Feed and materials for ruminant animals play a crucial role in their overall health, growth, and productivity. Ruminants, including cattle, sheep, and goats, have a specialized digestive system designed to break down fibrous plant material like grasses, hay, and silage.

Their diet typically consists of a variety of feeds that provide essential nutrients such as energy, protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

In addition to fresh pasture, ruminants are often supplemented with dry plant materials, crop by-products, and mineral and vitamin supplements to ensure they meet their nutritional needs throughout the year. Proper feeding strategies are key to maximizing animal performance and ensuring long-term health.

In this article we will discuss about the various types of feed materials that are available in your environment for the feeding of ruminant animals

Definition of Certain Terms

Certain Terms are commonly used when discussing feeds and feeding materials. These common terms are;

1. Feed: A feed is mixture of feedstuffs blended or processed in a form which is acceptable to livestock. It can also be expressed as that material which after being ingested by an animal is capable of being digested, absorbed and utilize by the body either for maintenance, growth or production.

2. Nutrient: This is any food constituent or group of constituents of the same general chemical composition that aids in the preservation of same examples of nutrients are proteins, carbohydrates, water, fats/oils, minerals and vitamins.

3. Ration: This refers to a fixed amount of feed that is given or allocated to an animal on a 24 hour basis or total feed given to an animal during a 24 hour period.

4. Diet: A diet is a conglomeration of various ingredients in the right proportion to meet the need or requirement of the animal.

Classification of Feedstuffs

Feedstuffs are plant and animal tissues which contain the food elements (nutrients) livestock. There are various types of feeding stuffs available for livestock feeding. These are grouped into different classes on the basis of Botany and chemical composition. These classes are:

1. Rouphages

These are feed materials that are bulky in nature with low weight/unit volume and contain more than 18% CRUDE FIBRE.

They are low in energy and proteinous roughages have high content of cell-wall material. In nutritional terms roughages may range from very good nutrient sources (lush young grassland high quality silage) to very poor feeds (straw, hay, stover, chaff, browse etc).

2. Green (Fresh) Plants

i. Pasture: Pasture refers to natural or cultivated grasses and legumes that are grown specifically to be grazed by livestock. These green plants provide a rich source of nutrition, especially when fresh and growing.

Pastures can be a primary feed source for animals, supplying them with essential nutrients like protein, vitamins, and minerals. Proper management of pastures is crucial for ensuring high-quality feed throughout the grazing season, and animals can graze directly on them or they may be harvested and used in other forms.

ii. Silage (Fresh Green Grasses Cut and Taken to Animals): Silage is made by harvesting fresh green grasses or legumes at the peak of their growth, chopping them, and fermenting them under anaerobic conditions.

This process preserves the nutrients in the plant and makes it available to livestock, especially during seasons when pasture is not readily available. Silage is often used to feed animals through the winter months and can be highly nutritious, rich in energy and fiber, which is essential for the growth and production of livestock.

iii. Crop Residues Plants Which Remain Green After Maturity: Crop residues refer to the leftover parts of plants that remain after harvesting the main product. These may include leaves, stems, and pods that remain green after the crops mature. Examples of crop residues include maize stalks, millet leaves, or even parts of leguminous crops.

These residues can be used as feed for livestock, particularly when fresh and still green. Although they may not be as nutrient-dense as fresh pasture or silage, they can provide a good supplement to animal diets, especially during dry periods when other feed sources are limited.

3. Silage

i. Corn (Maize): Corn is one of the most popular crops used for silage production. It is highly valued for its high energy content, making it an excellent feed for ruminants like cattle, sheep, and goats. Corn silage is made by harvesting the entire plant including the stalk, leaves, and cob at the right stage of maturity, typically when the kernels are in the “milk” stage.

This ensures a high nutritional value while maintaining optimal fermentation during storage. Corn silage provides a rich source of carbohydrates, which supports animal growth and milk production.

ii. Sorghum: Sorghum is another important crop used for silage, especially in areas with drought-prone conditions where maize may not thrive as well. It is a drought-tolerant and heat-resistant plant, making it an excellent choice for regions with less reliable rainfall.

Sorghum silage is made by harvesting the entire plant, similar to corn, and it provides high fiber content along with a good amount of energy. Sorghum silage is often fed to livestock during periods of feed scarcity and can be a valuable part of an animal’s diet, particularly in ruminant nutrition.

4. Dry Plant Material

i. Hay (Grass, Legume) Harvested When Plant Is Still Young and Dried: Hay is a common dry plant material made by harvesting grasses or legumes while they are still young and rich in nutrients. The plants are then dried in the sun or through mechanical drying methods.

The drying process preserves the plant’s nutrients, especially fiber, protein, and energy, making it an important feed source for animals during the off-season or when fresh pasture is not available. Common examples of hay include alfalfa, clover, and ryegrass, all of which are fed to livestock like cows, horses, and goats.

ii. Straw – Mature and Probably Dried Before Cutting: Straw is the dry stalk or stem of cereal crops like wheat, barley, and rice, left after the grain has been harvested. Unlike hay, straw is typically lower in nutritional value, as it mainly consists of fiber.

However, it is still used as roughage in animal diets, particularly for ruminants like cattle and sheep. Straw is often dried before being cut to preserve it and can be used as bedding material in addition to being a feed option when other nutrients are not as readily available.

iii. Crop By-Products Such as Maize Crops, Groundnut Shells, Etc.: Crop by-products refer to the leftover parts of crops that are not typically harvested for human consumption but can still be valuable as animal feed. For example, maize cobs and maize stover (the leaves and stalks) can be used as dry feed material.

Groundnut shells, cottonseed hulls, and other similar by-products are rich in fiber and can be used to supplement livestock diets. These by-products are often a cost-effective feed option, especially in regions where access to high-quality hay or silage may be limited.

Concentrate Feeds

Concentrates are feed materials that have low moisture and fibre. Concentrates have a relatively higher content of digestible nutrient. Concentrates are further classified into:

1. Protein Concentrates: This class of concentrates have a high proportion of protein. They contain more than 20% crude protein. Protein concentrate may be of plant or animal origin.

Examples of concentrate of animal origin are, fish, meal, blood, meal, meat meal, milk powder, shrimp meal, feather meal etc. Animal protein concentrate contain higher amounts and better proportion of essential amino- acids.

Plant protein concentrates contain large amount of protein residue after it has been extracted from oil seeds, fruits or beans by industrial process. Examples are groundnut cake, sunflower meal, coconut meal, cotton seed meal, etc.

2. Energy Concentrates: This group of feed stuffs include cereal grains, roots, tubers and fruits. They are rich in carbohydrates. Next to fat/oils they contain the highest amount of energy per unit weight.

They are usually low in proteins ranging from 0.5% in roots to about 10% in cereal grains. Some of the most important cereal grains used in the tropics for feed formulation are maize (Zea mays), guinea corn (sorghum vulgaris) (setaris).

Examples of root tubers are cassava (Manihot esculenta) potatoes (Solamum tubersium) Yam (Discoria). Root crops are rich in digestible carbohydrates, low in protein and fibre. Because root crops are bulky and contain high amount of moisture, their use in livestock feed is not widespread.

3. Non Protein Nitrogen Compounds As Protein Source: Non-Protein Nitrogen compounds are recognized as useful sources of nitrogen for ruminant.

These depends on the ability for the rumen microbes to use them in the synthesis of their unicellular tissues. The most common non-protein nitrogen in use is urea, poultry waste.

Mineral and Vitamin Supplements

Mineral and vitamin supplements are essential to ensure livestock receive a balanced and complete diet, particularly when natural forage or feed may lack certain nutrients. These supplements help maintain optimal health, growth, and productivity.

1. Minerals: Livestock require various minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and sodium, to support bone growth, nerve function, muscle contraction, and overall metabolism.

Mineral supplements are often added to animal feed in the form of premixes or mineral blocks. For example, calcium is important for bone structure and milk production in dairy cattle, while phosphorus is vital for energy metabolism and reproduction.

2. Vitamins: Vitamins such as A, D, and E are crucial for maintaining immune function, reproduction, and overall health in animals. Vitamin A supports vision, skin health, and growth, while vitamin D aids in calcium absorption and bone development. Vitamin E, being an antioxidant, helps protect cells from damage.

Deficiencies in these vitamins can lead to poor growth, infertility, and weakened immune systems. Supplements are often provided in fortified feed or as separate additives, especially during periods when natural sources are insufficient, like during winter months when animals are not exposed to sunlight for vitamin D synthesis.

Read Also: Introduction to Fish Nutrition

Characteristics of Feedstuff

1. Protein Souces: Some of the common proteins sources use in livestock feeding are:

2. Soya Bean Meal: This is a by-product of Soya bean oil which is the best and most widely use protein supplement. It has a high crude protein value of 44-48%.

3. Groundnut Cake: This is one of the major sources for livestock feed especially in the northern states of Nigeria. The protein value is between 45-47 percentage. It is highly digestible.

4. Cotton Seed Cake: It is a by-product of cotton seed oil in the industry relatively cheaper when compared to Soyabean meal and groundnut cake.

5. Palm Kernel Cake (PKC): PKC contain about 20% protein sunflowermeal, blood meal, fish meal, meat and bone meal, Tankage etc. are also source of proteins.

Energy Sources

Some carbohydrates, which are notably energy sources are discussed below;

1. Maize: This is the main source of energy for livestock. Maize seed has the highest metabolizable energy (ME) of all cereal grains 3442MEKcal/kg.

2. Sorghum (Guinea Corn): This is less palatable compared to maize and has a lower metabolizable energy.

3. Millet: This is a common grain in the drier parts of the country where maize and sorghum do not grow..

4. Wheat Offal: Residues from wheat milling which includes wheat germ, bran course and fine meddlings which are either produced separately or mixed in some. Wheat Offals have low energy value, but is a rich source of phosphorous and vitamins of the B-group.

Others are;

i. Cassava

ii. Molasses

iii. Rice Bran

iv. Fats and Oils

v. Oil Seed Sludge

There are several feed materials available for the ruminants, choice of which one to use depends on availability and cost. Farmers are advice to use materials common in their immediate environment which is cheaper.

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