HFX256 Small Ruminants: Breeding, Nutrition and Ethology

Credits (ECTS):5

Course responsible:Øystein Holand

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Norsk

Limits of class size:20 students

Course frequency:Anually

Nominal workload:125 hours

Teaching and exam period:August block

About this course

The content of the course is divided into breeding, nutrition and ethology in the production of meat and milk from small ruminants. It includes sheep and goat. The main parts will consist of a) feeding, nutrition and care, b) feed planning, c) applied breeding work, d) farm animal environment, e) animal welfare, f) economy.

Learning outcome

After the course, the students will know the scope and structure of meat production and milk production on small ruminants in Norway, also wool production. The student should be familiar with the principles of feed planning and be able to set up feed plans for sheep and goat farmers. The students will also have knowledge about feeding and care through a pregnancy and lactation cycle, meat and milk quality, pasture and cultural landscape care, body condition assessment as a tool in feed planning and some important conditions that affect the economy of sheep and goat productions.

In applied breeding, students will understand the Norwegian breeding programs for sheep and goats, have knowledge of breeding goals and the breeding organization.

Within farm animal environment and ethology, the students should have knowledge of the animals' thermoregulation, their requirements for climate and animal welfare and how different environmental factors affect behavior, health and welfare. Students will have an overview of housing systems and buildings for sheep and goats.

  • Lectures, group work with presentations with teacher present, and an independent exercise assignment. There will be demonstrations in the sheep and goat barn at Senter for husdyrforsøk.
  • HFX132, HFA200, HFE200, HET201
  • This evaluation of this subject is pass/fail. The students should work in groups and hand in a written assignment which they will present. The evaluation will be done based on both the presentation and the written report.
  • An external examiner is involved in the assessment of the assignment.
  • Submission of the assignment is mandatory activity.
  • B-HV and M-HV
  • Passed / Not Passed