FOUNDATION DIPLOMA IN ANIMAL MANAGEMENT - LIVESTOCK VAG044

Do you work on, manage or own a farming property and need to develop skills to care for the property and the livestock?

This is a superbly designed course for those willing to deepen their knowledge and skills, and get a taste of advanced level study. This course can help you either get started in the agriculture industry or help you find the confidence in an area that you've already worked in but never gained a formal education ... until now. 

Working with friendly and knowledgeable tutors - our staff are trained on how to guide you through this self-paced course, if you stumble across anything challenging that is. 

Do you work on, manage or own a farming property and need to develop skills to care for the property and the livestock?  

This is a superbly designed course for those willing to deepen their knowledge and skills, and get a taste of advanced level study. This course can help you either get started in the agriculture industry or help you find the confidence in an area that you've already worked in but never gained a formal education ... until now. 

Working with friendly and knowledgeable tutors - our staff are trained on how to guide you through this self-paced course, if you stumble across anything challenging that is. 

Progress yourself - make opportunity - live it !

 

Part 1.

You can get started today with these 5 Core Modules: 


Module 1:

Animal Welfare BAG224

Scope and Nature of Animal Welfare
Psychology and Sentience
Managing Animal Welfare
Animal Protection Services
Animal Rescue Services
Animal Health Services
Animal Welfare for Pets, Work Animals and Animals in Sport
Animal Welfare for Farm Animals
Animal Welfare for Wildlife: Free and Captive

Module 2:

Animal Feed and Nutrition (Animal Husbandry III) BAG202 

Introduction to animal foods
Food components - carbohydrates and fats 
Food components - proteins, minerals & vitamins 
Evaluating foods and digestibility 
Classifying foods Part A
Classifying foods Part B 
Classifying foods Part C  
Calculating Rations Part A 
Calculating Rations Part B 
Calculating Rations Part C 

Module 3:

Animal Health (Animal Husbandry II) BAG201

Introduction to Animal Health
Signs and Symptoms of Diseases
Disease Classification
Methods used in classifying animal diseases
Causes and Diagnosis of Disease 
Treatment of Disease 
Inflamation 
Fever and Immunity 
Tissue Repair 
Wounds
The causes and biological mechanisms of cell change in farm animals

Module 4:

Farm Management BAG104

Strategic Planning
Business Plans
Business Assessment
Viability Analysis
Management Strategies
Human Resources
Physical Resources
Natural Resources

Module 5:

Workplace I (Problem Based Learning (PBL) Projects)

1. Selecting and Using Workplace Tools Equipment and Material PBL
2. Workplace Skills PBL
3. Workplace Safety PBL

Part 2.

You will complete the course with any of the following 5 Elective Modules:

  • Animal Anatomy and Phsyiology (Animal Husbandry I) 
  • Animal Behaviour 
  • Animal Breeding 
  • Beef Cattle 
  • Calf Rearing 
  • Dairy Cattle 
  • Goat Production 
  • Sheep 
  • Pigs 
  • Poultry 
  • Diagnosing Animal Disease 
  • Natural Health Care for Animals 
  • Organic Farming 
  • Sustainable Agriculture 
  • Pasture Management 
  • Machinery 
  • Management
  • Business Operations 
  • Irrigation (Agriculture)
  • Workplace Health and Safety 

You can choose your modules to give your course a focus in a particular area. 

You may want to focus on the animals you run - cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry.  Alternatively, you might want to focus on livestock health. You might place your attention on animal breeding and production. You could benefit from turning your attention to managing the property - the waste, the land, the machinery. Do you need more skills in people management? 

Make this course work for what you need! 

Lesson Aims from Animal Feed and Nutrition 

 

 

  • Describe the range of livestock feeds and feeding methods available for animal production, using accepted industry terminology.
  • Explain the role of energy foods, including the sources and functions of those foods, in animal diets.
  • Explain the function of the major nutritional groups, including proteins, vitamins, minerals and trace elements in animal diets.
  • Explain the on-farm methods used to evaluate feeding, including selection of feeds and feed digestibility.
  • Evaluate the dietary value of pastures, including grasses, cereals, and other edible plants, and their by-products for animal feeds.
  • Explain the dietary value of seeds, including oil seeds, legume seeds and their by-products as food sources for animals.
  • Evaluate the dietary value of fodder plants, including trees and shrubs and their by-products, as a food source in animal production.
  • Determine suitable feed rations for a farm animal maintenance program.
  • Analyse the method(s) to determine suitable feed rations in a farm animal production program.
  • Evaluate the dietary value of protein in an animal production program.
  • Explain the factors affecting the composition of feed rations in animal production.

Example Content from Pig Production

Providing an Environment Suited to Raising Pigs
The thermal environment is particularly important in pig production as a properly ventilated environment provides numerous benefits to the pig producer. These include:

  • More efficient feed use
  • Enhanced disease control
  • More comfortable working conditions
  • Faster growth rates
  • Reduced  mortality rates
  • The main object of controlling the pig’s environment is to reduce fluctuations in temperature.

This can be achieved by the following:

  • Building on a site that has a suitable micro-climate – the topography of the site will effect the environment in the piggery, as will the orientation of the buildings on the site.
  • Having good construction and proper insulation of buildings – the more dense the materials used in the roof and outer walls, the less variable the internal temperature.
  • Good ventilation – this is required to ensure carbon dioxide and other gases (such as ammonia and hydrogen sulphide), water vapour, dust, body heat, and air borne pathogens are removed from the building

Artificial heating/cooling/ventilation systems, for example: fan ventilation, heating for piglets in the farrowing house, and spray cooling or fogging systems for growers, finishers or breeders.
Climate change is likely to lead to an increase in weather variability and the occurrence of extreme events. These changes include long high or low temperature periods, severe storms or flood conditions and drought. Forward planning when building or upgrading pig housing should therefore take this into account. 

Environmental concerns in pig farming, particularly about disposal of effluent as well as emission of greenhouse gases, have led to emergence of new technology to reduce pollution and to recycle as much as possible.   Effluent comprises wastewater from shed cleaning and cooling, runoff from feedlot outdoor piggeries, drinking water spills, manure and waste feed. An example of recycling is when pig manure or biomass is used to create electricity. Decomposing manure creates methane which is captured, transported and used to generate electricity to provide thermal comfort and appropriate conditions for baby piglets.

Some countries require piggeries to operate in an ecologically sustainable manner. This is to protect aspects of the environment such as air, soil, water and biodiversity. Preservation of community amenities and cultural heritage may also need to be considered. Farmers may therefore need to consider control of gas emissions, control of waste material, recycling and reuse of resources.  

Suitable treatment of the large volumes of waste solids and waste water is often the most pressing problem in pig farming. There are many different ways in which these can be  collected and treated including use of drains, pits, channels, solid separation systems (e.g. gravity and sieving methods), pumps, effluent treatment ponds (anaerobic, aerobic, evaporation and solid ponds) and  reed-beds.

WHY STUDY WITH ACS?

Reliable and long standing - we are an independent distance learning school, and have been established for over 37 years.

Quality teaching and course materials - our courses are written and taught by experienced professionals.
Flexible studies - you can start the course at any time and study at your own pace, fitting your studies around your own busy lifestyle and existing commitments.

Choice - we offer a choice of learning methods - online or e-Learning.  This allows you to choose the most appropriate option for you, enabling you to determine where and when you study.

 

E-BOOKS ARE A VALUABLE RESOURCE! 

If you're not quite ready to start a course, think about learning from one of our brand new ebooks written and produced by the staff of ACS! 

 

WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN MORE?

ENROL TODAY!
Just go to the top of this page for pricing and enrolment options. If you have any questions you can contact us now, by:
Phone (UK) 01384 44272, (International) +44 (0) 1384 442752, or

Email us at [email protected]