Feed and water for ruminants. What an animal needs in its feed. Types of feed

Feed and water for ruminants

In order to get the most out of livestock you must always give animals enough good feed and clean water.

Good feed is high in nutrients and provides everything that the body needs in order for the animal to grow and reproduce.

What an animal needs in its feed

All animals need the nutrients called carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals in their feed in order to stay healthy, have energy, grow and reproduce.

Carbohydrates such as sugar and starch are burned in the body to give energy. Fats are broken down in the body to give carbohydrates and water. Animals and humans store carbohydrates as fat in the body.

Protein forms the building blocks of the body. It is needed to produce the muscles.

Minerals such as copper and calcium are needed to form the bones, brain, nerves and blood. Plants take in minerals from the soil. Vitamins are essential for a healthy body and all plants contain several vitamins.

Types of feed

A good, rich feed contains more energy than a poor feed and a cow gets as much energy from 1 kg of sorghum, barley or corn as it does from 6 kg of grass. Some feeds are very poor and of little use to the animal. For example old straw contains little energy, most of it cannot be digested and passes out of the animal as dung. Roughage is bulky and low in energy-giving carbohydrates. Examples of such feeds are grasses, maize stalks and sweet potato tops. Concentrates are feeds which are rich in proteins and carbohydrates. The large stomach of the ruminant with its four compartments means that it can live mainly on roughage. Animals with single stomachs need more concentrates than ruminants.

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