Alternative Animal Agriculture

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Alternative Animal Agriculture
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Production

• animals other than those traditionally raised
• usually in small scale and provides a product for
  a specialty market

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Production

• Some producers may supplement their traditional
  operation with alternative animals.
• Many specialty animal producers use the
  enterprise as a hobby or a part time income

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Rabbit Production

• have been raised for food for hundreds of years.
• Romans produced rabbits as far back as 250 BC and
  used rabbit meat as a substantial part of their
  diet.

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Rabbit Production

• the Phoenicians were great sailors who did a
  great deal of trading
• They were given credit for introducing
  domesticated rabbits as far back as 1100 BC.

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US Rabbit Production

• rabbits were brought into the country around 1900
  and were produced in large rabbitries in
  California.
• Since that early beginning, the industry has
  grown all across the country.

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Rabbit Production

• produced by small, part-time growers.
• Several large commercial operations in the US

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Rabbit Production

• experts estimate that between 7 and 10 million
  rabbits are produced each year
• Americans consume 10 - 13 million pounds of
  rabbit meat each year

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Rabbit Production

• some rabbit meat consumed in the US is imported
  from Europe
• France is the largest rabbit producer
• Rabbit production is larger in Europe

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Rabbit Production

• American Rabbit Breeders Assn (ARBA) registers
  and promotes all breeds of purebred rabbits grown
  in this country.

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Rabbit Production

• can be raised under almost any climatic
  condition.
• Facilities take up little space
• raised indoors in cages called hutches

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Rabbit Production

• usually heated in the winter and cooled in the
  summer to provide comfort for the animals
• in milder climates, the rabbit house may be
  insulated and not need to be heated or cooled

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Rabbit Production

• rabbits gain weight on relatively small amounts
  of feed
• feed efficiency for rabbits is 2.51
• for every 2.5 pounds of feed the animal eats, it
  gains one pound

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Rabbit Production

• rabbits can also be fed lower quality feed than
  some other animals
• demand for rabbit meat is much greater than the
  supply
• many restaurants offer dishes made from rabbit

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Rabbit Production

• USDA points out that rabbit meat is one of the
  most nutritious meats available
• high in protein and low in fat and cholesterol
• easily digestible and flavorful

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Rabbit Production

• also used as a source of fur
• used by scientists in research ranging from
  medical to product testing
• popular as pets

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Rabbit Production

• very prolific
• produce young 30 days after breeding
• raise 4 to 5 litters per year
• litters consist of up to 8 per litter

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Rabbit Production

• some breeds reach sexual maturity at five months
  of age

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Rabbit Production

• in 1859 sailors released a pair (2) of wild
  European rabbits in Australia
• In 30 years, over 20,000,000 rabbits inhabited
  the country

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Rabbit Production

• rabbits became a serious pest in both Australia
  and New Zealand
• they have no natural predators in these countries

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Rabbit Production

• extreme measures have been taken to control the
  wild rabbit population
• rabbits are slaughtered for meat at 8 weeks of age

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Rabbit Production

• offer great potential for developing countries
  that have ample roughage to feed animals but are
  short on grain
• can produce much needed protein on relatively
  inexpensive feed.

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Rabbit Production

• US has potential to develop the rabbit meat
  market
• consumers have trouble eating something cute and
  cuddly.

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Llama production

• native to South America
• belong to the same family as camels
• in Chile, Peru and Bolivia were raised by the
  ancient Incas for work animals

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Llama production

• well adapted to the cool, thin mountain air of
  the Andes mountains
• can adapt to most climatic conditions

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Llama production

• have developed into an animal industry in the US
  over the past 15 years
• estimated that there are about 20,000 llamas in
  the US and the number is growing

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Llama production

• llamas stand three to four feet high at the
  shoulders
• weigh between 250 and 400 pounds when mature
• can carry heavy packs for long distances

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Llama production

• can go longer than many animals without water
• can survive on low quality forage
• two types of fibers in their coats - long guard
  hairs

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Llama production

• short fibers that keep the animal warm
• fiber length may range from 3-10 inches

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Llama production

• used as pack animals in the western US for
  camping and hunting trips into the mountains
• hair is made into rope

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Llama production

• Alpaca - close relative to the llama is desired
  for its high quality wool which is made into rugs
  and blankets

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Fish Bait Production

• earthworms are grown in beds that have been built
  up by loose porous materials
• include shredded paper, shredded cardboard,
  garden compost, grass clippings

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Fish Bait Production

• straw, well decayed manure
• the pH of the bedding is closely monitored and
  kept slightly acidic ( pH 6.8)

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Fish Bait Production

• beds are kept moist
• lights are used to prevent the worms from
  crawling out of the beds
• worms are sensitive to light and only come out at
  night

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Fish Bait Production

• if the worms sense light they will stay in the
  bottom of the bed
• worms are fed vegetable scraps and cornmeal

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Fish Bait Production

• worms mature at about two months of age
• packed and marketed with about 100 worms or 25
  night crawlers per container

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Fish Bait Production

• earthworms are also sold to gardeners because
  they help improve the soil
• create pores in the soil to improve air and water
  movement

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Fish Bait Production

• also produce castings (manure) which helps enrich
  the soil

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Crickets

• raised in wooden boxes
• floors are covered with sand in which the adults
  lay their eggs
• sand is covered with fine wood shavings or other
  shredded material

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Crickets

• heat lamps are used to warm the sand until the
  eggs hatch
• crickets are caged and shipped to bait outlets
  where they are sold to fishermen

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Ostrich Production

• ostriches are the largest existing bird in the
  world. Mature males may stand as tall as nine
  feet and weigh as much as 330lbs. The sheer size
  of the bird makes them valuable for meat,
  feathers and leather.

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Ostrich Production

• the leather is of exceptional quality in that it
  is very soft, durable texture. The plumage of
  the male is quite attractive and is used in
  decorating and clothing.

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Ostrich Production

• eggs are currently too valuable to use for any
  purpose other than brooding
• the potential exists for eggs to be used as a
  food source.
• One egg equals the content of 24 chicken eggs.

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Ostrich Production

• raised to a limited extent in the U.S. Because
  of their low numbers, they are quite expensive to
  buy.
• Allows people to make a good profit by selling
  young ostriches to people to raise

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Ostrich Production

• the birds have to be kept within a high fence and
  require protection from cold weather.
• Sand must be provided for the females to build
  their nests and lay their eggs.

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Ostrich Production

• the adults are hardy and resistant to disease,
  but the chicks are susceptible and are therefore
  watched under close supervision.

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Ostrich Production

• one drawback to raising ostriches is that the
  animal can be quite dangerous.
• They defend themselves by flailing their legs and
  kicking.

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Ostrich Production

• their toenails are sharp and can severely injure
  or even kill a person they attack.
• Extreme caution has to be taken in the daily
  feeding and care of the birds.

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Laboratory Animal Prod.

• Lab animals are used by scientists for conducting
  experiments for things such as food, medicines,
  and cosmetics
• considerable controversy over the use of animals
  for experimentation

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Laboratory Animal Prod.

• No one can deny the benefits that humans have
  brought about through animal research
• animals are raised under strict conditions

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Laboratory Animal Prod.

• The animals have no genetic defects
• harbor no disease organisms
• tainted animals would cause a well designed
  experiment to have skewed results

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Honey bees

• classified as an insect
• because of insect like characteristics
• also classified as an important agricultural
  animal

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Honey bees

• many crops would not survive without the help
  from bees
• most ag animals rely on bees to pollinate the
  plants that they eat

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Honey bees

• bees assist pollination by scattering pollen from
  one plant to the next as they gather nectar and
  pollen
• most insects work on flowers and go from one type
  of flower to another

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Honey bees

• bees work a particular kind of flower for a
  period of time
• this process ensures that blossoms are thoroughly
  pollinated

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Honey bees

• fruit growers hire beekeepers to bring in
  truckloads of bees in the spring when the trees
  are blooming
• bees are kept in wooden boxes called hives

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Honey bees

• each hive is a separate colony of bees
• beekeepers can move the hives around to different
  orchards for a small fee.

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Honey bees

• in addition, the beekeeper harvests hundreds of
  pounds of honey each year
• bees produce and store honey for food during the
  winter
• honey is made from nectar the bees gather from
  flowers

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Honey bees

• different flowers produce different nectar
• makes different colors and flavors of honey
• bees store honey in six sided cells joined
  together to create a honeycomb

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Honey bees

• the cells are made from wax the bees produce
• beekeepers help bees get started by placing
  foundations comb frames on which they build the
  rest of the comb

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Honey bees

• the frames are hung into boxes called supers
• beekeeper needs to keep enough space between the
  supers so the bees dont fuse them together

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Honey bees

• this is usually about 3/8 inch
• enough space for two bees to work back to back

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Honey bees

• beekeeper must pry the supers apart in order to
  remove them
• bees fuse them together with propoils - a sticky
  substance from tree sap

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Honey bees

• honey is harvested by extracting it from the
  cells without damaging them
• empty frames are put back into the super
• the super is put back into the hive

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Honey bees

• bees fill the frames again
• harvested honey is processed, packaged and sold

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Types of bees

• within a colony there are three types of bees
• queen
• drones
• workers

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Queen

• exists to lay eggs for the hive
• she lays thousands of eggs in her lifetime
• other bees feed and care for her

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Queen

• she is recognized as queen because she is larger
  and slender
• kept in the lower part of the hive called the
  brood chamber

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Queen

• entrances are large enough for the workers to
  pass through but too small for the queen to pass
  through
• prevents the queen from laying eggs in the comb -
  honey

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Queen

• lays eggs in larger cells called brood cells
• eggs hatch into larvae and are fed by the worker
  bees
• larvae develop into pupae and then into adults

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Drones

• are male bees whose specific purpose is to mate
  with the queen
• when the new queen emerges she goes on a maiden
  flight
• during the flight she mates with all the drones

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Drones

• drones are then removed from the hive by worker
  bees
• are not allowed to winter in the hive
• in spring, new drones will hatch

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Workers

• sterile females
• some collect nectar and pollen
• some care for the queen
• some scout the area for pollen
• some serve as guard bees at the service entrance

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Workers

• serve short six week lives
• so continual reproducing is done by the queen and
  drones

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Queen

• can be produced commercially in small hives
  called nukes

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New Queens

• when a hive becomes crowded
• bees produce a special large cell called a queen
  cell
• larva in this cell is fed a special substance
  called royal jelly

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New Queens

• when the new queen emerges the old queen will
  leave with a portion of the bees
• called a swarm
• and form a new colony

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Africanized bees

• nicknamed the killer bee
• aggressive nature
• scientists from Brazil imported the killer bee to
  cross with regular bees

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Africanized bees

• the idea was to produce a hybrid of honey bee
  that would be more productive
• will invade a bee colony
• kill the queen and replace her with their own
  queen

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Africanized bees

• her eggs will hatch into African bees
• adapted to tropical climates
• do not thrive in temperate climates