COMPOSITION AND FUNCTION

OF FEEDSTUFFS

Lecture Three
Animal Nutrition
 Nutrient Needs of Animals
The Animals requires six major classes of
nutrients
• 6 Essential Nutrients
1. Water
2. Carbohydrates
3. Fats
4. Proteins
5. Minerals
6. Vitamins
 All six are essential for normal health and

productive purpose, but some, such as the

minerals and vitamins, are needed only in very

small amounts.

 Next to water, the greatest requirement is for

energy followed by the need for protein

These essential nutrients are nutrients that are

needed by all living things.

These nutrients must either be fed or made by

the animals from building blocks obtained

through eating, and drinking.

 COMPOSITION AND FUNCTION OF
FEEDSTUFFS
Food is divided into two main components

A. Water (the moist portion of food)

B. Dry matter (the dry portion of food)

The dry matter can be subdivided into:

1. Organic (Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins ,Nucleic

acids, Organic acids and Vitamins)

2. Inorganic: example the Minerals or the ash.

 Water in Animal Nutrition
Among the nutrients indispensable (essential)
for life, water ranks second only to oxygen in
importance.
Doubtless, water is the most important dietary
essential nutrient. Loss of about 1/5th of body
water is fatal.
Animal can live for many days or a few weeks without
food but will die within a few days without water.

Water needs to be fresh, clean, and plentiful to ensure

maximum intake.

The temperature of the water does not seem to affect

cattle very much.

Research indicates that cattle readily drink water that

is 40 – 90° F.
 Water intake will vary with environmental

temperature and dryness of the feed.

Cows eating lush grass on a cool spring day

will drink much less water than cows grazing

the same field in the middle of summer or cows

eating hay
 Water is the most important dietary essential
nutrient.

Water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen in

the ratio of 2:1.

is not only the largest single constituent of

nearly all living plants or animal tissues but it also
performed exceedingly important function. It is
organic micronutrient.
The water content in the plant decreases with the
progressive maturity.

The growing plants usually have 70 to 80

percent of water and seeds that have been
thoroughly cured generally have at least 8-10
percent of water.

Water content in animal body may differ due to

Age and nutritional status of animal.
 The animal body may contain 50 to 95 percent water.

In case of cattle water content is approximately 95

percent for the embryo, 75 to 80 percent at birth, 68 to
72 percent at five month and 50 to 60 percent in the
mature animals.

Whereas blood contains 90-92 percent, muscle

contains 72-78 percent bones contain about 45 percent
and enamel of teeth which is hardest tissue of body
contains 5 percent water.
 Functions of Water:
1. Water is an essential constituent of the animal body.

2. It is an essential part of foodstuff. It makes the food

soft and palatable.

3. It helps in regulating body temperature.

4. It helps in absorption and transportation of nutrients

to different parts of the body.
5. It is an essential constituent of almost all secretion
of the body.

6. It helps in the excretion of waste product in the

form of urine, faeces and perspiration from the
animal body.

7. It helps in All the biochemical and physiological

reactions take place in liquid medium.
8. It provides shape to the body cells and essential for cell
nutrition. The metabolic water produced inside the body
help in transportation of nutrients inside the body cells.

9. It helps in maintaining the acid-base balance of the body.

10. It helps in hearing by the ears and visions by the eye.

11. It acts as a cushion for tissue cells and nervous system

and protects the various vital organs against shocks and
injuries.
 Sources of Water

1. Drinking water: It is consumed by the animals

from the out side source.

2. Feed: Moisture content of all the feeds supplies the

water requirement of the animal.

3.Metabolic / Oxidation water: It is the water, which

is produced due to metabolism of nutrients.
It meets 100 percent of water requirement in

hibernating animals and embryo, 5-10 percent in

domestic animals and 16-26 percent in desert

animals.

A 100 g of each fat, carbohydrate and protein

metabolism produce 107, 60 and 40g metabolic

water, respectively.
 Factors affecting water requirement

1. Environmental factors :

Water intake increases with higher ambient

temperature.

Other environmental factors affecting the volume of

water consumed by the animal include relative
humidity, wind speed, solar radiation and rainfall.
 2. Dietary factor:

High fibrous diet like dry roughages increases

water requirement than less fibrous diet. Salt
and uric acid excretion requires more water.
So intake of salt and protein whose end product
is uric acid increases the water requirement.
If succulent feed is given to animals than
dietary water requirement is reduced.
So a 3-4 kg water per kg DMI is required for
most of the animals like cattle, buffalo, horse
and pig etc.
whereas sheep requires 2 kg/kg DMI and
poultry requires 2-3 kg/kg DMI .

Young animals have higher water needs per

unit of body size as compare to large animals.
3. Animal factor:

Age, stage of growth, level of production, activity, health

condition and pregnancy has a direct effect on water
requirement.

Other factors are salinity and sulfate content of water,

temperature of water, frequency and periodicity of
watering, social or behavioral interactions of animals
with environment, and other quality factors such as pH
and toxic substances affect water requirement and intake.
 Water losses from the animal body

 Urine

 Feces

 Vaporization from the lungs and dissipation

through the skin.
 Sweat from the sweat glands.
 Daily average water requirements of domestic
animals:
Animal Water Requirement
Cattle 30-40 kg
Milking Cattle 30-40 kg + 1.8 kg per kg milk
Buffalo 40-50 kg
Horse 30-40 kg
Sheep, Goat 4-10 kg
Poultry 200-400 g
Rabbit 300 g
 Symptoms of deprivation of water:

Anorexia
 discomfort and inco-ordination in movement,
decreased blood pressure ,
increased respiration rate,
 shrivelled skin,
increased body temperature,
death if deficiency of water continue.