The provision of nutrients; The regulation of nutrient utilization: basic principles and mechanisms; The regulation of nutrient supply within the body; Physiology of regulation of food intake; Foetal and neonatal metabolism; Egg formation in poultry; Growth and fattening; Milk secretion and its nutritional regulation; Nutritional imbalances; Micronutrients as regulators of metabolism; Food characteristics that limivoluntary intake; Meat production; Diet and wool growth; Milk production; Egg production; Nutrition and the thermal environment; Nutrition andgastrointestinal parasitism.
This book explores the importance of good nutrition in ensuring an adequate standard of welfare for farm animals. It is often not realized that farm animals can suffer when they are fed unsuitable diets, which may be because these diets are more economic or the farmer does not know how to rectify poor nutrition. This book reveals how to recognize and deal with feeding problems in farm animals, when the animal’s behaviour is indicating a deficiency, through oral stereotypies for example. Feeding livestock in emergency situations can present special challenges, and the availability of clean and potable water, one of the essential components of life, can also be an unrecognized problem for many farm animals. Feeding farm animals effectively is rarely recognized for the major welfare issue that it is. We may assume that animals in intensive husbandry conditions have adequate feed, yet it is often too concentrated and designed primarily to immediately maximize production from the animals, in the form of growth, milk yield or reproduction. In extensive rangeland conditions adequate feed supply also cannot be assured, potentially leading to undernutrition with serious consequences for the health and even survival of livestock. This book will provide a much-needed review of the relationships between nutrition and the welfare of farm animals.
The Voluntary Food Intake of Farm Animals offers a wide discussion on food intake among farm animals. The book presents various studies, facts, details, and theories that are relevant to the subject. The first chapter begins by explaining the basic definition and significance of voluntary food intake. This topic is followed by discussions on meal patterns, the main features of eating, and the similarities between species. The next chapter explores theories about the food intake control, which are divided into two types: single-factor theories and multiple-factor theories. In Chapter 3, the discussion is on the food's pathway, including elaborations on the various receptors. Chapter 4 considers the central nervous system's involvement in the voluntary food intake and the energy balance regulation. The next couple of chapters highlight the possible reasons that affect food intake; among them are pregnancy, fattening, physical growths, and the environment. In the book's remaining chapters, the discussion revolves around grass intake and the prediction and manipulation of voluntary food intake. The book serves as a valuable reference for undergraduates and postgraduates of biology and its related fields.
Nutrition is the key driver of animal health, welfare and production. In agriculture, nutrition is crucial to meet increasing global demands for animal protein and consumer demands for cheaper meat, milk and eggs and higher standards of animal welfare. For companion animals, good nutrition is essential for quality and length of life. Animal Nutrition examines the science behind the nutrition and feeding of the major domesticated animal species: sheep, beef cattle, dairy cattle, deer, goats, pigs, poultry, camelids, horses, dogs and cats. It includes introductory chapters on digestion and feeding standards, followed by chapters on each animal, containing information on digestive anatomy and physiology, evidence-based nutrition and feeding requirements, and common nutritional and metabolic diseases. Clear diagrams, tables and breakout boxes make this text readily understandable and it will be of value to tertiary students and to practising veterinarians, livestock consultants, producers and nutritionists.
Livestock nutrition is one of the most important issue in animal production both in physiological-economic terms as well as the impact of livestock on the environment. The handbook „Rational livestock nutrition in rural areas” has been funded with support from the European Commission under Erasmus + programme – Cooperation for innovation and good practice. The book has been developed by experts in various fields of agriculture – animal nutrition and feed science, animal husbandry, agronomy and veterinary medicine. The authors of this book, originating from five different countries – Poland, Turkey, Romania, Italy and Hungary by working within the framework of the established Strategic Partnership – Vocational Education and Training have developed a comprehensive compendium aimed at transfer of knowledge, good practice and innovation in the field of agriculture with emphasis on rational nutrition of livestock. The book covers five broad issues of livestock nutrition. Chapter one – „Physiology of Nutrition”, is related to the anatomy and functions of particular organs of the farm animals’ digestive tracts, type of nutrients found in the livestock diets, as well digestion, absorption and metabolism of these compounds. An extensive characteristics of most common used in animal nutrition feeds, their processing, feed additives as well as the mechanism of their action are presented in the second chapter – „Feed and Feed Additives”. The chapter number three – „Animal Feeding Systems in Europe” in a synthetic way explains the fundamentals of commonly used feeding systems of ruminants, pigs, poultry, horses and rabbits. This chapter also provides several schemes of daily rations/concentrate mixtures formulation for various farm animal species. An extensive chapter number four is dedicated to animal welfare as well etiology, treatment and prevention of metabolic diseases in animals that livestock breeders are struggling every day. Last but not least, the fifth chapter raises issues related to livestock production in terms of environmental and legal conditions under the common agricultural policy of member countries. The possibilities of reducing the negative impact of livestock production on the environment, so called „good practices” are discussed in this chapter. The book “Rational Livestock Nutrition in Rural Areas” is intended for people involved in animal production – mainly farmers but it can also be used by agricultural and nutritional consultants, zootechnical service workers. Students of vocational agricultural schools and, to some extent, students of natural and agricultural universities may benefit this book as well.
This book presents specially commissioned reviews of key topics in farm animal metabolism and nutrition, such as repartitioning agents, near infrared reflectance spectroscopy and digestibility and metabolisable energy assays, where major advances have recently been made or which continue to represent issues of significance for students and researchers. Authors include leading researchers from Europe, North America and Australia.
Greater knowledge of lactation allows us to alter environmental, nutritional, and milking procedures, or general management to maximize production. This book, focusing on lactation in farm animals (biology, physiological basis, nutritional requirements, and modelization), presents invited papers from internationally recognized scientists. This volume contains seven chapters covering the key topics related to milk production and lactation biology and physiology. The authors show that animals raised on a well-controlled nutrition regimen may have significant enhancement of succeeding lactations. Furthermore, the usefulness of a milk yield prediction system depends upon how accurately it can predict daily milking patterns and its ability to adjust to factors affecting supply. Milk yield prediction models have proven helpful for genetic analysis and for bio-economic modeling. On the whole, this book serves as an inspirational basis for both scientists and farmers.
