What is Animal Husbandry: Its Importance, Types and Benefits

Table of Contents

• What is Animal Husbandry?
• Overview of the 21^st Livestock Census
• What are the Main Types of Animal Husbandry?
  • Poultry Farming
  • Cattle Farming 
  • Beekeeping
  • Fish Farming
• Government Initiatives for Animal Husbandry in India
• What are the Advantages of Animal Husbandry for Indian Farmers?  
• What Good Animal Husbandry Practices Benefit Farmers? 
• What is the Difference between Animal Husbandry & Livestock?

What is Animal Husbandry?  

Animal husbandry is scientific management that involves raising and taking care of animals, birds, and fish in a way that promotes the welfare of animals and ensures the quality of their products, like milk, meat, fibre, and other products. It is a broad term known to cover various practices, including breeding, feeding, weeding, and heeding of animals. But what exactly are these practices? Let us understand briefly:   

• Breeding: It is a practice of producing high milk-yielding, egg-yielding, or meat-yielding breeds of animals.  
• Feeding: It deals with feeding animals. It involves selecting the right feed type, method, and animal feed time.  
• Weeding: It is the practice of eliminating uneconomical livestock, birds, or fish.  
• Heeding: It deals with the proper care and management of livestock.  

Overview of the 21^st Livestock Census

As per the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, the Indian livestock sector has grown at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.77% from 2014-15 to 2023-24 at current prices. Consequently, the share of the livestock sector in the total Gross Value Added (GVA) has increased to 5.5 % in 2023-24, up from 4.4% in 2014-15 (at current prices). India ranks first in milk production, second in egg production, and fifth in meat production globally. 

According to the 21^st Livestock Census report:

• The total Livestock population is 536.76 million. It showed a 4.8% increase compared to the Livestock Census 2012.
• The bovine population has increased by 1.3 % to reach 303.76 million.
• In 2019, the total number of cattle was noted to be 193.46 million, while the total number of buffaloes was 109.85 million.
• The sheep population in India is 74.26 million, while the total goat population is 148.88 million.
• The report shows that the total population of pigs is 9.06 million, and the total poultry population is 851.81 million.

The 21^st Livestock Census was launched on 25th October 2024 to update data on 219 indigenous breeds of 16 species.

What are the Main Types of Animal Husbandry?

The types of animal husbandry largely depend on the species of animals being raised. The leading animal husbandry examples are poultry farming, dairy farming, fish farming, and beekeeping.  

Poultry Farming  

Poultry Farming focuses on breeding and raising poultry birds such as chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese. This branch of animal husbandry is primarily geared towards chicken and egg production.  During 2024-25, the total egg production was 149.11 billion. Raising poultry requires nutrient-rich feed, which is rich in Vitamin A and Vitamin K. Besides, proper cleaning, sanitation, and disinfectant spraying are necessary to prevent diseases in poultry fowl. 
Poultry farming involves a variety of chicken breeds in India. Besides, poultry fowls can be crossbred to improve the variety of breeds. For example, the indigenous Aseel can be crossbred with foreign Leghorn to develop new varieties. With the increased demand for poultry products, the scope of the Poultry Farming Business in India has increased.  

Cattle Farming  

Cattle Farming is the practice of breeding and rearing cattle for dairy and draught labour work. Two types of cattle are bred primarily in India: cows and buffalo. Some of the top cow breeds in India are Tharparkar, Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, and Gir. Also, the top Indian buffalo breeds include Murrah, Jaffrabadi, Surti, and Bhadawari. 

Dairy animals are female cattle and are primarily used for milk. Thus, they are also called milch animals. On the other hand, draught animals are domesticated for agricultural work like tilling and irrigating. The cattle are crossbred to produce the improved breeds of cattle that are high milk-yielding and disease-resistant. For instance, exotic or foreign cattle breeds such as Jersey and Brown Swiss are known for longer lactation periods. Thus, these cattle breeds are crossbred with local breeds like Red Sindhi and Sahiwal, which have excellent disease-resistant qualities.  

Beekeeping  

Beekeeping is also among the top animal husbandry types. It is the practice of raising and managing bee colonies. It requires low investment; thus, farmers undertake honey bee farming, or Apiculture, to generate additional income.  According to National Bee Board, about 14,859 beekeepers, 269 beekeeping and honey societies, 150 firms and 206 companies have been registered with NBB on Madhukranti portal, as of October 14, 2025.

Beekeeping is primarily used to produce honey and other bee-related products like beeswax, royal jelly, and propolis. The value, quality, and taste of honey are the outcome of the quantity of pasturage and the availability of flower and nectar varieties. In India, many varieties of bees are used for the commercial production of honey. Some of them are Indian Bee (Apis cerena indica), Rock Bee (A. dorsata), and Little Bee (A. florae).  

Fish Farming  

Fish farming or Aquaculture is concerned with breeding and rearing fish in controlled environments such as ponds or tanks. India has around 8% share in the global fish production, making it the second-largest fish-producing country. The production of fish in India emphasizes true fish and shellfish, such as molluscs and prawns.  

Fish can be obtained in two ways: capture fishing and culture fishing. The former involves catching the fish directly from natural resources like the sea or river, whereas the latter involves rearing fish in controlled environments like ponds, tanks, or cages. In 2024-25, the total fish production was 195 lakh tonnes.

The fisheries sector can further be divided into Marine and Inland Fisheries. Popular marine fish varieties include Mackerel, Sardines, Tuna, Pomphret, and Bombay duck. On the other hand, popular inland fish are Catla, Silver Carp, Rohu, Grass Carp, and Common Carp.  Fish farming business is a profitable venture for Indian farmers because of the increasing demand for fish and related products.

Government Initiatives for Animal Husbandry in India

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying is one of the Departments under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. This department’s objective is to work towards empowering the livestock sector through skilled youth, farmers, and entrepreneurs’ livestock management. It is also responsible for issues relevant to the Delhi Milk Scheme (DMS) and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). It advises state governments/union territories on the generation of policies and programmes in the area of animal husbandry and dairy development. The Indian government has started several animal husbandry and dairying schemes, including:

• Rashtriya Gokul Mission
• National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD)
• National Livestock Mission (NLM)
• Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF)
• Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme (LHDCP)

What are the Advantages of Animal Husbandry for Indian Farmers?  

• Animal husbandry provides livelihoods and employment opportunities to millions of people residing in rural areas.     
• India is the largest producer of milk globally and provides a continuous supply of milk for consumption, making it a crucial source of high-quality protein.  
• Livestock, particularly drought-resistant breeds like the Kankrej and Deoni cattle, play a critical role in ensuring stable income, increased productivity, and reduced losses in drought-prone regions.  
• Animal husbandry efforts help conserve and maintain the diverse livestock breeds, ensuring their survival for future generations.
• Draught animals are an important provider of non-human labour because they are used for tilling, irrigating, transporting, etc.  

What Good Animal Husbandry Practices Benefit Farmers? 

• Safe Animal Feed: The microbial contamination, antibiotic residues, and adulteration of animal feed are spreading quite vigorously. Therefore, providing animal feed with better nutritional content leads to the welfare of animals, with direct animal health benefits that ultimately benefit the farmers or consumers.   
• Animal Welfare: Animals should be reared in humane conditions. They should not suffer from thirst, hunger, malnutrition, discomfort, pain, stress, fear, injury, or disease. Proper amount of food, shelter, etc., should be provided to them for overall improvement in health and productivity.  
• Disease Prevention: In order to prevent any outbreak of diseases, vaccination programs and regular health check-ups are mandatory to ensure a healthy livestock population. 
• Proper Handling & Transportation: It is important to handle animals gently and ensure proper methods for their transportation to reduce stress and injury. 
• Clean Animal Living Conditions: Maintaining clean, well-ventilated, sound-controlled housing with appropriate temperature and pest control for animals helps prevent diseases and leads to healthy animals. 
• Record Keeping: Detailed records of animal health, feed, and production help monitor and improve farm management practices.

What is the Difference between Animal Husbandry & Livestock?  

Having understood the concept of animal husbandry, let us know the difference between animal husbandry and livestock. Livestock basically means farm animals raised in an agricultural setting for labour or products. On the contrary, animal husbandry means raising, breeding, and managing animal livestock. Animal husbandry is much broader in scope and involves raising and breeding animals, birds, fish, or insects. On the other hand, livestock farming usually only includes raising animals to obtain a variety of commodities, including milk, wool, eggs, and meat.

Animal husbandry makes a valuable contribution to the national economy. Even though this sector has huge potential, it is far from realizing its full potential. It faces a wide range of issues like low feed conversion efficiency, nitrogen utilization efficiency, product quality, and high methane emissions. A multifaceted approach is required to improve animal husbandry in India with a focus on the adoption of modern technologies, enhanced health management, improved nutrition, and better breeding practices.