Nutritional requirements of sheep

1. Nutritional needs

Like other livestock, goats need a variety of nutrients in their life activities, including protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals and water.

(1) protein

Protein is a nitrogen-containing compound, its basic composition is amino acids, there are many kinds of amino acids, but there are only more than 20 kinds of proteins. Protein is the main component of sheep tissue and cell, and it is necessary to maintain the normal metabolism, growth, reproduction and production of various products.

Because sheep is a ruminant, it can use the emblem organisms in the rumen to produce amino acids and synthesize high-quality bacterial proteins. Therefore, the quality requirements of feed protein are not very strict. Rumen microorganisms can use non-protein nitrogen compounds (such as urea and ammonium salt) to convert them into protein needed by sheep. According to this characteristic, appropriate amount of urea can be added to sheep diet as a substitute for feed protein. In general, when the protein content in goat diet is 6% to 10%, the effect of adding urea is the best.

(2) carbohydrates

The main function of carbohydrates is to provide energy for the body and participate in the synthesis of mucopolysaccharides and glycoproteins, which is essential for maintaining normal body temperature and life activities.

The carbohydrates in feed are mainly starch and fibrous substances, which are mainly decomposed and absorbed by rumen microorganisms of sheep.

The digestibility of crude fiber in goats can reach 50%-90%. In order to improve the digestibility of crude fiber in goats, the level of crude protein in diet should reach 10%-14%, and the content of crude fiber in feed should not be too high. Generally, it should be controlled at 16%-18%. Third, adding appropriate amount of salt to the diet can improve the digestibility of crude fiber. Fourth, the roughage will be properly cut short after feeding, but if cut too short or crushed, it will reduce the digestibility, generally cut into 3 cm ~ 4 cm is better. When feeding in Boer sheep house, you can feed some high-quality roughage such as potato rattan, peanut vine and so on.

(3) Fat

Fat is an important component of animal tissue, such as nerve, muscle, blood and so on. Fat can also be converted into energy, and fat is also a solvent for certain vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, etc.

Generally, breeder sheep are not fed with fat directly, but hybrid sheep can use high-energy diet in the fattening stage.

(4) Vitamin

Vitamins include fat-soluble vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K and water-soluble vitamins B and C. It plays an important role in metabolism, energy conversion and neuroregulation. When vitamin deficiency, it will have adverse effects on the health, growth and fecundity of the body, and in serious cases it will cause death.

Sheep can synthesize B vitamins through rumen microorganisms and vitamin K through intestinal microorganisms. Therefore, the goat feed generally only need to supplement fat-soluble vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E. Especially in winter and spring withered grass season and shed feeding period, ewe pregnancy and breeding ram mating high bee period, it is often necessary to supplement some carrots, hay and barley malt in the feed, or you can buy a variety of vitamins directly from the local veterinary station. mix it into the concentrate according to the instructions.

(5) Minerals

Many minerals are essential to the body's metabolism and life activities. The important minerals in goat nutrition are calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chlorine, sulfur, iron, copper, zinc, cobalt, iodine, selenium and so on.

The sodium and chlorine contained in plant feed can not meet the needs of goats, so sodium chloride (salt) must be supplemented in the feed. At the same time, salt supplementation can also stimulate the appetite of sheep. Generally, salt and other minerals that need to be replenished are made into bricks for sheep to lick. In the season with better grazing conditions, it is not necessary to supplement calcium and phosphorus, but pregnant ewes, lactating ewes, breeding rams and growing sheep, as well as house feeding period, need to supplement a certain amount of calcium and phosphorus. The mineral feeds rich in calcium and phosphorus are mainly bone meal, calcium phosphate and so on. Generally, male sheep need about 10 grams of bone powder per day, while other sheep and hybrid sheep need about 5 grams per day.

(6) Water

Water is one of the most important nutrients necessary for animals, and it is also the cheapest feed ingredient, but it is often ignored by people. The process of metabolism and life activities in the body requires the existence and participation of water. If the body loses 10% of its water, its metabolism may be disordered; if it loses 20% of its water, the animal will be at risk of death. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure the supply of water and pay attention to drinking water sanitation. In general, goats need 2 kg ~ 4 kg of water for every 1 kg of dry feed.

(7) nutritional requirements of goats

At present, there is no standard for raising goats in our country. Foreign goat standards are also quite different.