Ruminants

Lessons

Senior 2 · Agriculture

Ruminants

5 lessons

Lesson 2 of 5

Choosing a Breed and Housing Ruminants

20 min

Let's begin

Two neighbours in Musanze each receive money to start a dairy project. One buys a pure Friesian, the other an Ankole × Friesian cross. A year later, one cow has died of East Coast fever and the other is giving milk every day. The difference was not luck: it was the choice of breed, and the shelter and care that went with it.

In this lesson you will learn how a farmer should choose a breed, and the standards a good house for cattle, goats and sheep must meet.

Criteria for choosing a breed

There is no single "best breed". The right breed is the one that matches the farm. A farmer should consider:

Purpose of production. Milk, meat, wool, or several products (dual-purpose)? For milk choose a dairy breed or cross; for meat, a beef breed such as the Boer goat or Dorper sheep.
Climate and altitude. Exotic dairy breeds do best in the cool highlands of the North and West. In the hot, dry East, hardy local breeds and crosses cope better.
Feed and land available. A Friesian needs a large, steady supply of good fodder and water. A farmer with little land or feed should keep fewer, hardier or smaller animals (such as the Jersey or goats).
Disease and pest challenge. Where ticks are common, pure exotic cattle die easily from East Coast fever. Local breeds and crosses are more tolerant.
Capital and management skill. Exotic animals cost more to buy and need better housing, veterinary care and record keeping.
Market. Is there a milk collection centre within reach? Is there a buyer for goat meat? Production without a market wastes money.
Availability of breeding stock. Can the farmer get the breed, a good bull, or artificial insemination (AI) nearby?

Worked example: comparing two cows

A farmer compares a local cow giving 2 litres a day for a lactation (milking period) of 240 days with a crossbred cow giving 8 litres a day for 300 days. Milk sells at 350 Frw per litre.

Local cow: 2 × 240 = 480 litres; 480 × 350 = 168,000 Frw
Crossbred cow: 8 × 300 = 2,400 litres; 2,400 × 350 = 840,000 Frw
Difference: 840,000 − 168,000 = 672,000 Frw more from the crossbred

But the crossbred also eats more, needs concentrates, a better shed and more veterinary care. The farmer should subtract those costs before deciding. If there is not enough fodder, the crossbred's yield will fall far below 8 litres, and the gain disappears.

Why shelter matters

A good house protects animals from rain, cold, strong sun and wind; protects them from thieves and predators; makes feeding, milking and treatment easier; lets the farmer collect manure; and reduces disease by keeping animals dry and clean. In Rwanda, where land is scarce, most dairy cows are kept under zero-grazing: the animals stay in a shed and feed and water are carried to them (cut-and-carry).

Choosing the site

High, well-drained ground, never in a valley bottom where water collects.
Near a water source and close to the fodder plot.
Near enough to the house for security, but downwind so that smells and flies blow away from the home.
Reachable by a path for carrying fodder and taking milk to the collection centre.

Standards for a zero-grazing unit (cattle)

Part	Standard
Roof	Iron sheets or tiles covering at least the resting and feeding areas, high enough for air to move.
Floor	Concrete or well-compacted murram, sloping gently (about 2–3%) towards a drainage channel, so urine runs off.
Resting cubicles	One per cow, commonly about 1.2 m wide and 2.1 m long, with soft, dry bedding (dry grass or sawdust).
Feed trough	Raised, smooth and easy to clean, so fodder is not trampled or soiled.
Water trough	Clean water available all day.
Walkway / exercise area	Space for the cows to move and stand.
Calf pen	Separate, dry, draught-free pen with bedding.
Milking area	A clean place (bail) where the cow is restrained during milking.
Manure pit	Collects dung and urine for compost or a biogas digester.
Store and chopping area	For concentrates, and for chopping Napier grass with a chaff cutter.

Standards for goat and sheep houses

Raised, slatted floor, commonly about 1 m above the ground, with gaps of about 1.5 cm so droppings and urine fall through. This keeps feet dry and reduces worms and foot rot.
Good ventilation but no draughts; goats and sheep catch pneumonia easily when wet and cold.
About 1.5 m² of floor per adult, with separate pens for kids or lambs, for pregnant females and for the male.
A raised feed rack: goats refuse feed that has been soiled on the floor.
A ramp for the animals to walk up, and a roof that keeps out rain.

Worked example: sizing a goat house

A cooperative member plans to keep 8 adult goats. Floor needed = 8 × 1.5 m² = 12 m². A raised house measuring 4 m × 3 m gives 4 × 3 = 12 m², enough for the adults. A separate kid pen must be added.

Tip

Memory hook for breed choice, "PC FDC MB": Purpose, Climate, Feed, Disease, Capital, Market, Breeding stock.

Exam technique: when asked to "justify" a choice, link each criterion to the farm described in the question: "a Jersey, because the farmer has little land and the Jersey eats less than a Friesian". A list without reasons earns few marks.

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Practice

A farmer in Nyagatare has wide pastures, hot dry seasons and many ticks. Should she keep pure Friesians or Ankole × Friesian crosses? Give two reasons.

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Solution: Crosses. They tolerate heat and dry-season feed shortage better than pure Friesians, and they are more resistant to tick-borne diseases such as East Coast fever, while still giving more milk than pure Ankole.

Why should the floor of a zero-grazing unit slope towards a channel?

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Solution: So that urine and washing water drain away. A dry floor keeps the cows clean, reduces mastitis and hoof problems, and lets the urine be collected with the manure.

A farmer builds cubicles 1.2 m wide in a single row for 4 cows. How long must the row be?

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Solution: 4 × 1.2 m = 4.8 m.

Give two reasons why goat houses have raised, slatted floors.

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Solution: Droppings and urine fall through, so the floor stays dry and clean; dry conditions reduce worm infection, foot rot and pneumonia.

A farmer wants to keep 10 adult sheep at 1.5 m² each. What floor area does she need, and would a 5 m × 3 m house be enough?

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Solution: 10 × 1.5 = 15 m². A 5 m × 3 m house = 15 m², so it is just enough for the adults (lambs need a separate pen).

Summary

Choose a breed by purpose, climate, feed, disease risk, capital, market and breeding stock, and justify the choice for the specific farm.
Put animal houses on high, well-drained ground near water, downwind of the home.
A zero-grazing unit needs a roof, a sloping floor with drainage, cubicles with bedding, feed and water troughs, a calf pen, a milking area and a manure pit.
Goat and sheep houses need raised slatted floors, ventilation without draughts, about 1.5 m² per adult and raised feed racks.

Sources and credits

Written by Ganzaa.

1Criteria for choosing a breed

Worked example: comparing two cows

2Why shelter matters

3Choosing the site

4Standards for a zero-grazing unit (cattle)

5Standards for goat and sheep houses

Worked example: sizing a goat house

Practice

Criteria for choosing a breed

Why shelter matters

Choosing the site

Standards for a zero-grazing unit (cattle)

Standards for goat and sheep houses