Problem statement

Improvement  of animal nutrition was recognized as key in animal production where well fed animals produced quality &quantity products, lived longer, healthier and were appealing to owners & potential buyers. More improvement & development continue to take place e.g •	Sophisticated feeding systems •	Precise estimates of animal requirements. •	Predictability of the performance of the animal based on feed composition. Other areas that have contributed to the development of animal nutrition 1.	Chemistry Contributed to discovery of nutrients in feeds in various portions  where some feeds have  higher  or lower nutrients  composition  compared to others .This makes it possible to come up  with feed ration by  combining  two or more  feeds.

Anatomy &Physiology
Knowledge of the anatomy & Physiology helps nutritionists understand the digestion process in the different parts of G.I.T. 3.	Biochemistry Helps to understand the chemical structure of organic molecules that make up various nutrients. 4.	Microbiology Helps understanding the types & functions  of various  microorganisms that  inhabit the gut of herbivores  which are important  for  fibre digestion  e.g. bacteria ,protozoa & anaerobic fungi. 5.	Endocrinology Knowledge of hormones helps understand the metabolism and utilization of nutrients in body  tissues. 6.	Genetics & statistics helps in understanding variation  in the way animals responds  to different  feeding  regimes & how this  variation  can be  exploited  for  better animal performance. 7.	Biophysics Many basic principles of Physics apply  in the way animals  perform  various biological functions e.g. chewing. 8.	Computer science e.g use of software  in  ration  formulation. Importance of animal Agriculture •	Supply high  quality protein rich food for  human  e.g. milk ,eggs &meat. •	Raw materials that be can used in clothing e.g.  leather  for  jackets ,shoes &handbags. •	Provide animal power /draught  for ploughing ,transport, processing  of agriculture  products, fetching  water  etc. •	Recreation & entertainment  e.g. race  horses ,camel derby, bull fighting ,cock fight  etc. •	By  products  e.g.  manure, slaughter house  by  products  for  manufacture of animal feeds. •	Raw materials for processing in industries therefore creating employment eg milk for milk products, abattoirs to slaughter houses. •	Income generation for households & countries from beef exports

links
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