Rationing of Livestock

COURSE OBJECTIVE: The aim is to study the practical diets formulation in polygastric animals in relation to farm management and production and animal welfare.

STRUCTURE OF COURSE:
Lectures
Diets formulation and digestive process in polygastic animals (2 hour)
Feed characteristics, practical use and related problems (2 hours)
Diet formulation: from basic calculation to PC elaboration (2 hours)
Practical diet formulation in lactating cow (4 hours)
Practical diet formulation in cattle (4 hours)
Practical diet formulation in lactating buffalo (1 hours)
Practical diet formulation in veal calf (1 hours)

Practical traing:
Manual and PC diets formulation (8 hours)
Practical training in livestock farming (8 hours)

Lectures
Pigs Feed Formulation:
Precision nutrition for modern sow genotypes (2 hours)
Nutritional strategies for gastrointestinal health during weaning (2 hours)
Diet formulation with non-conventional raw materials (2 hours)
Role of nutrition in reducing environmental impact (2 hours)
Poultry Feed Formulation:
Nutritional requirements of domestic fowl (2 hours)
Feeding programs (1 hour)
Influence of diet on meat and egg quality (2 hours)
Rabbit Feed Formulation
Nutritional requirements of rabbits and feeding system for intensive production (2 hours)
Influence of diet on rabbit meat quality (1 hour)

Practical activity
Least cost feed formulation computer optimization for pigs (6 hours)
Least cost feed formulation computer optimization of poultry (4 hours)
Least cost feed formulation computer optimization of rabbit (2 hours)
Training at the CZDS of Lodi (4 hours)

Aim:
To outline the concepts of animal dietology and its impact on food quality, on metabolic health and on animal welfare. The use of corrective diets and special dietary regimens, as well as introducing alternative feed and innovations, are an integral part of the course.

Lectures:

Optimal nutrition in FPA (2 h)
Nutrition and metabolic health (1 h)
Nutrition and Production diseases in farm animals (4 h)
Nutrition and animal product quality (2h)
Bioaccessability, bio availability, and biomarkers in nutritional status assessment (2 h)
Technological quality and its impact on nutrition (2 h)
Alternative feed ingredients nutritional and functional evaluation (3 h)

Practical activity
Journal club
Database consultation
Technical visit

Assessment methods
Multiple choice (and one open question) Final Exam