Do you get asked, “Hey, do you know what is feed ration?” a lot? And do you often find yourself confused as to what to say in return? This is exactly the type of question that is often asked by a farmer seeking to improve their ways of raising animals on the farm. The answer to this exact question may help farmers to find the correct solution to get the improvement they have been after for so long. Still, it will not hurt to get to know about this topic more, will it? At the very least, you can offer this as something to talk about whenever the conversation has gotten a little dull.
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What is Feed Ration
So, what is feed ration? To put it simply, a ration is the amount of feed supply that is given to a designated animal within 24 hours. This puts ration at a different corner compared to diet. Ration refers to the total amount of food that an animal takes in a day. Diet, on the other hand, refers to the amount of feed that an animal consumes regularly. See the difference? The ratio is given daily, whereas diet may apply to feed given on a variety of bases, say, a week, perhaps.
Feed Ration Types
As a ration is given daily to an animal, you can derive major types of it based on the purpose of giving it. Let’s take a look at the answer to the question of “what is feed ration type?”
1. Maintenance Feed Ration
This type of ration is given to animals on the farm simply to help them maintain their normal bodily system. In other words, the maintenance ratio is intended to keep the animals alive as their body functions normally thanks to the food they take daily.
The bodyweight of animals can be maintained through giving this kind of ration, but the feed should not be able to help them produce any significant results. For example, straw can be given to the animals to keep them supplied during a dry season.
2. Production Feed Ration
This is a type of ratio that is given to help the animals with their production performance. The feed simply helps them produce. Farm animals that can be fed with production ration include:
- Hatching animals benefit from this ratio for milk production.
- Pregnant animals can take advantage of this ratio to help them grow the fetus.
- Fathering animals use this ration to gain extra flesh or meat.
- Broilers acquire rapid growth thanks to this ration.
- Layers observe improved production of eggs being given this ration.
3. Weaning Feed Ration
Young animals that have been taken away from the mother recently can be fed with this kind of ration. The mother will be up for the next batch production while their spawns can still grow well with a supply of this ration.
4. Balanced Feed Ration
So, what is the feed ratio that can be considered neutral? Is there any of such, you ask? The balanced ratio is the answer to that question. This kind of feed is neutral because it pretty much meets all nutrient requirements that a particular group of animals has. This is also the kind of feed that may have all nutrients essential for the animals in the right quantity, but it’s not quite adequate to be primary feed.
The Formulation
You can even extend the initial question of “what is feed ration?” to become “why does it take extra caution to prepare one?” Well, it’s very similar to humans. Even the animals in the farm require nutrients from the feed to stay alive, at the very least. So if you fail in meeting just one of their nutrient requirements, they wouldn’t perform as well as expected, and what’s the point of running a farm then?
“Then, what is the feed ration formula?” Good question, we’ll give you that. To be considered balanced, a ratio should be formulated correctly. But some things need attention in formulating a ratio:
- The animal’s state of physiology,
- The availability of the ingredients for the ration,
- The nutrient’s composition,
- The animal’s age,
- The animal’s sense of familiarity with the feed, and
- The price of each ingredient.
Are there any “what is feed ration”-related questions you have on your mind? Well, feel free to ask us at Jummos. We will do our best to help you solve them right away.