WAEC Animal Husbandry 2023 past questions

Checked by the Skolra question team · Last updated 23 October 2026

Ten questions from the 2023 WAEC Animal Husbandry paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 32 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.

WAEC Animal Husbandry 2023 questions and answers

1. 1.Which of the following developmental stages of liver fluke is released by the water snail?
   1. A
      Redia
   2. B
      Miracidium
   3. C
      Metacercaria
   4. D
      Cercaria
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   The cercaria is correct. In the life cycle of the liver fluke, the egg hatches in water to release a miracidium, which swims and penetrates the body of the water snail (the intermediate host). Inside the snail, the miracidium develops into a sporocyst, which produces rediae. The rediae multiply and give rise to cercariae inside the snail's tissues.

2. 2.Concentrate is best fed to rabbits as
   1. A
      Pellets
      Correct
   2. B
      Whole, unground grains
   3. C
      A wet mash mixed with water
   4. D
      A loose dry mash
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   Answer: A

   Pellets are the correct way to feed concentrate to rabbits.

   Rabbits are selective feeders. If the concentrate is given as a loose dry mash, the rabbit picks out the finer, tastier particles (like ground maize) and leaves behind other ingredients such as the fibre and mineral portions. Over time this causes the animal to eat an unbalanced diet even though the ration, as formulated, was balanced. A wet mash has the same selection problem, and in addition it spoils quickly, cakes in the trough, and encourages fungal growth and scours (diarrhoea) in the warm, humid Nigerian climate.

3. 3.A sow which has been farrowing 15 piglets at each parturition could be described as
   1. A
      Precocious
   2. B
      Fecund
   3. C
      Fertile
   4. D
      Prolific
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Prolific is the correct description. In animal husbandry, a prolific animal is one that produces many young ones at a single parturition (birth) — a sow giving birth to a large litter such as 15 piglets at once is a classic example of prolificacy, along with a bitch having many puppies or a rabbit having many kits.

4. 4.Blood stain diarrhoea in poultry is a symptom of
   1. A
      Fowl typhoid
   2. B
      Coccidiosis
      Correct
   3. C
      Newcastle disease
   4. D
      Gumboro disease
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   Answer: B

   Coccidiosis is correct. It is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Eimeria, which invade and destroy the lining of the intestine (especially the caeca). The damaged intestinal wall bleeds into the gut, so the bird passes blood-stained (bloody) diarrhoea, along with pale comb and wattles, ruffled feathers, droopy wings, and poor growth. This is the classic sign taught for coccidiosis in poultry.

5. 5.Advantages of dipping farm animals in acaricides include; I. protection against diseases II. control of ectoparasites III. reduction in skin irritation
   1. A
      II and III only
   2. B
      I and II only
   3. C
      I and III only
   4. D
      I, II and III
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Dipping means passing farm animals through or spraying them with an acaricide, a chemical that kills ticks, mites and other ectoparasites.

   The direct benefit is control of ectoparasites — the chemical kills the ticks, mites and lice living on the animal's skin and coat.

6. 6.The sequential order for processing of poultry birds is
   1. A
      Killing → plucking → scalding → evisceration → washing → chilling
   2. B
      Scalding → killing → plucking → evisceration → washing → chilling
   3. C
      Killing → scalding → evisceration → plucking → washing → chilling
   4. D
      Killing → scalding → plucking → evisceration → washing → chilling
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Correct order: killing → scalding → plucking → evisceration → washing → chilling.

   In poultry processing, each stage exists to make the next stage possible. The bird is first killed and bled. It is then scalded in hot water — this loosens the feather follicles so the feathers can be removed. Only after scalding can plucking be done cleanly, without tearing the skin. Once the bird is fully plucked, evisceration (removing the internal organs) is carried out, since you need a bare, open carcass to do this properly. The dressed carcass is then washed to remove blood and loose matter, and finally chilled to bring down the temperature before cutting and packaging.

7. 7.Excessive consumption of lush forage in ruminants could result in
   1. A
      Diarrhoea (scouring)
   2. B
      Constipation
   3. C
      Bloat
      Correct
   4. D
      Founder (laminitis)
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   Answer: C

   Bloat is correct. Lush forage (young, leafy, watery pasture, especially legumes like clover) ferments very quickly in the rumen. The rapid fermentation produces a lot of gas, and the plant's proteins and saponins create a stable foam that traps the gas so the animal cannot belch it out. The rumen then swells up painfully — this is bloat (ruminal tympany), a classic hazard of putting ruminants onto rich, lush pasture.

8. 8.Determine the population of snails required to occupy a 60m by 4m space if the recommended stocking density is 5 adults per square meter.
   1. A
      48 snails
   2. B
      1,200 snails
      Correct
   3. C
      640 snails
   4. D
      240 snails
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   Answer: B

   Working: First find the area of the space, since stocking density is given per square meter.

   Area = length × breadth = 60m × 4m = 240 square meters.

   Population required = Area × stocking density = 240 × 5 = 1,200 snails.

   So 1,200 snails is correct because it correctly multiplies the total area by the recommended number of adult snails per square meter.

9. 9.Farm animals that could graze on rangeland include
   1. A
      Cattle, sheep and goats
      Correct
   2. B
      Poultry, pigs and rabbits
   3. C
      Pigs, rabbits and poultry
   4. D
      Rabbits, poultry and pigs
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   Answer: A

   Cattle, sheep and goats are the correct answer. Rangeland is wide, natural grassland set aside for extensive grazing, and it is the ruminant farm animals — those with a four-chambered stomach able to break down fibrous grass and forage through microbial (rumen) digestion — that are suited to this system. Cattle, sheep and goats are reared this way across Nigeria's grazing reserves.

10. 10.Wheat offal could be used in feed formulation for goats due to its; I. high fibre content II. high crude protein III. ease of digestion
    1. A
       I and III only
    2. B
       I, II and III
       Correct
    3. C
       II and III only
    4. D
       I and II only
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    Answer: B

    Wheat offal (wheat bran/wheat middlings, a by-product of milling wheat into flour) is a valued ingredient in goat ration formulation for all three reasons listed.

    It has a relatively high fibre content (crude fibre around 10–12%) compared to cereal grains like maize, and goats, being ruminants, need enough fibre in the diet to keep the rumen working properly and to stimulate chewing and saliva production.

The questions come from past JAMB, WAEC and NECO papers. We use software to help write the answer options and explanations, and every answer is checked twice before it goes on the site. How we check

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Practise all 32 questions we hold from the 2023 paper, on a timed CBT screen

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