Palatability

• Nutritional deficiencies may occur when animals pick out their favourite food items from mixes
• what can you do to make a food more palatable?

  warm up food, soften food, add fats or cut into small pieces
• Juvenile animals require small, frequent meals. They require calcium for bone growth and protein for muscle development
• Adult animals require regular meals with the correct balance of nutrients to maintain health
• Geriatric animals need spaced out meals, they may need specialised diets. They require increased fat to maximise energy intake
• Sick or recovering animals require frequent and palatable meals. protein is necessary to increase lean body mass and carbohydrates are important
• Working animals need protein for muscle building and recovery. Fat ensures slow released energy and endurance
• Lactating animals require frequent, calcium rich meals to maintain energy and milk levels.
• A balanced diet is important to avoid nutritional problems. These may occur in captive and domestic animals that do not have access to their natural diet
• What are some types of nutritional problems?

  diarrhoea, obesity, diabetes and nutritional deficiencies
• How can nutritional problems be caused?

  sharing human food, too many treats, feeding diets meant for other animals, lack of understanding of needs
• How can you prevent and treat nutritional problems?

  provide the correct and balanced diet, make sure water is always available, provide supplements if necessary , provide sufficient exercise
• Pasture is land used for grazing
• What is pasturised quality?


  the amount of nutritional value utilised by the animal
• What is stocking density?

  the number of animals grazing on a specified area at one time