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Malnutrition is said to occur when a ration (amount of feed provided to an animal per day) does not provide all the food nutrients (carbohydrate, protein, fats and oils, vitamins, minerals, water and other feed additives) in adequate quantities.

Those nutrients wanting are said to be deficient, which eventually results in nutritional disease.

Nutritional deficiency is therefore defined as a disease condition which emanates from inadequate nutrition. It is indicated by specific symptoms when particular nutrients are absent or unavailable in the diet.

The table below shows some nutritional disease, their causes, symptoms and how they can be corrected.

MALNUTRITION DISEASES OF ANIMALS

MALNUTRITION DISEASECAUSESSYMPTOMSCORRECTION
Ricket(Osteomalacia)Chicken lie down on their knees.Lack of choline, folic acid, Ca, and P in the diet.Flexible and curved bones, soft eggshell
Perosis or Slipped tendon.Add fish meal, bone meal or Oyster shellLow iron in the blood.Add Vitamin B Co and bone meal.
KetosisLack of sufficient energy intake by farm animalsLoss  of appetiteFeed CHO to animals.
Milk FeverLow blood sugar.Loss of appetite, constipation and nervousness.Feed Oyster Shell, bone meal and Carbohydrate.
Baby pig AnaemiaFeed vegetables and fruits to animals.Loss of appetite and nervousness.Inject iron dextrin into the body.
Night BlindnessLack of Vitamin AInability to see clearly in dim light.Feed yellow maize.
ScurvyLack of vitamin CLesions around the connective tissue.Lack of Vitamin B1
BeriberiFeed yeast, cereals and vegetables.Lack of appetite, fatigue and loss of weight.Feed yeast,cereals and vegetables.

Rickets (osteomalacia): A disease caused by a lack of Vitamin D and disappearance of calcium saltswhich prevent the body from using Calcium. Rickets causes softening and sometimes bending of the bones.

Tendon: A tough, strong band or cord of tissue that joins a muscle to a bone or some part and transmits the force of the muscle to the part.

Scurvy: A disease caused by a lack of Vitamin C in the diet. It’s characterised by swollen and bleeding gums, extreme weakness and livid spots on the skin.

Tetany: A disease characterised by sudden, abnormal, involuntary contraction of the muscle.

Beriberi: A Disease affecting the nervous system, accompanied by muscular paralysis, weakness, extreme loss of weight, pain and swelling. It is caused by a lack of vitamin B in the diet.

(a) Ricket in sheep                                            (b) slipped tendon (perosis) in poultry

EVALUATION

  1. What is malnutrition in farm animals?
  2. What is nutritional deficiency?
  3. Highlight five malnutritional diseases; causes, symptoms and corrections.

 

RATION (DIET)

A ration is defined as the feed that is regularly offered to or consumed by the animal. Diets are formulated to meet specific metabolic or physiological functions, which include growth, lactation, reproduction, maintenance of pregnancy, egg laying, weaning, fattenin,g etc

 

BALANCED RATION

A balanced ration is the feed containing all essential nutrients in the right or correct and adequate proportion for feeding animals.

Components or compositions of a balanced ration include carbohydrate, protein, fats and oils, minerals, vitamins and water.

In balancing ration, the nutrient values of the feeding stuffs are known. The nutrient requirement or the standards are also known.

IMBALANCED RATION

An imbalanced ratio is the feed that does not contain all essential nutrients in the correct and adequate proportion for feeding livestock.

 

EVALUATION

  1. What is a ration?
  2. What is a balanced ration?

Two categories of balanced ration

Maintenance ration

This is the type of ration that supplies the animal with just the quantity of nutrients that are enough to enable the animal to carry on with vital body activities without losing or gaining another substance.

In other words, a maintenance ration is the amount of feed needed to prevent an increase or decrease in the weight of the animal.

The ration will just be enough to maintain the supplies of energy and protein for all metabolic activities such as respiration, blood circulation, digestion, locomotion, and maintenance of body temperature.

Production ration

This is the quantity of ration that can supply the required nutrients above the maintenance to enable the animal to produce the form of animal product for which the livestock is kept.

The production ration can be for meat, growth, milk, wool and egg production. The food is supplied to meet more of the maintenance requirements.

Categories of farm animals that require a production ratio

  1. Lactating animals for milk production.
  2. Weaning animals for increased growth.
  3. Pregnant animals for the maintenance of the foetus.
  4. Fattening or finishing animals for extra meat or flesh.
  5. Broilers for rapid growth.
  6. Layers for egg production.
  7. Steaming up or flushing for animal before making to produce more ova.

Factors to consider when deciding the type of ration to feed an animal

  1. Age of the animal
  2. palatability of feed stuff
  3. familiarity of feed to the animal
  4. Cost of feed
  5. Physiological status of the animal
  6. availability of feed stuff
  7. Composition of feed nutrients

 

EVALUATION

  1. Explain the term ration.
  2. Name four classes of livestock feed and list two characteristics of each class.
  3. Distinguish between maintenance ration and production ration (WASSCE 1998 question 8)

 

ONLINE ACTIVITY

  1. State eight functions of water in livestock management
  2. List eight essential mineral elements required in animal nutrition
  3. State four functions of mineral elements in the body of farm animals

(WASSCE 1993 question 7)

4. In a tabular form, state:

5. Four food nutrients in livestock production.

6. Two sources of each food nutrient are stated in the above.

7. Two functions of each nutrient are stated in the above.

    (WASSCE 1995 question 7)

     

    1. Define balanced ration in livestock production.
    2. Outline the stages involved in the preparation of
    3. bone meal II. Fish meal III. Cottonseed meal IV. Blood meal

    (WASSCE 1996 question 8)

     

    1. State six functions of protein in the body of farm animals
    2. List five animal sources and plant source proteins each that can be fed to livestock.

    (WASSCE 1999 question 8)

     

    READING ASSIGNMENT

    PAST QUESTIONS

    WASSCE:2007 question 7c, 2012 question 8a, 2013 question 7c, 2014 question 4a, 2017 question 5b

    NECOpast question for 2018 question 7d: State three processes that are involved in the preparation of silage under anaerobic conditions.

     

    WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT

    1. The deficiency symptom peculiar to Vitamin B in livestock is………

    A)night blindness, B)sterility, C)loss of appetite, D) delay in blood clotting.

    1. Which of the following is not a symptom of Malnutrition in Livestock……… A) bloat B) night blindness C) milk Fever D) anaemia
    2. When an animal is being fed on a ration that does not increase its value but keeps the animal in good health and constant weight, the animal is said to be on ……… ration A) production, B) maintenance, C) concentrate, D) balanced.
    3. Digestion of protein starts in the ___ A) stomach, B) duodenu,m C) mout,h D) small intestine
    4. Which of the following classes of nutrients is used mainly for energy production in farm animals? A) Carbohydrates B) protein C) vitamins D) minerals

     

    THEORY

    1. Write a short note on the following
    2. maintenance ration
    3. production ration
    4. balanced ration
    5. malnutrition
    6. Mention four factors normally considered when deciding the type of feed an animal should be placed on. (WASSCE 2001 question 7)

     

    See also

    LIVESTOCK MANAGEMENT

    LIVESTOCK MANAGEMENT

    ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY

    REPRODUCTION IN FARM ANIMALS

    REPRODUCTION IN FARM ANIMALS

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