Animal husbandry is a big industry and the animals that are reared here are taken care of in the best possible way. In order to ensure that the maximum benefit can be derived from them, they need to be kept healthy and strong. This is achieved with the use of animal feeds which generally refers to food that is given to the animals rather than what they forage on by themselves.
Description
Types of animal feed
The purpose of providing animals with animal feed is to ensure that they are getting compensated for the required nutrients that are absent in their natural diet. Animal feed is commonly divided into those that come from traditional sources and those that are a mixture of additives and other raw materials.
raditional feed: This is generally used to refer to food scraps as found in every household and the by-products as obtained from industries related to food processing. Some of the common examples of traditional feed are:
- Peanuts, corn and soy which are by-products of oil crop milling;
- Slop, a food scrap fed to pigs;
- Chicken scratch, scrap fed to chicken;
- Spent grain, a by-product of the brewing industry etc.
Compound feed: These are compound blends made keeping a specific animal in mind. Thus raw materials and other additives are formulated as per the requirements of specific animals so as to ensure maximum benefit to the targeted animal. Generally the main ingredient of the same are feed grains, such as sorghum, soybeans, oats, barley and corn which are formulated by the feed manufacturers as pellets, crumbles or meal types.
Premixes: These are sometimes classified under compound feed or sold separately. They include a blend of micro ingredients in commercial rations and can be easily procured from companies selling premixes in the sacked form. This easy availability enables the farmer to purchase a premix of his choice depending on the animals that he rears. The farmers can also make their own mixes by using their own special formula and yet be assured that their farm animals are getting the recommended levels of nutrients. Some of the micro ingredients which form a part of the premixes are:
- Vitamins;
- Minerals;
- Antibiotics;
- Chemical preservatives;
- Fermentation products etc.
