Livestock Nutrition

Feed is usually the single biggest cost on a livestock farm, so getting nutrition right is where many farms win or lose money. An animal fed the wrong mix grows slowly, gives less milk, breeds poorly and is quick to fall ill, while an animal on a well-balanced ration turns feed efficiently into meat, milk, eggs or work. The art is to supply every food class the animal needs, in the right amounts, for its age and stage of life, without wasting expensive feed.

In this lesson you will learn the food classes that make up a balanced ration and what each one does, how to recognise the signs of a deficiency, and the difference between a maintenance ration and a production ration. You will see why clean water is the most important nutrient of all, and how good stockmanship and record keeping turn feeding from guesswork into a managed, profitable process.