   • Artificial insemination.
   • Pests and parasites of farmanimals.
     • Pests of farm animals.
     • Parasites of farm animals

List of Facilities and Major Equipments

A. FARM BUILDING/STRUCTURE

ITEM NO	EQUIPMENT	QUANTITY REQUIRED
1	Poultry/Pig House/Battery Cages	1
2	Cattle/Goat/Sheep Pen	1
3	Rabbit/Grass cutter Hutch	1
4	Snairy/Bee Hive	1

B. LIVE ANIMALS

ITEM NO.	EQUIPMENT	QUANTITY REQUIRED
1.	Poultry/Pig	10
2.	Rabbits/Grass cutter	10
3.	Cattle/Sheep/Goat	10
4.	Snails/Bees	50/100

C. SPECIMEN

ITEM NO.	EQUIPMENT
1.	Tick
2.	Lice
3.	Liver fluke
4.	Tapeworm
5.	Roundworm
6.	Flea
7.	Tsetse fly
8.	Pests

D. CHARTS AND PICTURES

ITEM NO.	EQUIPMENT	QUANTITY REQUIRED
1.	Digestive system of ruminants	5
2.	Digestive system of non-ruminants	5
3.	Reproductive organs of male livestock	5
4.	Reproductive organs of female livestock	5
5.	Reproductive tract of poultry	5
6.	Skeletal system of farm animals	5
7.	Circulatory system	5
8.	Muscular system	5
9.	Endocrine system	5
10.	Calendar of ovulation	5
11.	Calendar of Oestrus cycle	5
12.	Classes of farm animals	5
13.	Calendar of heat period	5
14.	Calendar of animal diseases	5

E. MACHINES AND EQUIPMENT

ITEM NO.	EQUIPMENT	QUANTITY REQUIRED
1.	Buddizor pliers/castrators	2
2.	Elastrators	2
3.	Debeakers	2
4.	Candlers	2
5.	Dehorning saw	4
6.	Ear notching knife	2
7.	Electro-ejaculator	2
8.	Artificial Inseminators	2
9.	Hand sprayer/Knapsack sprayer	2
10.	Refrigerators to store materials	2
11.	Clinical thermometer	2
12.	Films	Many
13.	Television	2
14.	CD Video Player	2
15.	16mm Film Projector	2

F.    DRUGS/VACCINES/MATERIALS

ITEM NO.	EQUIPMENT	QUANTITY REQUIRED
1.	First aids kits/boxes containing surgical blades, cotton wool, iodine and razor.	2
2.	Sterilizers e.g. Dettol, Izal	4
3.	Syringes and Needles	10
4.	Vaccines (various forms)	5
5.	Formalin, etc.	2 bottles

G. FEED SAMPLES

ITEM NO.	EQUIPMENT	QUANTITY REQUIRED
1.	Bone meal	½ kg
2.	Blood meal	½ kg
3.	Fish meal	½ kg
4.	Groundnut cake	½ kg
5.	Maize grains	½ kg
6.	Groundnut  meal	½ kg
7.	Coconut meal	½ kg
8.	Egg shell meal	½ kg
9.	Palm kernel meal	½ kg
10.	Periwinkle shell	½ kg
11.	Mineral salt lick, etc.	½ kg

H. OTHER MATERIALS

ITEM NO.	EQUIPMENT	QUANTITY REQUIRED
1.	Feeding trough (Metal and Plastic)	5
2.	Drinkers (Metal and Plastic)	5
3.	Lanterns (source of heat)	5
4.	Foot dips	5
5.	Notebooks for Accounts and Records	5
6.	Wheelbarrow	5

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