Animal Husbandry

The course aims to provide the basic knowledge on: 1) the structure of animal tissues and the main notions of anatomy and physiology of domestic ungulates (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and horses) necessary to understand the subsequent parts of the course; 2) nutrition, intended as a description of the various feeding and nutritional principles and study of their use in the animal, and feeding, intended as the characterization of the main animal feeds and the main nutritional needs of dairy and beef cattle, and pigs; 3) the husbandry techniques of the main species of farm animals reared in Italy (in particular cattle, dairy and beef, and pigs), with focus on the effects of farming systems on the production and quality of animal origin products, on environment and on animal welfare.

Upon passing the exam, the student will have acquired: 1) adequate knowledge of the structure and function of the organs and systems most relevant to the breeding and welfare of farmed animals, including the main differences between species; 2) basic skills on animal nutrition and feeding, with a basic knowledge of diet formulation for dairy cattle and pigs; 3) basic skills for the technical assessment of livestock management systems in view of the deepening in the context of the master's degree and for the professional support activities for the livestock farm.