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| Meat Producing Livestock |
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| Besides cow, goat, sheep and pig also provide meat. Goat meat is more popular than sheep and pig. |
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| There are twenty different breeds of goat in India. Some of the well known breeds are Jamunapari, Himalayan, Bengal, Assam, Decanny, Osmanaabadi and Kathiyabari. Some of the exotic breeds are Alpine, Toggenberg and Sannen. |
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 Shelter |
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| Goats require a place for shelter which is dry, safe and secure from predators and protected from sun and rain. During the dry season goats enjoy grazing under the shades of trees. They are called poor man's cow as they can withstand bad weather. |
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 Nutrition |
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| Goats are fed with fresh fodder, hay of leguminous plants such as barseems and tender leaves of trees. The ideal ration for the goat is 5 kg roughage (3-4 kg green fodder and 1-2 kg dry fodder) and 250 g concentrates. Mineral mixture, oil cakes, pulses, sesame, corn and jowar are also fed to goats to keep them healthy. |
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| Sheep are reared for wool, skin and meat. They are domesticated in Rajasthan, Kutch, Saurashtra, North Gujarat, Deccan Plateau, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, hilly districts of Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. The important breeds in our country are Nellore and Mandya. Crossbreeding of Indian sheep with exotic mutton breeds such as Dorset and Suffolk have been very successful and resulted in 30-50% increase in body weight. |
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 Shelter |
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| Sheep do not require well-structured shelters. By habitat sheep graze peacefully under the shades of hills and trees. To keep them safe from predators, sheep are kept secure in fenced enclosures at night. |
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 Nutrition |
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| Sheep feed on green tender grass, weeds and other herbage. A balanced ration of roughage and concentrates will ensure healthy growth. |
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| Some of the bacterial diseases are Black-quarter, Brucellosis and Vibriosis. Viral infections include sore mouth, goat pox and rinderpest. Additives to the feed prevent nutritional deficiencies. Deworming periodically will control parasitic infections in the food tract. Regular vaccinations and periodic consultations with veterinarians will prevent many bacterial and viral diseases. |
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| For breeding to start, the female should be 14-18 months and the male should be 2 ½ yrs of age. For effective breeding it is important to select ewes and ram or goats that are best suited for local conditions. Different breeds are known for the quality of wool and meat yield. Improvement in the quality of wool of Indian sheep is achieved through crossbreeding with exotic breeds of sheep such as Dorset Horn, Suffolk and Merino. |
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| Pigs provide high quality meat called pork. Pork is used to prepare ham, bacon, sausages and chops. The management of pigs is known as piggery. |
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 Shelter |
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| Pigs that are domesticated for the purpose of providing meat must be kept in clean shelters called sty. |
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 Nutrition |
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| Pigs normally feed on garbage, kitchen wastes, vegetables, grass, straw and grains. |
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 Breeding |
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| Pigs are very economical in the sense that they give birth to nearly a dozen piglets at a time. So their number multiplies quickly and therefore, their produce too. |
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| Pig is the intermediate host for the intestinal parasite called tapeworm. The cyst of the worm embeds itself in the flesh of the animal. When man consumes pork that is infested, it can cause tapeworm infestation in him. Hygienic conditions while domesticating pigs and also regular vaccinations will keep the animal healthy and will ensure healthy meat for our consumption. |
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