Animal lovers, pet owners, aspiring veterinarians and zoologists, livestock farmers, and ranchers gather here to see all the free online animal husbandry courses available on the internet. Whether you want to learn the proper way to care for your pets, study their behavior, or kickstart a career in animal science, veterinary medicine, or a related field you will certainly find something in this list to pique your interest.
Animals are a vital part of the ecosystem as humans and plants rely on them to fulfill various needs. To ensure that their existence does not cease, varieties of disciplines are put in place such as animal husbandry, veterinary medicine, zoology, wildlife biology, and animal science. You can study any of these courses at the university and work in that specific field after graduation.
With the skills and knowledge you gain from any of these courses, you can become a researcher, work on a farm or start one, be a vet, or start an enterprise. There are many other professions you can explore in this field.
This blog post is a curated list of free online animal husbandry courses to help you test the waters before pursuing a career in zoology, veterinary medicine, animal husbandry, and the like. You may also take these courses to learn how to care for your pet or for others.
What Is Animal Husbandry?
Animal husbandry is a branch of agriculture that deals with the breeding and care of domestic animals. You may pursue a bachelor’s or master’s degree in animal husbandry or earn a certification. Some of the best colleges for animal husbandry are the University of Kentucky, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, the Royal Veterinary College, and the University of Gottingen.

Free Online Animal Husbandry Courses
These courses will equip learners with quality skills and knowledge to confidently work in the agricultural sector in a range of roles related to animal production and husbandry. You will learn about animal breeds, behavior, nutrition, animal health care issues, and general management methods.
The following are the free online animal husbandry courses:
- Chicken Behavior and Welfare
- Introduction to Animal Science
- Wildlife Tracking and Monitoring
- How to Manage a Poultry Farming Business
- Animal Behavior and Welfare
- People and Other Animals
- Evaluating Animal Breeding Programmes
- The Horse Course: Introduction to Basic Care and Management
- Dog Training Careers – Become a Professional Dog Trainer
- Diploma in Dog Grooming
- Basics of Animal Care and Psychology
- Basic Horse Care – Equine Psychology
- Dairy Production and Management
- Diploma in Veterinary Medicine
- Introduction to Zoology
1. Chicken Behavior and Welfare
This free online course is offered on Coursera by the University of Edinburgh. You can take this course from anywhere in the world with just a PC, tablet, iPad, or any smartphone. This course focuses on laying hens and broilers as it explores their behavior and welfare.
This course is recommended for those who keep chicken pets, own a small hobby flock, commercial egg, and chicken meat producers, veterinarians, and vet nurses. The course consists of videos, reading materials, and quizzes. The total time duration of the course is 9 hours but you can start and complete it on your own time.
2. Introduction to Animal Science
Introduction to Animal Science is a free online course on Alison designed for those who are about to pursue a career in animal husbandry, animal science, or veterinary medicine. This course explores the fundamentals of animals basic such as cell biology, genetics, etc. You will also learn about animal nutrition, some common animal diseases, and their treatments.
3. Wildlife Tracking and Monitoring
This course takes learners through the methods of tracking and monitoring wildlife, a method used to protect endangered animal species and to prevent increasing human-wildlife conflict. If you are already in forestry and wildlife management, you can also take this course to learn the latest technologies in wildlife tracking and monitoring.
4. How to Manage a Poultry Farming Business
If you want to start a poultry business or already own one, you can sign up for this free course to learn relevant skills and knowledge that will make the journey easy for you and equip you with the latest skills. The course will provide you with all the information you need to have before starting the business and while in the business.
5. Animal Behavior and Welfare
Animal Behavior and Welfare is a recommended course for people who work directly with pets or own one, even wildlife specialists can take this course as they too need to understand how animals behave. You will learn about the emotions of animals and understand them well enough to apply them to your work or your pets.
6. People and Other Animals
People and Other Animals are one of the free online animal husbandry courses offered by MIT Open Courseware. In this course, you will explore the interaction of humans with animals such as domesticating livestock, pet-keeping, scientific study of animals, and exploitation of animal labor. The course is taught by one of the professors at MIT’s Department of History and Anthropology.
7. Evaluating Animal Breeding Programmes
If you breed animals like chicken, dog, swine, fish, horse, cow, goat, and shrimp you should take this course to learn about the implementation and evaluation of both large industrial scale and tailor-made breeding programs in terms of genetic progress and genetic diversity. You will also explore the reasons behind crossbreeding about the dissemination of genetic improvement.
8. The Horse Course: Introduction to Basic Care and Management
This is a free online animal husbandry course on Coursera from the University of Florida. Whether you are in the US, Germany, or any part of the world, you can enroll in this course for free to learn how to care for and manage horses. You will also learn the diverse aspects of equine ownership and various management practices.
With the skills and knowledge gained here, you can go on to work at a ranch or establish one. The course takes 18 hours to complete but it is self-paced.
9. Dog Training Careers – Become a Professional Dog Trainer
There are many dog owners in the world today and if you are one, here is a free online course that will teach you how to train your dog and become a professional at it. Dog lovers can also take this course and after they have gained the relevant knowledge start an enterprise to train dogs. Dog trainers can equally take this course to learn the latest techniques.
10. Diploma in Dog Grooming
What is dog grooming? Why is dog grooming necessary? What is the best way to deal with dogs? This course answers all of these questions and goes further to equip you with hands-on practical skills in dog grooming. And if you are interested in starting a pet-grooming business, this course will break down the process for you.
11. Basics of Animal Care and Psychology
Pet keepers and aspiring veterinarians can take this free course to learn the various approaches to caring for animals and promoting their health and well-being. This course focuses on the care of common pets such as horses, cats, dogs, reptiles, and ornamental fishes. You will also gain a deeper understanding of animal behavior when you take this course.
12. Basic Horse Care – Equine Psychology
This is for horse owners and those working with horses. This course takes learners through effective horse care practices and explores the basic behavioral patterns of equine psychology and the effects of evolution and domestication. The course consists of two models that take 3 hours or less to complete.
13. Dairy Production and Management
Gain an understanding of all aspects of dairy management such as genetics, nutrition, reproduction, animal health, farm economics, and sustainability of dairy production systems. Whether you are new to the dairy industry or have been there for a long time, there is still something for you to take home in this course.
14. Diploma in Veterinary Medicine
If you want to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine, you should probably take this course to test the waters before taking a deep dive. The course takes learners through the basics of veterinary healthcare to kickstart a career in veterinary medicine.
15. Introduction to Zoology
This is another free course that helps you test the waters of zoology before diving in. You will gain basic knowledge of what the course is about and what zoologists do. One of the perks of this course is that you will learn how to make animals less aggressive around you and make them calm. The course further explores animal behavior, healthcare, disease, and disease prevention.
These are the free online animal husbandry courses and most of them offer you a certification upon completion. The certification can be attached to your resume or CV to beef up your portfolio.
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