Four Hereford Cows, brown and white with yellow ear-tags, are inside a fenced area, eating from the same container. A barn is situated behind them in the middle of a deserted area.
Are livestock on a diet? Yes, they are. Farmers feed their livestock to promote growth and good health. Six nutrients are essential for all animals to live.
The screen turns yellow, and a person holding a pile of food grain is highlighted in a circular cutout on the right side. The heading text at the top reads, "Six Essential Nutrients." Below the heading, the essential nutrients - "Water," "Carbohydrates," "Fats," "Proteins," "Vitamins," and "Minerals" - appear as bullet points.
The six essential nutrients are water, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals.
In a hog-yard, a black pig with a yellow ear tag chews on food. Two Hereford Cows standing side by side appear in a farm, both turning their heads to the right.
The amount needed of each nutrient an animal requires is dependent on the animal’s age, species, individual genetics, and intended purpose, such as for food, reproduction, or work.
A brown horse drinks water from a concrete container. Next to a calf in a farm, a bucket filled with water is visible.
Most of an animal’s body is composed of water, making water the single most important nutrient for any animal.
In its room, a black pig feeds from its trough.
Water enables all other nutrients to function in the animal. Water aids in transporting nutrients and chemicals to and waste from every cell in an animal’s body.
A photo depicts a man holding a handful of corn kernels.
Carbohydrates and fats both provide energy for an animal.
An image displays discarded and leftover corn kernels. The camera zooms out from the photo.
Carbohydrates are readily broken down in the digestive system. Carbs give an animal quick energy.
Two containers on a wooden surface come into view.
Fats contain two times more energy per gram than carbohydrates, so they can be stored in the body as energy reserves, providing long-term energy.
A box full of protein (kidney beans) is shown, and a person took some beans using a tumbler.
Protein is responsible for building and repairing cells in a body, such as muscle cells. Proteins are important for animals produced for their meat and muscle mass.
On top of a layer of soybeans, a jar of oil and a scoop of powdered soybean are displayed.
Vitamins and minerals are both required to sustain life functions. Vitamins are a group of organic compounds, and minerals are inorganic compounds.
A sheet of paper titled "Guaranteed Analysis" appears, featuring a detailed list of nutritional breakdowns.
Vitamins and minerals are needed in small amounts in livestock feed. Vitamin A and iron are examples. Animal feeds are made up of different amounts of each nutrient. The food provided to livestock that carries these nutrients is called a feedstuff. There are two broad classifications of feedstuffs: concentrates and roughages.
A person holding a red container full of concentrates is shown. Small circles at the bottom display photos of a pig, horse, buffalo, and cow.
Concentrates are feeds that are high in energy and low in fiber. Animals that require a lot of energy, such as swine, performance horses and both beef and dairy cattle, are given concentrates as part of their feed.
Two stacks of hay stored in a cell are visible.
Roughage is a feed that is low in energy and high in fiber. Animals fed roughage will not typically grow or gain muscle mass as quickly as if they were fed concentrates.
A group of cows chew on hay grass outdoors.
Grass, alfalfa, and silage are examples of roughages.
A person takes a scoop full of balanced feed from a bag.
A balanced ration of food is the amount and type of feedstuffs that contains all the necessary nutrients to support a particular animal. Creating balanced rations is a specialized skill that is important to feed healthy animals and create a strong herd.
A group of cows eat feed from the same container.
One thing to consider when feeding animals is the type of digestive system the animal has. Ruminants are animals such as cows and goats which have a large compartment in their stomach for microbial breakdown of feed.
A black goat with a red collar is seen eating its feed.
This allows them to digest fiber well.
Two horses chew grass near a farm in a rural area.
Modified monogastric animals can also digest roughages because they have a functional cecum, a pouch-like area in the beginning of their large intestine, for microbial breakdown.
Two different horses eating grass in a field and a rabbit chewing a piece of carrot inside a cage are visible.
Examples of animals with this type of digestive system include horses and rabbits.
Cows chewing hay-grass, are shown.
Proper feeding is important in the health and maintenance of animals. Proper feeding can prevent digestive disorders such as acidosis, bloat, and colic. Acidosis is usually due to rapid intake of concentrates.
Two side-by-side pictures of the back of a cow appear. The heading on the left reads, "Bloat." The first image of the cow has less width than the second image.
Bloat is usually caused by eating too rapidly or eating a lot of fresh, growing forages. Colic is usually caused by poor quality feed, ingestion of sand, twisted intestines or drinking excessively when hot.
Two cows eating feed in a barn are visible.
Proper animal feeding is important so they are healthy, grow quickly, and are productive. Farmers take good care to ensure the proper nutrients are included in feed rations and that livestock have free access to fresh water at all times.