Animals are very important to the small farm. Their integration into farming activities provides uses for many byproducts of the farm. They provide high-quality food, income, fertilizer, status, companionship, transportation, labor, and much more for rural families. But seasonal feed shortage and parasite problems can frustrate people's efforts in animal husbandry. This chapter highlights information and resources on raising and caring for animals in the tropics.
Articles
Feeds and Animal Nutrition
- "Forages for the Small Farm" Technical Note
- Book Review: The Small-Scale Manufacture of Compound Animal Feed
- Feed Analyses
- Review: Use of Trees by Livestock Series
- Forages Differ Greatly in Digestibility
- `Alfagraze', a Forage Alfalfa
- Buckwheat is a Fast Crop for Cool Areas
- Can Citrus Residue be used for Animal Feed?
- Is There a Benefit to Haymaking?
- Raising Pigs on Moringa Leaves
- Neem Seed as a Feed Ingredient
- How Should I Treat Soybeans So They Can be Fed to Animals?
- Sugar Can Be Used in Pig Diets
Bees
- Beekeeping & Development, An "EDN" for Beekeepers
- Independent Study Course on Tropical Beekeeping
- Book Review: Beekeeping of the Assassin Bees/La Abeja Africanizada
- Is the Neem Tree Harmful to Honeybees?
- When Honeybees Become Drunk
- How do the Africans Handle African Bees?
- One Experience With Bees in Africa
- Stopping Bees
Camels
INTRODUCING THE CAMEL, by Peter Grill. Lamar Witmer in Kenya sent us a copy of this unique book. He wrote, "I've read a number of books about camels. The one I am sending you is the one I believe to be the most useful as a single guide for development workers among pastoralists who herd camels. It emphasizes practical concerns rather than purely scientific ones. It was written from the perspective of eastern Africa, which may limit its usefulness in other regions
Cavies
TECHNICAL NOTE "MEAT PRODUCTION ON THE SMALL FARM WITH CAVY (GUINEA PIG)" by Dr. Frank Martin, 6 pages. The cavy is a rodent that was domesticated in the Andes as a source of meat. Because it is small, it can be eaten by a small family in one meal and does not require refrigeration.
Chickens
IMPROVING BACKYARD CHICKEN PRODUCTION. "Probably more people are directly involved in chicken production throughout the world than in any other single agricultural enterprise," according to Dr. John Bishop, a poultry specialist who has worked extensively in Latin America and Africa to improve the production of traditional small-farm poultry. Maintaining and improving the productivity of backyard chicken flocks is important for the well-being of rural families.
Muscovies
MUSCOVY DUCKS FOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN THE TROPICS. We mentioned that both Frank Martin with the USDA and Fred Harder with the Heifer Project had told us that for really efficient meat production in the tropics we should be looking at Muscovy ducks. I asked if any of our readers could help us out from their own experience. We received some interesting replies.
Rabbits
- Insights on Raising Rabbits in the Tropics
- Kinney Mitchell Reports on His Experience with Rabbits in St. Kitts
- Raising Rabbits in Pits
- Nest Box Behavior of Rabbits
- Manual on Raising Rabbits from the Heifer Project
- How Great is the Danger that Rabbits Might Escape from Your Project and "Create Another Australia"?
Health and Parasites
- Two Series on Veterinary Care: Raising Healthy [Animals] Under Primitive Conditions and Ethnoveterinary Medicine in Asia
- Book Review: Natural Veterinary Medicine
- Poultry in Tick Control on Cattle
- Tick Control Potential
- Homemade Dewormer for Goats
- Veterinary Students at Michigan State University are Available to Answer Questions
- Course in Tropical Animal Health and Production (in French)
Fish
- Dry Fishponds Become Oases of Productivity
- Auburn University is Exceptionally Supportive of PVO Work in Aquaculture
- Consulting Help in Water Resource Management, Fisheries and Aquaculture
- New Bulletin Series: Water Harvesting and Aquaculture for Rural Development
- Book Review: How to Grow Fish in the Mountains
- The Institute of Aquaculture