21 Animal Nutrition and Feeds

Animal Nutrition and Feeds
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Abdullah

What is Nutrition!
Nutrition is the science of dealing
with the utilization of food by the
body processes which transforms
food into body tissues and energy.
Utilizations
Nutrients are utilized by the animals for:
 Maintenance
 Growth
 Production
 Reproduction
 Health control
Importance
• To obtain and utilize

surplus or unusable feed
stuffs
• And convert them to
desirable products such as
• meat, milk, eggs, fiber
and work.
What is a Nutrient?
A single class of food or group of
like foods that aids in the support
of life and makes it possible for
animals to grow or provide energy
for physiological processes.

Digestible Nutrient
The portion of the nutrient which
may be broken down (digested) and
absorbed and used by the body.

The Six Nutrients Needed
• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Fats
• Minerals
• Vitamins
• Water
Proteins
 Needed for growth and repair
 Helps form muscles, internal organs, skin,
hair,wool, feathers, hoofs and horns

 Contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and
nitrogen
Examples of Proteins
1. Meat and Bone Meal

2. Fish Meal
3. Soybean Meal
4. Cottonseed Meal
5. Dried Skim Milk
6. Amino Acids
Carbohydrates
• Furnish energy for body functions, growth
and reproduction
• The largest part of the animals food supply
and usually the fibrous part of the diet
• Include sugars, starch and cellulose
•Are made of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen
Fats
• Furnish a concentrated source of energy, up to
2.25 times as much energy as carbohydrates do

• Form cholesterol, steroids and other body
compounds
• Found in every cell in the body
• Affect the condition of skin and hair
• Are made of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, but
contain much larger proportions of carbon and
hydrogen than carbohydrates do
• They also provide energy reserves, protection for
vital organs, and they insulate the body
Minerals
 Primarily found in bones and teeth
 Important in blood for the carrying of
oxygen
 Regulates heartbeat with potassium,
sodium and calcium
Major Minerals
 The major minerals are

 calcium, phosphorus, sodium, chlorine,
magnesium, and potassium.
 They are required at comparatively high
levels described as per cent of diet or
grams per day.
Minor Minerals
 They are required only in very small

amounts.
 Some minerals fed in excess amounts
may cause a deficiency in others
 Iron, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Cobalt,
Iodine, Molybdenum, Selenium, Fluorine
Vitamins
• Are only needed in small amounts
• Are essential for life and health
• Provide a defense against disease,
promote growth and reproduction
• Contribute to the general health of
the animal
•Vit. A, B, C, D, K, E etc
WATER
• Accounts for 70% or more of the
composition of most plants and animals
How much do animals drink per day?
 Beef cattle: 7-12 gallons per head

 Dairy cattle: 10-16 gallons per head
 Horses: 8-12 gallons
 Swine: 3-5 gallons
 Sheep and goats: 1-4 gallons
 Chickens: 8-10 gallons per 100 birds
 Turkeys: 10-15 gallons per 100 birds
Factors for Control
 Water Quality
– Salinity, acidity, pollution, and algae growth
 Environmental Factors
– Air temperature and feed quality
 Animal Factors
– Breed differences, age, and condition of stock
Feed Resources
Fodders Crop
Grains/ Residues
Oilseeds
LIVESTOCK
FEED
By- Feed
Products Additives
Grazing
Areas
FEED CLASSIFICATIONS
1. Roughages
2. Concentrates
3. Supplements
ROUGHAGES
High in Fiber and relatively low in digestible
nutrients
Examples of roughages:
1. Alfalfa
2. Clover
3. Soybean
4. Oat hay
5. Corn Silage
Concentrates
Are low in fiber and high in
digestible nutrients
Examples of concentrates:
1. Corn
2. Cottonseed
3. Barley
4. Oats
5. Sorghum
Supplements
• Supplements are extras that supply the body with
additional nutrients.
• Some of the supplements are minerals salt, copper,

iodine and iron
• Vitamin A and D are also very important to
ruminant animals
Salt Copper Iron

Mineral Mixture
Ingredients Percent
DCP 63.25
Sodium Chloride 35.00
Copper sulphate 00.25
Ferrous sulphate 00.75
Magnese sulphate 0.10
Zinc sulphate 0.50
Cobalt sulphate 0.10
Potassium iodide 0.05
Total 100
Feed Availability & Demand in Pakistan
Feed Resources Feed Balance
16
Fodder Conc.
3% Grazing 14
15% 38% 12
million tons
10
8
6
4
2
0
Crop DM C.Protein TDN
Residue
44% Available Demand
Feeding Management
An Art that need to know;
 Requirements of the animal according to milk yield

& lactation stages
 Nutrient composition of available feeds
&
 How to combine different feeds to match the animal
requirements
Should be
 Balanced approach
 Cost effective
 Sustainable
Improvement in Utilization of Feed Resources
Animal Feed
Fodder
Factors Contamination &
Management
Poisoning
Diagnosis of
Feed Feeding
Problems Management
Feed
Nutrients ↑ Feed Improvement
Requirements Utilization Techniques
Feed Feed
Composition Supplements
Feed Testing
& Results
Feed Interpretation Hay or silage
Formulation Making
How to over come the dry period feed
scarcity problem
 Conserve green fodder as silage (maize fodder, sugar

cane tops, oats, mott grass etc)
 Hay making (Berseem/lucern)

 Adopt urea treatment of straw for improved feed
value
 Offer multinutrient feed blocks when poor quality
forages are fed.
Silage Making
Molasses-urea Blocks are suitable with poor
quality forages during dry period
Molasses-Urea Blocks can be prepared on farm
Feeding ruminant animals at
different life stages
Start from Pregnancy to End of Lactation Period

(Peak, mid, late lactation)
Dairy Nutrition
 Nutrition is important
in order to be
profitable in the dairy
industry from growth
of the calves through
milk production in
lactating cows.
Stages of A Dairy Cow
 Calf
 Heifer
 Dry Cow
 Close-up Cow
 Lactating Cow
Digestive system
Calf Nutrition
 Calves are born as

monogastric animals
(simple stomach)
 So offer feed that must
be easy to digest (high
quality digestable
proteins, energy,
vitamines and
minerals)
Calf Nutrition
 Energy is important first
two weeks because can
not digest starch, sugar
or unsaturated fats.
 Colostrum feed at first
feeding to get higher
amounts of protein,
minerals,
immunoglobulins, and
antibodies. Lines to
walls of digestive tract to
protect against diseases
Calf Nutrition
 Grains (Dry Matter)
stimulate production of
VFAs in rumen (acetic,
propionic, butyric)
 Digestive system
develops from 2
weeks until 4-6
months and calf
evolves into ruminant
Heifer Nutrition
 Nutrition is important at this time
because reproduction depends
on sound, healthy animals.
 If underfed, diseased or have
parasites then puberty is
delayed. Low energy will lead to
ovarian inactivity. Low protein
will cause irregular or silent
heats.
 30-40% of adult weight at
breeding age (13-15 months)
Heifer Nutrition
 Pasture is a good choice of
forage (high energy and less
expensive)
 3 lbs concentrate/ day
 12% crude protein, 15% crude
fiber and .41% Calcium at 6
months, .29% Calcium at 12
months
 Final 3 months of pregnancy
heifer will need extra nutrients for
developing calf
Dry Cow Nutrition
 Low energy diet (less expensive)
 Pasture often used
 Important for successful lactation to follow
 Restore body energy and nutrient reserves
 Want to maintain 3+ to 4- body condition score

Feeding in Pregnancy
(Last 2 months)
For;
 Rapid growing foetus
 Develop body reserves for use in
subsequent lactation
How;
 Give rest if in milk (forced drying)
 Feed concentrate 2 kg/day + good quality
fodder, restrict straw
Close-up cows
 Move cows and heifers to
close-up pen at 2 weeks
before calving
 High dry matter intake to
gain nutrients for cow and
calf to reduce metabolic
problems
Close-up Cows
 Start grain feeding
 Increase CP to 15%
 Limit added fat 100 gm/d
 Low energy with adequate levels of

minerals vitamines and protein and
watch forage levels (<50% DM)
 Decrease metabolic problems and
maintain condition while not
lactating
Decrease Calcium to begin to use
stored Ca to prepare for lactation
changes
Early lactation (First 60 days)
 Most critical period
 Period of peak milk yield
 Higher the peak yield more will be the milk
yield throughout lactation until drying off.
 Good quality forage
 Maintain healthy level of fiber
 Avoid high starch level
 Undegradeable protein & digestible fiber
Lactating Cows
 Highest energy diet
(most expensive)
 Supports not only
growth, reproduction
and maintenance but
also production
 Free feed at all times
to increase and
support production
Consequences of Feed Restriction in early
lactation as a traditional practice
 Low peak milk production & total lactation yield
 Drastic body weight losses in high potential cows

leading to;
 Metabolic diseases ( milk fever, acetonaemia, red

water disease etc)
 Delayed estrus resumption
 Long dry period

Suggestions
 Select & mix different ingredients on basis of nutritional
profile for making concentrate mixture (change from
cakes to meals, e.g. SBM)
 Always add minerals especially take care of Calcium &
Phosphorus ratio in the rations
 Plan your feeding program to raise the peak milk yield
 Never restrict feed & water soon after parturition

Suggestions
 Avoid large fluctuation in green fodder
supply through hay and silage making
 Make best use of local feed resources
with relevant supplementation &
conservation
 Improve feeding value of straw through
urea treatment for fodder scarcity
period
 Use feed additives to boost milk
production.

21 Animal Nutrition and Feeds

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

21 Animal Nutrition and Feeds

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

21 Animal Nutrition and Feeds

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Animal Nutrition and Feeds

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Abdullah

Nutrients are utilized by the animals for:

• To obtain and utilize

like foods that aids in the support

of life and makes it possible for

animals to grow or provide energy

for physiological processes.

The portion of the nutrient which

may be broken down (digested) and

absorbed and used by the body.

 Helps form muscles, internal organs, skin,

hair,wool, feathers, hoofs and horns

1. Meat and Bone Meal

2.25 times as much energy as carbohydrates do

 The major minerals are

 They are required only in very small

 Beef cattle: 7-12 gallons per head

• Some of the supplements are minerals salt, copper,

Salt Copper Iron

Feed Resources Feed Balance

 Requirements of the animal according to milk yield

 Conserve green fodder as silage (maize fodder, sugar

 Hay making (Berseem/lucern)

Start from Pregnancy to End of Lactation Period

 Calves are born as

 Low energy diet (less expensive)

 Pasture often used

 Important for successful lactation to follow

 Restore body energy and nutrient reserves

 Want to maintain 3+ to 4- body condition score

 Low energy with adequate levels of

 Low peak milk production & total lactation yield

 Drastic body weight losses in high potential cows

 Metabolic diseases ( milk fever, acetonaemia, red

 Delayed estrus resumption

 Long dry period

 Select & mix different ingredients on basis of nutritional

profile for making concentrate mixture (change from

cakes to meals, e.g. SBM)

 Always add minerals especially take care of Calcium &

Phosphorus ratio in the rations

 Plan your feeding program to raise the peak milk yield

 Never restrict feed & water soon after parturition

You might also like