Animal feed is food given to domestic animals, especially livestock, in the course of animal husbandry. There are two basic types: fodder and forage. Used alone, the word feed more often refers to fodder. Animal feed is an important input to animal agriculture, and is frequently the main cost of the raising animals. Farms typically try to reduce cost for this food, by growing their own, grazing animals, or supplementing expensive feeds with substitutes, such as food waste like spent grain from beer brewing.

Animal wellbeing is highly dependent on feed that reflects a well-balanced nutrition. Some modern agricultural practices, such as fattening cows on grains or in feed lots, have detrimental effects on the environment and animals. For example, increased corn or other grain in feed for cows makes their micro biomes more acidic weakening their immune systems and making cows a more likely vector for E.coli. While other feeding practices can improve animal impacts. For example, feeding cows certain kinds of seaweed reduces their production of methane, reducing the greenhouse gases from meat production.

When an environmental crisis strikes farmers or herders, such as a drought or extreme weather driven by climate change, farmers often have to shift to more expensive manufactured animal feed, which can negatively affect their economic viability. For example, a 2017 drought in Senegal reduced the availability of grazing lands leading to skyrocketing demand and prices for manufactured animal feed, causing prices to skyrocket and farmers to sell large portions of their herds. Additionally agriculture for producing animal feed puts pressure on land use: it’s a driving factor in deforestation, soil degradation, climate change and land use for feed crops uses land that could be used for human food.

History of Animal Nutrition and Feeding

The US Animal Drug Availability Act 1996, passed during the Clinton era, was the first attempt in that country to regulate the use of medicated feed.

In 1997, in response to outbreaks of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease, the United States and Canada banned a range of animal tissues from cattle feed. Feed bans in United States (2009) Canada (2007) expanded on this, prohibiting the use of potentially infectious tissue in all animal and pet food and fertilizers.

Animal nutrition is the science of feed preparation (formulation) and feeding to meet the needs of animals at different phases of growth, or life stages. Therefore, nutritionists need to know the nutrient components of the feed or the raw materials used in ration formulation. Nutrient analysis serves as a system to analyse the feed and the needs of the animal, enabling producers to optimize nutrient utilization in feed and helping researchers relate to animal performance, tackle issues of underperformance, and reduce food production costs.

Livestock nutrition is primarily concerned with six different food groups, all of which serve a specific purpose in maintaining livestock health, weight, and product viability:

Carbohydrates are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and provide energy to animals

Proteins contain nitrogen that supplies rumen microorganism requirements and provides another source of energy to animals

Fats have a higher ratio of calories per unit of weight than carbohydrates and sugars and can increase energy density in feed portions

Water is a basic requirement for all animals to survive and thrive

Vitamins are organic nutrients that increase an animal’s resistance to diseases while also help maintain body functions

Minerals are inorganic elements that aid in maintaining health, and supporting growth and reproduction