Animals like humans are also unable to produce certain nutrients that their bodies require, so just like humans, animals also need to have those nutrients from some external source. Now we must be well aware of what a human can have to meet the need for specific nutrients, but we don’t really know what to feed to an animal to fulfill its requirement of certain nutrients. It is as much important for an animal to have a balanced diet that has all the required nutrients in it as it is for humans. Animals need to have nutrients like proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fiber, water, etc., in their diet; only then will it be called a balanced diet. To ensure a balanced diet of animals, they need to be fed on animal feed as it has all the nutrients that an animal requires in a balance.
Animal feed has all the nutrients an animal needs to have a balanced diet. Depending upon every animal and its type of food consumption, a variety of animal feeds are present to meet the need. The content of different nutrients varies in all types of animal feeds to satisfy the particular dietary needs of a specific kind of animal. The quality and suitability of an animal feed needs to be checked before feeding it to an animal. If the quality is not good, then it will affect the health of your animal. Similarly, if the feed you have chosen is not suitable for your animal, it will take a toll on its health. It will help if you make sure that from whom you are getting animal feed for your animal is a high-quality animal feed supplier; otherwise, you are putting your animal’s health at risk.
Animal feeds are classified into various types according to the suitability of different animals:
• Concentrates are those types of animal feed that are high in energy and high in protein. High energy meals like fats, cereals, grains, etc., and some by-products of cereal grains like barley, corn, wheat, oats, rye, etc., are also a part of concentrates. High protein meals like cottonseed, soybean, canola, peanut, and by-products of sugar beets, fish, sugarcane, and some animals, obtained after processing them.
• Roughages are the other types of animal feed, including pastures, silages, hays, straw, hulls, root crops, and stover-like corn stalks. Roughages are highly rich in fiber.