Types of Feed

Animal feeds can be classified into the following;

(a) Energy-yielding Feeds/Basal Feeds:

These feeds have a crude fibre content of less than 18% and a low protein content. The main difference between basal feeds and other feedstuffsfood provided for cattle and other livestock. More is that basal feeds have a high digestible energyEnergy is the ability to do work. Energy exists in several forms such as heat, kinetic or mechanical energy, light, potential energy, and electrical energy. Units of Energy: The SI unit... More content.

This type of feed is highly acceptable to most farm animals, especially the monogastricNon-ruminant animals are animals with a single stomach compartment. They are omnivores or canivores and they have a simple stomach with a single compartment within the digestive system which is called... More. Basal feeds or energy-yielding feeds must be supplemented because they lack vitamins and other essential minerals, like calcium and phosphorous which are needed to meet the growth and maintenance requirements of livestock.

Examples of such feedstuff are maize, cassava, rice, guinea corn, wheat, potatoes, millet, yam, cocoyam, plantain, hay, and silage.

(b) Protein Yielding Feeds/Supplements:

These feeds are made up of amino-acid units which are of nutritional importance to the animals. They are usually rich in protein with reasonable amounts of minerals and vitamins.

Examples of such feedstuff are blood meal, palm kernel cake, meat meal, feather meal, fish meal, seed meal, sunflower, cashew nut meal, cotton seed cake, milk by-products, etc.

(c) Fats and Oil Yielding Feeds:

These feeds increase the energy densityDensity is the measurement of how tightly a material is packed together i.e. how closely the particles are packed in the material. The tighter the material is packed the more its... More of the diet. Examples of such feedstuff are linseed cake, palm kernel cake, cottonseed cake, soybean, coconut, melon seed, and groundnut cake. Fats and oil transport fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, F, K) in the body and help to maintain body temperature.

(d) Mineral-Yielding Feeds:

Minerals contribute to the building of the skeleton of the animal body and its reproductive system.

Examples of such feedstuff are bone meal, oyster shell, periwinkle shell, common salt and lime, egg yolk, and blood meal.

Oyster shells are an excellent source of calcium used primarily in poultry feeds. Oyster shells are added to chicken ration for optimum eggshell quality.

(e) Vitamin-Yielding Feeds:

Vitamins are complex organic compounds. They function as co-enzymes or as a regulator of metabolismMetabolism is the sum of the chemical reactions that take place within each cell of a living organism and that provide energy for vital processes and for synthesizing new organic material.... More. RuminantRuminant animals are animals that have a stomach with four compartments: the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. They include animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and antelope. Ruminants swallow the... More animals always have the desired amount of vitamins from forages. Vitamins support feed intake, feed utilization, maintenance, growth, and production.

Examples of such feedstuff rich in vitamins are fish meal or cod liver oil, yellow maize vegetables, fruits, grasses, palm oil, carrots, milk, legumesA legume is any plant that bears its fruit inside a pod. Legume is an umbrella term that includes beans and pulses. Thus, all beans are considered a legumes, but not... More, etc.

(f) Water:

Water is necessary for absorptionAbsorption is the movement of digested food molecules from the digestive system into the blood (glucose and amino acids) and lymph (fatty acids and glycerol). The small intestine absorbs most of... More and photosynthesisPhotosynthesis is the process by which green plants, and some algae and bacteria, convert the energy of sunlight into chemical energy. This energy is then used to synthesize carbohydrates such as... More. Water is important for digestionDigestion is the breakdown of large insoluble food compounds into small water-soluble components so that they can be absorbed into the blood plasma. In certain organisms, these smaller substances are absorbed... More, absorption, and assimilation1. the process of taking in and fully understanding information or ideas. 2. the absorption and digestion of food or nutrients by the body or any biological system. More. It is involved in excretion and secretion. Other body processes that use water are respiration, reproduction, blood circulation, and osmoregulationOsmoregulation is the process by which an organism regulates the water balance in its body to maintain homeostasis. In animals, this process is brought about by osmoreceptors, which can detect changes... More. Water nourishes the body and maintains its freshness and tenderness.

Sources of water include; fresh grasses or legumes, fresh fodder, metabolic water from the oxidation of fats, fruits, and direct intake of water.