Roughage fed to farm animals is characterized by a very high content of

Answer Details

Roughage is a class of animal feed characterised by a very high content of fibre (crude fibre). Roughages include hay, straw, silage, pasture grasses, and crop residues such as maize stover and groundnut haulms. They are bulky feeds with fibre content typically exceeding 18% of dry matter.

The high fibre content comes from the structural components of plant cell walls - primarily cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. These are difficult to digest and provide relatively low energy per unit weight compared to concentrates. Ruminants (cattle, sheep, goats) are particularly adapted to utilise roughage because their rumen microorganisms can break down cellulose through fermentation.

The other nutrient options do not characterise roughage:

• Protein-rich feeds are called protein concentrates or supplements (e.g., groundnut cake, soybean meal, fish meal).
• Carbohydrate-rich feeds in the digestible, energy-dense sense are energy concentrates (e.g., maize grain, cassava).
• Fat-rich feeds include palm kernel cake and full-fat soybean. Roughages are typically very low in fat.

Exam tip: Roughage = high fibre, bulky, low energy. Concentrates = low fibre, high energy or protein, less bulky.