Animals Feed And Feeding JSS2 Agricultural Science Lesson Note

ANIMALS’ FEED AND FEEDING

The food given to farm animals is called livestock feed or simply put ‘feed’.  The livestock farmer must supply his animals with the appropriate quantity and quality of feed for:   

     i.  Growth

     ii.    Repair of worn-out tissues

iii. Energy

      iv.     General well-being of animals

      v. High production of animal products such as milk, meat, and egg production

Animals are fed with different kinds of feeds which vary in composition and uses.  Hence, they are classified according to the quantity of fiber and moisture in the feed into four.  These are:

   i. Basal or energy feeds

    ii. Concentrates

     iii.  Roughages

     iv. Supplements and additive

Basal of Energy Feeds

Basal feeds are feeds made to supply energy to the animals.  They have a crude fibre content of less than 18%.  They usually make up 60-90% of livestock ration.  Examples are maize, rice, millet, guinea corn, roots, and tubers like yam and cassava.  Basal feed must be supplemented to meet the growth and maintenance needs of farm animals.

Characteristics

It is high in carbohydrates or starchy food

It is low in fiber

It is low in protein

It lacks vitamins and important minerals.

It is highly digestible,

It is acceptable to most farm animals, especially the monogastric.

Concentrates

These are feed or feed mixtures that provide all the primary dietary needs of farm animals.  It may be either whole grain feeds or a mixture of basal and supplement feed.  Concentrates may be high in energy called energy concentrates or high in protein called protein concentrates.  They have high nutritive value because they are important sources of energy, protein, minerals, and vitamins.  Examples are blood meal, bone meal, fish meal, groundnut cake, palm kernel cake, oyster shell cake, cottonseed cake, and coconut cake.  They are usually fed to monogastric but can be used as supplements for some herbivores.

Characteristics

It has a low fibre content

It may be high in protein or energy

It is highly digestible

It is low in minerals

Roughages

Roughages are feeds that are high in fibre content.  They add bulk to animal feeds and are relatively less digestible.  Roughages are poor in nutritive value hence, animals fed on roughage need supplements.  Roughages are fed mostly to ruminants (cattle, sheep, and goats).  This is because other animals cannot digest them.  They include the vegetative part of plants or dry (preserved) vegetative matter.  Roughages include:

a)    Succulent feed:  This is also called fresh forage or wet roughages.  It includes grasses, legumes, cereals, and root crops grown for silage (grazing) or silage.  Silage refers to succulents that are stored in air-light containers such as silos to preserve their freshness.

b)  Fodder or dry roughages     

      i.  Hay:  This is the young and succulent parts of grasses, legumes, and other plants cut and dried for feeding animals.  It is a cheap source of food for ruminants during the dry season.  It is higher in nutrients than straw.

      ii.  Straw:  This refers to the parts of harvested crops or grasses cut and stored for future use.  After the ripe seeds have been harvested the remains of plants are cut, dried, and fed to animals during the dry season.

       iii.    Chaff:  This is the husk separated from grain during threshing.  It is obtained from threshed grains such as maize, rice, cowpea, and others.

Characteristics

They are high in fiber

They are low in protein and digestible carbohydrates.

They have poor digestibility

Supplements and Additives

Feed supplements are added to the main feed to supply nutrients that are lacking in the main feed or diet of the animals.  They may be supplied separately or mixed with the feeds.  Feed supplements include:

Cotton seed cake,

Soya bean meal,

Groundnut cake,

Eggshell meal,

Oyster shell meal,

Bone meal,

Fish meal,

Salt licks,

Limestone,

Vitamins.