Animal Nutrition Basics

Nutrition

• Nutrition is the science of feeds, their nutritional composition, how animals digest and metabolize nutrients for optimal performance.
• Nutrients are used for building body structures, providing energy, controlling body functions, and milk production.

Food Sources for Basic Nutrients

• Energy: Cassava, Corn Bran, Corn Grit, Molasses, Oil, Rice Bran, Sorghum, Tallow
• Protein: Blood Meal, Copra Meal, Corn Gluten, Fish Meal, Hydrolyzed Feather Meal, Ipil-ipil Meal, Meat and Bone Meal, Soybean Oil Meal, Pollard
• Minerals: Ground Limestone, Oyster Shell, Salt, Steamed Bone Meal, Dicaphos Tricaphos

Feed Nutrients

• Carbohydrates (CHO): Monosaccharide, Disaccharide, Polysaccharide
• Water: Essential for digestion, nutrient transport, and temperature regulation.
• Fats: Saturated and Unsaturated fats.
• Minerals: Macrominerals and Microminerals.
• Proteins: Essential Amino Acids and Non-Essential Amino Acids.
• Vitamins: Fat-soluble and Water-soluble vitamins.

General Nutrient Uses

• Energy: Source of energy for the body.
• Synthesis: Used to create new tissues.
• Repair: Used for repairing old tissues.

Nutrient Groups and Their Functions

• Water: Solvent, nutrient transport, waste excretion, temperature regulation, joint lubrication, cerebrospinal fluid component.
• Lipids: Concentrated energy source, provide essential fatty acids, transport fat-soluble vitamins, provide heat insulation and protection, structural component of tissues (brain and liver).
• Carbohydrates: Metabolized for energy, converted into glycogen (animal starch), stored as energy.
• Vitamins: Organic nutrients regulating metabolic processes, prevent deficiency symptoms (e.g., Thiamine deficiency causes beri-beri, Vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy, Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets etc.)
• Proteins: Most expensive nutrient in animal diets, build body structures (collagen, elastin, keratin), essential for metabolism (hormones, enzymes), excess protein is used as energy.
• Minerals: Inorganic nutrients, classified as Macrominerals (Ca, P, Na, Cl, K, Mg, S) and Microminerals (Co, Fe, I, Cu, Mn, Mo, Se, Zn, Ni, Cr).

Basic Nutrient Requirements

• Nutritive Allowance: Should be no less than 3% below the minimum requirement.
• Protein Allowance: 5-10% excess is acceptable if protein feeds are affordable.
• Carotene: Large excess is not harmful.
• Energy Allowance: Should not exceed 5% of the requirement.
• Ca:P Ratio: 1:1 or 2:1
• Vitamin A: Should be evaluated as needed.
• Dry Matter Requirement: Should not exceed 3% in full-fed animals.

Beef Cattle Mineral Requirements

• Salt: 0.25-0.50% of the diet or 0.005 – 0.01% of the animal’s body weight.
• Calcium (Ca) & Phosphorus (P) by Stage:
  • Growing: 0.24-0.54% Ca, 0.20-0.39% P.
  • Pregnant: 0.15% Ca, 0.15% P.
  • Lactating: 0.26% Ca, 0.21% P.

Other Beef Cattle Mineral Requirements

• Cobalt (Co): 0.05-0.10 mg/kg feed.
• Copper (Cu): 4-5 mg/kg diet, 12-30 mg/kg body weight/day.
• Magnesium (Mg): 0.6-0.8%.
• Potassium (K): 0.1% of the diet.
• Sulfur (S): 80mg/kg of the diet.
• Iron (Fe): 0.2mg/kg air dry diet.
• Iodine (I): Requirement should be evaluated based on the animal’s needs.

Basic Terminologies Related to Animal Nutrition

• Prehension: Taking in of feed or water.
• Mastication: Reducing feed particle size, generally by chewing.
• Deglutition: Act of swallowing.
• Regurgitation: Casting up of undigested material.
• Digestion: Breakdown of feed particles into products that can be absorbed. Includes:
  • Mechanical forces
  • Chemical action
  • Enzymatic activity
• Absorption: Transfer of substances from the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) to the circulating blood or lymph system.
• Anabolism: Growth or building process.