Animal nutrition course

Lesson 1 • Lipid Nutrition Basics

Introduces dietary fats, fatty acid classification, and fat digestion. Establishes the role of lipids in energy density and essential fatty acid supply.

Lesson 2 • Energy Concepts in Animal Nutrition

Explains gross, digestible, metabolisable, and net energy systems. Connects energy partitioning to productive animal functions.

Lesson 3 • Carbohydrate Nutrition Basics

Covers structural and non-structural carbohydrates and their digestion pathways. Links carbohydrate type to energy availability and gut health.

Lesson 4 • Introduction to Nutrients and Feed

Defines the six nutrient classes and their primary biological roles. Provides the conceptual framework for all subsequent nutritional analysis.

Lesson 1 • Ruminant Digestive Physiology

Explains the four-compartment stomach and microbial fermentation in cattle, sheep, and goats. Links rumen function to nutrient availability.

Lesson 2 • Digestibility Measurement Methods

Introduces apparent and true digestibility, marker techniques, and in vitro assays. Provides tools to evaluate feed ingredient quality across species.

Lesson 3 • Hindgut Fermenters

Covers caecal and colonic fermentation in horses and rabbits. Connects hindgut anatomy to fibre utilisation and coprophagy.

Lesson 4 • Avian Digestive System

Details the crop, proventriculus, gizzard, and caeca unique to poultry. Explains how avian anatomy affects nutrient utilisation and feed form.

Lesson 1 • Mineral Supplementation Strategies

Addresses free-choice, top-dress, and premix delivery systems for minerals. Guides students in matching supplementation method to species and production system.

Lesson 2 • Fat-Soluble Vitamins

Examines vitamins A, D, E, and K, their storage, and toxicity risks. Connects fat-soluble vitamin status to immune function and reproduction.

Lesson 3 • Water-Soluble Vitamins

Reviews B-complex vitamins and vitamin C, focusing on coenzyme roles and synthesis capacity. Links deficiency to metabolic disorders in production animals.

Lesson 4 • Macrominerals in Animal Diets

Covers calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and chloride requirements. Establishes mineral ratios critical for skeletal and metabolic health.

Lesson 1 • Advanced Feed Testing Methods

Introduces NIR spectroscopy, amino acid assays, and mycotoxin screening. Connects rapid testing tools to practical quality control in feed operations.

Lesson 2 • Forages and Fibre Sources

Covers hay, silage, pasture, and fibrous by-products for ruminants and hindgut fermenters. Establishes forage quality parameters and their impact on intake.

Lesson 3 • Proximate and Detergent Analysis

Teaches Weende proximate analysis and Van Soest detergent fibre system. Provides the analytical foundation for interpreting feed composition reports.

Lesson 4 • Energy Feed Ingredients

Profiles cereal grains, fats, and by-product feeds as energy sources. Connects ingredient composition to energy contribution in diet formulation.

Lesson 1 • Adjusting Requirements for Stress and Disease

Explains how heat stress, illness, and reproductive status alter nutrient demands. Prepares students to modify standard requirements in field conditions.

Lesson 2 • Nutrient Requirement Systems Overview

Compares factorial and empirical approaches used in major nutrient requirement publications. Establishes how requirements are derived and updated.

Lesson 3 • Requirements for Horses and Companion Animals

Covers energy, protein, and micronutrient needs for horses, dogs, and cats by life stage. Highlights species-specific metabolic differences such as taurine in cats.

Lesson 4 • Requirements for Swine and Poultry

Defines amino acid, energy, and mineral requirements for pigs and broilers by growth phase. Connects phase feeding to cost efficiency and performance.

Lesson 1 • Manual Ration Balancing Techniques

Teaches Pearson square and simultaneous equation methods for simple rations. Builds arithmetic intuition before introducing computerised formulation.

Lesson 2 • Feed Formulation Software Applications

Guides students through ingredient databases, nutrient matrices, and output reports in formulation software. Develops proficiency in digital ration-balancing tools.

Lesson 3 • Quality Control in Feed Manufacturing

Covers mixing uniformity, sampling protocols, and batch record verification. Links formulation accuracy to on-farm feed safety and animal performance.

Lesson 4 • Formulating for Specific Production Goals

Applies formulation skills to high-milk-yield dairy, fast-growing broilers, and gestating sows. Demonstrates how production targets shape ingredient selection.

Lesson 1 • Pregnancy Nutrition and Fetal Development

Covers nutrient partitioning between dam and foetus across gestation trimesters. Addresses colostrum quality and neonatal survival outcomes.

Lesson 2 • Nutrition and Reproductive Performance

Links body condition score, energy balance, and micronutrients to fertility and conception rates. Guides students in pre-breeding nutritional preparation.

Lesson 3 • Lactation Nutrition and Milk Composition

Quantifies energy and protein demands of peak and late lactation in dairy and beef cows. Connects diet composition to milk fat, protein, and yield.

Lesson 4 • Feeding Programmes for Breeding Herds

Integrates growth, reproduction, and lactation nutrition into a year-round herd feeding calendar. Develops skills to schedule feed changes with production cycles.

Lesson 1 • Evaluating and Auditing Nutrition Programmes

Provides a systematic framework for reviewing feed records, animal performance, and cost metrics. Develops skills to identify gaps and recommend programme improvements.

Lesson 2 • Feed Safety and Anti-Nutritional Factors

Covers mycotoxins, gossypol, tannins, glucosinolates, and other feed contaminants. Prepares students to identify risks and apply mitigation strategies.

Lesson 3 • Metabolic Diseases and Nutritional Causes

Identifies milk fever, ketosis, grass tetany, and acidosis as nutrition-related disorders. Links dietary management strategies to disease prevention.

Lesson 4 • Nutritional Monitoring and Herd Assessment

Teaches body condition scoring, blood metabolite panels, and milk component analysis as monitoring tools. Connects data interpretation to corrective feeding decisions.