Using Precision Feeding to Improve Livestock Health and Profit Margins: A Nutritional Risk Management Strategy

Abstract

The primary economic sector engaged in the breeding, rearing, and production of livestock is referred to as animal husbandry. There are exact standards in place for the production of high-quality feed in animal husbandry. The precision feeding of animals represents a significant component of livestock production, with the potential to exert a considerable influence on overall profitability. Improper animal feeding is a risk that must be managed. Farmers can minimise or eliminate this risk by setting the correct rations for their animals. By properly managing nutritional risk, farmers can improve animal health. This enables the provision of diets that are precisely tailored to the specific daily nutritional requirements of the animals in question. By aggregating data from sensors, a single model can be constructed that can be employed by automated systems to determine daily rations for farm animals. In this document, precision feeding is defined as the practice of adapting diets for individual animals or groups of animals, taking into account their changing nutritional needs over time and individual differences in nutritional requirements. The primary goal of precision feeding is to enhance animal health, ensuring the welfare of the animals, and thereby, their performance, while minimizing the wastage of feed. This document presents a methodology for determining the nutrients required by cows during the dry period. In this manner, the health of the cow will be maintained. Furthermore, if the cows are in good health, the farmer will experience a reduction in costs and an increase in income, given that the breeding of cows and the production of agricultural products are contingent upon the health of the animals.