791-004 Animal Nutrition

Credit Points

Coordinator

Prerequisites

One Animal Management Elective.

Contact

Subject Description

The objective of this subject is to enable the students to:

• develop feeding programs for ruminant and monogastric farm animals;
• evaluate future developments in animal nutrition on the basis of detailed understanding of nutrients in foodstuffs, nutrient metabolism and feed evaluation;
• interpret research data and apply research findings which are directly applicable to animal breeding and nutrition problems.

The content includes: Evaluation of foods; digestibility, its measurement and factors affecting it, energy content of food and systems of its expression, energy retention, protein content and systems of measuring and expressing protein quality. Feed intake and factors affecting it, food processing, palatability, climatic effects. Growth stimulants and feed additives. Nutritional significance of traditional feedstuffs, and possible future role if be sources of animal feeds, and the nature and consequences of nutritional deficiencies and excess. The concept of economic efficiency with respect to nutritional inputs into animal production systems, and methods by which this efficiency may be maximised.

Assessment

Assignment of 2000 words (40%); two hour examination (60%).