Courses on offer

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• Pig and Poultry Production

  ANSI201 P2 (16)

  Lecturer: Nicky Tyler

  Aim: To enable students to solve problems encountered in pig and poultry production

  Content: Applied anatomy and physiology of male and female fowl. Environmental control of ovulation in hens. Management of pullet, broiler, broiler breeder and pig production systems.

  Practicals: Anatomy of a chicken, visit different pig and poultry production systems.

  Assessment: Essays (12.5%), development of spreadsheet models (12.5%), oral and written presentations (7.5%), practical reports (7.5%), participation in debate on animal welfare issues (5%), formal tests (5%), 3 h exam (50%).

  DP requirement: Class mark of 40%, including at least 80% attendance at practicals

   

• Livestock Production

  ANSI202 P2 (16)

  Lecturer: Ignatius Nsahlai

  Aim: Students should develop a holistic approach towards teh production of beef, sheep, goats and dairy and be capable of identifying and solving production problems associated with these systems

  Content: Beef, sheep, goats and dairy production systems

  Practicals: Visit various beef, sheep, goat and dairy farms

  Assessment: Impromptu tests (7.5%), formal test (25%), essays and/or projects (7.5%), breed project (10%), 3 h exam (50%)

  DP requirement: Class mark of 40%, including 80% attendance at practicals

• Introduction to Monogastric Nutrition

  ANSI311 P1 (16)

  Lecturer: Mariana Ciacciariello

  Prerequisite modules: BIOC201, 212, (BIOL204 or MPHY200)

  Aim: To provide the foundation principles for feeding monogastric animals

  Content: Interaction animal-feed-environment, digestive physiology and anatomy, control of feed intake, nutrient requirements, feeding systems, raw materials, anti-nutritional factors, deficiencies and toxicities, quality control and feed formulation in monogastric animlas

  Assessment: Development of spreadsheet models (10%), practical write-ups (15%), oral presentation (5%), formal tests (20%), 3 h exam (50%)

  DP requirement: Class mark of 40%, and at least 80% attendance at practicals

• Introduction to Ruminant Nutrition

  ANSI312 P2 (16)

  Lecturer: Ignatius Nsahlai

  Prerequisite Modules: BIOL101, 102

  Aim: To introduce ruminant digestive physiology and nutrition

  Content: Digestion (anatomy and physiology); microbes, microbial niches, microbial interdependence and interaction; rumen metabolism of carbohydrate, fats/lipids and protein; factors affection growth of microbes; synthetic activities of microbes; digestion of microbial matter; digestion products and their quality; feed additives that modify digestion; methods of measuring digestion and passage; factors affecting digestibility; partitions of food energy in relation to usefulness to drive metabolic processes (metabolisable energy and effective energy systems) and factors affecting metabolisable energy value and their efficiency; metabolisable protein; metabolisable energy systems. Feeds (grains; roughages, tubers), problems in mineral and vitamin nutrition.

  Assessment: Essays (10%), reports on feed evaluation (10%); impromtu test (5%), formal test (25%); 3 h exam (50%)

  DP requirement: Class mark of 40%, and at least 80% attendance at practicals.

• Animal Growth & Meat Quality

  ANSI332 P1 (16)

  Lecturer: Michael Chimonyo

  Aim: Students should analyze the relationships between body size and compostion over time as a means of predicting the consequences of internal and external stimuli on growth and development of domestic and non-domestic animals

  Content: Basic growth terminology, analysis of growth curves, scaling and allometry, growth modelling, manipulation of growth, physiology of muscles, conversion of muscle to meat and meat quality

  Practicals: Allometric measurements and analyses. Animal growth experiments, including allometric measurements and analyses.

  Assessment: Practical reports (20%), poster/oral presentations (5%), essay (5%), formal tests (20%); 3 h exam (50%)

  DP requirement: Class mark of 40%, including at least 80% attendance at practicals

• Animal Health

  ANSI352 P1 (16)

  Lecturer: Marion Young

  Prerequisite modules: BIOL101

  Aim: To enable students to understand the complexities of maintaining animal health and welfare and its effects on constraining potential. Also to maintain health and welfare in an economically and commercially sustainable manner.

  Content: Disease causation and identification. Immunology and vaccination. Hygience, medical prophylaxis and treatment. Epidemiology. Public health and zoonoses. Animal disease legislation, disease control strategies and programmes.

  Practicals: Biological sampling and preparation for submission to diagnostic laboratories, post-mortem examination, basic prophylaxis for disease in farm species, visit to diagnostic laboratories.

  Assessment: Written assignments (10%), Oral and written presentations (15%), practical reports (10%), tests (15%), 3 h exam (50%)

  DP requirement: Class mark of 40%, including at least 80% attendance at practicals

• Applied Reproductive Physiology

  ANSI370 P2 (16)

  Lecturer: Nicky Tyler

  Aim: Students integrate animal physiology and endocrinology with nutritional, behavioural, health and environmental factors by implementing strategies for improving reproductive efficiency

  Content: Reproductive cycles, control of ovulation, follicular development, sexual behaviour, oestrus detection, superovulation, artificial insemination, seasonal breeding, improving and evaluating reproductive efficiency, reproduction technology and bioethics

  Practicals: Superovulation and in vitro culture techniques, ultrasonography

  Assessment: Essays (10%), oral presentations (15%), formal tests (20%), project (5%), 3 h exam (50%)

  DP requirement: Class mark of 40%, including at least 80% attendance at practicals

• Companion Animal Nutrition

  ANSI703 P2 (16)

  Lecturer: Marion Young

  Aim: To familiarise students with the pet food industry and to integrate nutritional principles with the peculiarities of various companion animal requirements

  Content: Unique nutrient requirements and feeding management of cats, dogs and horses. Feeding for activity, reproduction, health and longevity. Preperation of food and its effect on nutrient quality. Regulation, marketing and labelling of pet food. Dynamics of the pet food industry in South Africa

  Practicals: Determine nutrient requirements of pets. Marketing and labelling of pet food. Trips to feed companies

  Assessment: Problem-solving based tests (10%), essays (5%), practicals (25%), oral & written presentations (10%), 3 h exam (50%)

  DP requirement: Class mark of 40%, including at least 80% attendance at practicals

• Advanced Monogastric Nutrition

  ANSI711 P2 (16)

  Lecturer: Mariana Ciacciariello

  Prerequisite modules: ANSI318 (ANSI311 in 2014)

  Aim: Students should integrate their nutritional  and production knowledge to enable them to formulate feeds for different production systems and solving more advanced nutritional problems using simulation models.

  Content: Determination and estimation of nutrient requirements through experimental nutrition, data analysis nad interpretation, advanced feed formulation for pig and poultry systems. Raw material matrix, use of enzymes in monogastric feed. Economic evaluation of feed. Current legislation on raw materials and medication used in monogastric feed. Optimisation.

  Practicals: Experimental nutrition practicals, feed formulation and modelling practicals, visits to feed mills nad farms

  Assessment: Feed formulation excercises (10%), practical reports (15%), oral presentations (5%), formal tests (20%), 3 h exam (50%)

  DP requirement: Class mark of 40%, including at least 80% attendance at practicals

• Rumen Metabolism and Feed Formulation

  ANSI742 P1 (16)

  Lecturer: Ignatius Nsahlai

  Prerequisite module: BIOC201, ANSI344 (ANSI312 in 2014)

  Aim: To increase students' skills in determining requirements, feed formulation and in metabolism of carbohydrate and protein in ruminants

  Content: Metabolism of carbohydrates and protein in the rumen; concept of effective fibre; protection and supplementation with protein; ruminal microbial protein synthesis; stoichiometry of hexose utilisation; requirement for maintenance, growth or fattening, and lactation. Ration formulation

  Practicals: Computer-based calculations of requirements and diet formulation

  Assessment: Two class tests, one practical write-up, group seminar presentation (50%); 3 h exam (50%)

  DP requirement: Class mark of 40%, including at least 80% attendance at practicals

• Animal Science Research Project & Seminars

  ANSI792 PY (48)

  Coordinator: Ignatius Nsahlai

  Aim: The focus is on integrated assessment of the exit-level outcomes specified for the programme in Animal and Poultry Science. It involves information and data management, analysis and communication, self-evaluating reflection and personal organisation.

  Content: Review paper writing. Literature search. Presentation skills. Topical discussions with industrial players. Formulating and presenting a research project proposal. Conducting an experiment, analyzing results and presenting as scientific paper.

  Assessment: Work portfolio and CV (20%), spreadsheets and hardcopy of lab book (10%), oral and written presentaiton of review (35%) and scientific paper (35%).

  DP requirement: Not applicable

  Year-long module. This module has no supplementary exam