Course Content
General Agriculture for Competitive Exams for TGT, PGT, TA, STA, IBPS AFO, etc.
Poultry-Related Facts
  • Egg weight (average): 50–60 grams
  • Shell made of: Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃)
  • Yolk % in whole egg: ~32%
  • Broiler market age: 6–8 weeks (weight: 1.5–2 kg)
  • Poultry feed protein content:
    • Starter: 22–23%
    • Grower: 20–21%
    • Layer: 17–18%

 

🔹 Scientific Names of Key Poultry Specie

Species

Scientific Name

Chicken

Gallus gallus domesticus

Duck

Anas platyrhynchos

Turkey

Meleagris gallopavo

 

🔹 Breed Characteristics (Poultry)

Breed

Feature

White Leghorn

Best layer, small body, early layer

Rhode Island Red

Dual-purpose breed, reddish-brown plumage

Plymouth Rock

Dual-purpose breed, black & white bars

Aseel

Indigenous, aggressive, used in cock fighting

Kadaknath

Black meat bird from MP, rich in protein

 

🔹 Animal Breeding Terms

  • Inbreeding: Mating of related animals (↑homozygosity)
  • Outbreeding: Mating of unrelated individuals (↑heterosis)
  • Crossbreeding: Mating of different breeds (e.g., Jersey × Sahiwal)
  • Grading up: Improving local stock by mating with superior breed
  • Selection: Choosing best animals for reproduction

 

🔹 Key Animal Breeding Projects (India)

  • Key Village Scheme (1952): Improvement of cattle breeds
  • ICDP (Intensive Cattle Development Project): 1964–65
  • National Project on Cattle & Buffalo Breeding (NPCBB): 2000–2011
  • Rashtriya Gokul Mission: 2014 – Indigenous breed conservation

 

🔹 Fodder & Feed Science

  • Silage: Fermented green fodder (maize, sorghum)
  • Hay: Dried fodder (legumes, grasses)
  • Urea Molasses Mineral Block (UMMB): Nutritional supplement
  • Azolla: Protein-rich aquatic fern for animal feed
  • Bypass fat/protein: Increases energy/protein without affecting rumen microbes

 

🔹 Milk Preservation & Testing

  • Methylene Blue Reduction Test (MBRT): Detects microbial quality
  • Resazurin Test: Bacterial load estimate in milk
  • Phosphatase test: Checks adequacy of pasteurization
  • Titratable acidity in milk: 0.13%–0.17% (as lactic acid)

 

🔹 Exotic & Indigenous Breeds of Cattle

Cattle Breed

Region

Type

Sahiwal

Punjab

Milking

Red Sindhi

Sindh region

Milking

Tharparkar

Rajasthan

Dual-purpose

Jersey (exotic)

UK/Channel Island

Milch

Holstein Friesian (HF)

Netherlands

Milch (highest yield)

 

🔹 Important Animal Diseases &Symptoms

Disease

Cause

Symptoms

FMD

Virus

Blisters on mouth & feet, salivation

Anthrax

Bacillus anthracis

Sudden death, dark tarry blood

BQ (Black Quarter)

Clostridium chauvoei

Swelling in hips, high fever

HS

Pasteurella multocida

Respiratory distress, sudden death

Brucellosis

Brucella abortus

Abortion, infertility

Mastitis

Bacteria (mainly Staphylococcus)

Swollen udder, clotted milk

 

🔹 Miscellaneous One-liners

  • Best source of animal protein: Egg
  • First milk after calving: Colostrum (within 72 hrs)
  • “White Revolution” Father: Dr. Verghese Kurien
  • ICAR-Central Avian Research Institute: Izatnagar, Bareilly (UP)
  • National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI): Karnal, Haryana

 

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