Animal Nutrition and Feeding
What this domain tests
The Animal Nutrition and Feeding paper checks whether you can classify feeds, state nutrient needs for cattle, buffalo, goats and poultry, and formulate a safe, economical ration. Maharashtra's vocational syllabus expects practical feeding schedules, not just definitions.
Core rules
- Feed classes: roughages (green fodder, straw, hay, silage) and concentrates (energy feeds such as maize; protein feeds such as soybean meal and groundnut cake). Roughage should supply 60–70% of dry matter (DM) for maintenance.
- Dry matter intake: cattle and buffalo eat about 2.5–3.0% of body weight as DM daily; a 400 kg cow therefore needs 10–12 kg DM.
- Water: 60–100 litres/day for a milking cow; clean, cool water raises intake and milk yield.
- Minerals: common salt 0.5–1% of concentrate; mineral mixture 1–2%; calcium:phosphorus about 2:1 for adults.
- Conservation: hay is dried to 85–90% DM; silage is ensiled at 65–70% moisture; urea treatment uses 4 kg urea in 40–50 litres water per 100 kg straw, covered for 3–4 weeks.
Worked example
Prepare 100 kg of an 18% CP concentrate from maize (9% CP) and soybean meal (45% CP) by the Pearson square. Diagonal differences: maize = 45 − 18 = 27 parts; soybean meal = 18 − 9 = 9 parts; total 36 parts. Maize = 27/36 = 75 kg; soybean meal = 9/36 = 25 kg. Check: 0.75 × 9 + 0.25 × 45 = 6.75 + 11.25 = 18% CP. Then add 2 kg mineral mixture and 1 kg salt, and reduce maize to 72 kg so the mix still totals 100 kg.
Traps that cost marks
Confusing CP with TDN; writing a concentrate ration without checking total DM; ignoring the roughage already fed; using urea above the recommended level (toxicity); forgetting that bypass protein is needed for high-yielding animals.