Breeds of Farm Animals in the Caribbean PDF

# 10.1 Breeds of farm animals Several classes and breeds are reared in the Caribbean (see Table 10.1). | Class of farm animal | Breeds in use in the Caribbean | |---|---| | Cattle | Dairy: Jersey, Jamaica Hope, Holstein Beef: Jamaica Black, Charolais, Zebu, Buffalypso | | Pigs | Landrace, Large W...

# 10.1 Breeds of farm animals Several classes and breeds are reared in the Caribbean (see Table 10.1). | Class of farm animal | Breeds in use in the Caribbean | |---|---| | Cattle | Dairy: Jersey, Jamaica Hope, Holstein Beef: Jamaica Black, Charolais, Zebu, Buffalypso | | Pigs | Landrace, Large White, Duroc, Hampshire, Tamworth | | Goats | British Alpine, Anglo Nubian, Saanen, Toggenburg | | Sheep | Barbados Black Belly, Blackhead Persian, West African, Virgin Island White | | Rabbits | Flemish Giant, New Zealand White, New Zealand Red, California, Chinchilla | | Poultry | Layers: White Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, Bevan Brown, Hyline or hybrid crosses Broilers: Vantress Cross or other hybrid crosses, e.g. Peterson, Shaver | **Table 10.1** Classes and breeds of farm animals reared in the Caribbean. Many breeds have been brought to the Caribbean from other parts of the world. These breeds have been chosen for the quality of their meat or other products, and also for their ability to tolerate the climate, together with resistance to pests and diseases. Some breeds have been developed especially for the Caribbean region by **cross-breeding**, which is when two different breeds are mated. The breed of cattle called Jamaica Hope was developed in Jamaica by crossing Zebu cattle from India with Jersey cattle from Europe. The resulting breed is a good milk producer and is resistant to some diseases. Similarly, Jamaica Red and Jamaica Black cattle were developed from Aberdeen Angus cattle for good meat production. In Trinidad and Tobago, the Buffalypso was developed by crossing different breeds of river buffaloes. The resulting meat is of a higher quality than the top cuts of prime beef, and breeding stock has been exported to other Caribbean countries. Barbados Black Belly sheep are reared for their meat and were likely derived from sheep brought by settlers to the islands. They tolerate heat and have coats of coarse hair, not wool, which evolved from crosses of African hair sheep and European woolen blends. # 10.2 Uses of different breeds of farm animals **Major roles of farm animals** Farm animals fulfil these roles. * They provide food. * They supply power for ploughing (bullock, buffalo, mule) and transport (mule, donkey, buffalo, horse, bullock). * They provide raw materials. * They create employment opportunities and provide farm income. * They provide recreation and serve as pets. * They provide opportunities for agricultural research. Animals provide foods such as milk, meat and eggs. Table 10.2 lists the major classes and breeds producing these commodities. | Commodity | Animal class | Breed | |---|---|---| | Milk | Cows | Jamaica Hope, Jersey, Holstein | | | Goats | Toggenburg | | Meat | Cattle (beef) | Jamaica Black, Zebu, Charolais, Buffalypso | | | Pigs (pork, bacon) | Landrace and Large White for pork; Tamworth for bacon | | | Sheep (lamb, mutton) | All breeds in the Caribbean are primarily raised for meat, especially the Barbados Black Belly | | | Poultry (chicken) | Vantress Cross, Peterson, Shaver | | | Rabbits | New Zealand White, Flemish Giant | | Eggs | Poultry | White Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, Hyline; these breeds can also be used for meat after their egg production ceases | **Table 10.2** The sources of milk, meat and eggs. **Supply of raw materials** Farm animals provide raw materials. * All classes of animal produce dung / droppings, which can be used as manure. * Animal skins can provide leather and pelts for manufacturing into garments and furniture. * Sheep are not kept in the Caribbean for their wool as the climate does not suit the wool breeds but goats produce hair for carpets and cloth, in addition to their skins for leather. * The dung of pigs and cattle can be used to generate biogas. **Figure 10.8** Landrace piglet. # 10.3 Species of fish and bees **Common species of fish used for farming in the Caribbean** Aquaculture refers to the cultivation of aquatic plants and animals in specially designed areas. There are three main types of aquatic environment. | Farming type | Species | |---|---| | Freshwater | Tilapia, shrimp, cascadura, black conches, ornamental fish | | Brackish water | Prawn, oyster, tilapia | | Salt or seawater (marine) | Shrimp, lobster, turtle | **Table 10.3** Aquatic environments and common species of aquatic animals used for farming. **Common species of bee used for farming in the Caribbean** Bees are farmed for honey, wax and crop pollination. The most common honey bee species in the world is the western honey bee (*Apis mellifera*), which is also known as the European honey bee (EHB). This species was domesticated for honey production and crop pollination 9 000 years ago. Some crops are not pollinated by honey bees, so a variety of pollinators are required for effective farming. Carpenter bees (*Xylocopa mordax*) pollinate avocado, eggplant, pumpkin, pigeon pea, lemon, watermelon and tomato crops. Only a few bee species pollinate pepper plants, for example the long-horned bees (*Melissodes trifasciata*). There are several varieties of the European honey bee but they are not easily distinguishable from one another. These bees are common in the Caribbean. Africanised honey bees (AHBs) are a cross between EHBs and African bees, originating from Tanzania. They are much more defensive than EHBs, though some strains are 'gentle'. AHBs will chase a person for 400m and attack in swarms to defend their hives, but they produce more honey than EHBs.