How is the fodder requirement calculated? Is there any wastage of fodder? Approximately how much green fodder gets wasted daily? What are the reasons for wastage?
Fodder requirement is calculated based on the animal's weight and Dry Matter (DM) requirement.
Adult animals need DM equal to 2-3% of their live body weight daily. For a 32kg goat, DM requirement is 960g/day (3% of weight).
Of total DM, 25% should be from protein-rich concentrate and 75% from green and dry fodder.
Fodder is divided into dry fodder (25%) and green fodder (75%). Since green fodder has 80% water content, actual green fodder requirement is multiplied by 5.
Wastage occurs due to improper storage, spoilage, trampling by animals, overfeeding, and lack of proper feeding containers. Silage helps reduce wastage by preserving fodder nutrition.
Explanation
The chapter provides detailed calculation in Table 2.8: For a 32kg goat, DM = 3% of weight = 960g/day. Concentrate feed = 25% of DM = 240g. Total fodder = 75% of DM = 720g. Dry fodder = 25% of total fodder = 180g. Green fodder = 75% of total fodder = 540g. Actual green fodder = = 2735g (accounting for 80% water content). Feed should be given 2-3 times daily.
Solution Steps
Fodder requirement is calculated based on animal's weight and Dry Matter (DM) requirement
Adult animals need DM equal to 2-3% of their live body weight daily
For a 32kg goat, DM requirement is 960g/day (3% of weight)
25% of DM should be from protein-rich concentrate, 75% from green and dry fodder
Fodder is divided into dry fodder (25%) and green fodder (75%)
Green fodder has 80% water content, so actual requirement is multiplied by 5
Wastage occurs due to improper storage, spoilage, trampling, overfeeding, and lack of proper containers
Silage helps reduce wastage by preserving fodder nutrition