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.
