Cows and Goats Management
Primary 6 · Science and Elementary Technology
Cows and Goats Management
Lesson 2 of 6
16 min
Let's begin
At the King's Palace Museum in Nyanza you can see the Inyambo: proud cows with enormous curved horns, celebrated in Rwandan songs and poems. On a dairy farm near Kigali you might see a very different cow: black and white, with a huge udder, giving bucket after bucket of milk.
Both are cows. So why are they so different, and which one should a family choose?
A breed is a group of animals of the same kind that look alike and pass their features on to their young.
| Breed | Origin and look | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ankole, including the Inyambo | Local: found across East and Central Africa, including Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and DR Congo. Very long horns, often brown or red. | Hardy: survives heat, poor grass and little water, and resists some local diseases. Good meat. Great cultural value. | Gives only a few litres of milk a day. |
| Zebu (short-horned) | Local to the tropics, first from South Asia. A fatty hump on the shoulders and loose skin (a dewlap) under the neck. | Well adapted to high temperatures. Used for milk, meat and pulling loads. | Modest milk yield. |
| Friesian (Holstein Friesian) | Exotic: from the Netherlands and Germany, now kept in more than 160 countries. Black and white (sometimes red and white) patches. | A dairy breed that gives far more milk than local cows. | Needs lots of good feed and clean water, a clean shed, and protection from ticks and heat. |
| Jersey | Exotic: small, light brown. | Milk rich in butterfat; eats less than a Friesian. | Needs good care like other exotic breeds. |
| Crossbreeds | For example Friesian × Ankole. | More milk than a local cow, and hardier than a pure exotic cow. | Still needs good feed and care. |
| Breed | Look and use |
|---|---|
| Local goat (Small East African goat) | Small, many colours. Very hardy: lives on shrubs and poor grass and resists local diseases. Kept mainly for meat; often has twins; gives little milk. |
| Boer (exotic, from South Africa) | A large meat goat, usually with a white body and a red-brown head. Grows fast. |
| Saanen (exotic, from Switzerland) | A large white dairy goat that gives plenty of milk. |
| Crosses | For example Boer × local: they grow bigger than local goats but are hardier than pure Boers. |
Decide on meat or milk first. Then pick healthy, active goats with bright eyes, a shiny coat, strong legs and good hooves. A female goat (a doe) should have two even teats and, if possible, a history of having twins. Always think about the feed you have: hardy local goats cope best where feed is scarce.
Tip
LOCAL = TOUGH. EXOTIC = PRODUCTIVE, but needs more care. CROSS = a bit of both
Choose the animal that fits your land, your feed and your purpose.
Try each one first, then tap Show answer to check.
How can you recognise a zebu?
Answer: By the fatty hump on its shoulders and the loose skin (dewlap) under its neck.
Gatete has a large Napier grass plot, a water tank and a milk collection centre nearby. Which kind of cow suits him best?
Answer: A dairy breed such as a Friesian, or a Friesian cross, because he can feed it well and sell the milk.
Which goat breed is kept for meat and has a white body with a red-brown head?
Answer: The Boer goat.
Give two signs of a healthy animal you would check before buying it.
Answer: Any two of: alert and active, bright eyes with no discharge, a smooth shiny coat, a good appetite, walks without limping.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Match each breed to how you can recognise it.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
