Study Resources

Each student will be provided with full course material, access to our online classroom, lectures and access to a tutor with 30 years of experience in pig farming and agricultural training.

Course Schedule/layout/format:

• Students will receive study materials in the form of readings, vocabulary quizzes, videos etc.

• A lecture recording will cover the topic and

• Student's understanding will be assessed through assignments.

• Certificates will be issued upon successful completion of the course

This course is aimed at experienced as well as aspiring feedlot farmers.

Reasons for feed lotting / zero-grazing / intensive feeding:

• Growing out young stock

• Rounding off the stock after grazing on veld / adding value

• Droughts

• Dry season

• Critical feeding times in the reproduction cycle

• Legal requirements:

  • EU Certification of the facility

  • BAITS

Price for the full course:

USD 225.00

Price per module:

USD 75.00 (x 4 modules)

Topic 1: Feeding Week Topic

Week 1 Ruminant Digestion:

The Ruminant Digestive System

• Parts Identification

• Function of parts

Week 2 Nutrition:

• Nutrients available in feeds

  • Water

  • Vitamins

  • Minerals

  • Fats/oils

  • Protein

  • Carbohydrates

Week 3 Digestion and absorption of nutrients:

• Energy

  • What is it and how is it measured/expressed?

  • Where does it happen in the digestive tract?

Week 4 Digestion and absorption of nutrients:

• Protein

  • What is it and how is it measured/expressed?

  • Where does it happen in the digestive tract?

  • NPN – Non-protein Nitrogen

Week 5 Feeds and feeding:

• Roughage

  • Importance in digestive health

  • Treatments to improve digestibility

    • Physical form (particle size)

    • NaOH

  • Preservation of feeds/fodder

    • Ammonification

    • Silage

    • Hay

    • Balage

Week 6

• High Energy sources

  • Maize

  • Sorghum

  • Maize Bran

  • Wheat Bran

  • Sorghum Bran

  • Molasses

Week 7

• High Protein sources

  • Beans and Peas

  • Soya oil cake

  • Sunflower oil cake

  • Cottonseed oil cake

  • Urea (NPN)

Week 8

• Mineral Sources

  • Di-Calcium Phosphate

  • Lime

  • Salt

  • Lick blocks

Week 9 Nutrient Requirements for Livestock:

• Sheep and Goats : Sheep Feeding

  • Maintenance requirements

  • Feeding during critical reproduce times

    • Last trimester

    • Lactation

    • Flushing

    • Creep feeding of lambs/kids

    • Growth and weight gain

Week 10 Beef Cattle : Beef Cattle Feeding:

• Maintenance requirements

• Critical reproduction times

  • Last trimester

  • Lactation

  • Flushing

• Growth and weight gain

Week 11 Basic Ration Balancing:

• Matching animals nutritional requirements with feed ingredients

Week 12 Feeding:

• Adaptation into feedlot

• Feed block making

• Mineral/drought/protein/energy licks

Topic 2: Livestock Selection and Management

Week 13 Grading Systems:

• Age

• Carcass conformation

• Fat covering

• Sex

• Type of stock to buy:

  • Breeds/crosses

  • Age

  • Sex

Week 14 Management:

• Monthly weighing

• Record keeping

• ADG intervention level and actions

• Drug log and meat withholding periods

• Scanning (of breeding stock)

  • Preferential feeding of:

    • Multiple bearing ewes/does

    • Maidens (females mated at 70% of the mature weight and around 7 months old)

  • Body Conditioning Scoring

  • Marketing:

    • Timing

    • Premium market - Branding

Topic 3: Health

Week 15 Common health problems in feedlots:

• Metabolic disorders

• Bloat

• Acidosis

• Diseases and routine vaccinations

  • Pulpy kidney

  • Pasteurellosis

  • Respiratory diseases

  • Footrot

  • Clostridial diseases

Week 16 Poisoning:

• Salt

• Urea

• Mycotoxins

• Parasite Control:

  • Internal

  • External

  
  

Topic 4: Feedlot Design

Week 17 Fencing

Pen Requirements

• Shape

• Size (space requirements)

• Drainage

• Surface

• Feeding troughs:

  • Design

  • Space requirements

Week 18 Shade:

• Orientation

  Water Requirements:

  • Quality & quantity

  • Storage

  • Temperature

  • Pressure

  • Trough and surround

Week 19 Handling facilities:

• Stock movement track/lane

• Feeding-out track

• The handling yard

  • Restraining

  • Weighing

  • Drafting

  • The race:

    • Width

    • Length

    • Shape

  • The crush

• Holding pens

• Loading out

Week 20 Equipment needed:

• Scales

• Head clamp

• Feed mixer

• EID reader

• Drench/vaccination/tag applicators

• Tractor with frontend loader

• Backend manure/track scraper

• Tractor Trailer

Week 21 Feed storage & handling:

• Concrete slab

• Concrete Bunkers

• Haysheds

• Grain silos

• Augers

• Power Supply:

  • Electricity

  • Biogas

  • Solar

Week 22 Manure handling:

• Removal from pens and lanes

• Processing and spreading

• Workshop and maintenance shed