 The animals full productive capacity (fattening,

milk production, work) cannot be reached

unless it is properly fed during the growing
period.
 Growth is the foundation of meat production
in all classes of stock.
 The increase in the mass of the body in definite
intervals of time, in a way characteristics of the
species.
 The maximum size and development are fixed by
heredity
 Nutrition is an essential factor determining whether
the genetic potential will be reached.
 a) An increase in the structural tissues such as muscle
and bone and also in organs, but should be
distinguished from the increase that results from fat
accretion in the reserve tissues.
 b) Thus, essentially, growth is characterized primary by
an increase in protein, minerals and water, vitamins
and minute lipid required.
 The most common measure of growth in farm

animals is changes in live body weight.

 During the fetal period and from birth to about

puberty the rate of growth faster

 Slower growth rate after maturity approached

 The general tendency by increasing animal age
o Decline in the water content of its gains
o A slight fall in protein content and
o a marked rise in fat content .
 The term fattening is used in practice to describe the
later stage of growth.
 Breeding and sex are recognized as factors influencing
body composition but nutrition is particularly important
in this regard .
 Growth requirement

The nutritive requirements for growth are very different

from those for maintenance.

 Growing animal need more protein and protein of better

quality in comparison with maintenance and much more
total digestible nutrients (so that the ration must be more
concentrated and furnishes much more energy.net energy).
 More protein is needed for growth than for maintenance for the

increase in the muscles and other protein tissues.

 Also the quality of the protein is more important for growth than

for maintenance especially for poultry.

 In practice it is usually found that only one or two amino acids are

very markedly deficient (the limiting amino acids) for pigs and for

chicks the first limiting acid is commonly lysine and methionine.

supply of any of the essential amino acids means inability for growth proportion of protein that is needed gradually decreases as the animals become older and store less protein and more fat .
. 
 •(2) Energy requirements :

 liberal TDN or net energy, than for maintenance and

also generally rations that are more concentrated .
The total requirement for growth must include
the amount needed for maintenance
as well as the amount required for the new tissue formed.
 A Fast growing animals retain more energy per unit of gain
than slower one.
 Poultry and other non ruminant eat for calories
Young female animals are about to be stunted in size

unless they receive sufficient feed to make normal

growth up to the time they bear the first young .

 If they are undersized at this time, they will usually get

no opportunity to make up for the lost growth.

 Because of repeated reproductions and lactations

which have the precedence over any use of nutrients,

the animals are unable to complete their growth, and

they will never reach normal size

 The great importance for the growing animals (
growing heifers, foal, calves, lambs) an ample supply
of minerals especially Ca and P.
 A lack of Ca or P may permanently cripple or deform
the animal .
 Also the bones may be so fragile that they will readily
break in later life .
 For calves, lambs and foals, the best insurance

against the lack of Ca and vitamin D is to feed

sufficient legume hay throughout summer and to

provide good pasture during the growing season.

 Iodized salt may be supplied in some districts.

 SSuckling animals will receive plenty of vitamin A in
the milk if their mothers are fed suitable rations.
 When the youngs are weaned, care must be taken that
sufficient vit.A is supplied.
 In case of calves, changed from whole milk to skim
milk or milk substitutes at an early age supply vitamin
A and vit.D.
Why meat production of young animals is
more economical?
 1-It is so well known that young animals make more
rapid gains than older one.
 2-Their gains are more watery than those of older
animals and also contain more protein, minerals and
less fat which need more energy value than protein.
 3-The food eaten by young animals is ordinarily lower
in fibre, and hence more digestible and higher in net
energy than that eaten by older animals.
 (4) The feed conversion into meat is higher in

young animals which require considerably less feed

per kg of gain in body weight therefore it make

much cheaper gains than animals older animals.

 Milk is the natural food for young mammals :

 So, the rate of growth of the young depends upon

the composition of their natural food.

 The object of fattening is the improvement of the meat itself.
 Fat is stored in the lean meat tissues, chiefly between the
bundles of fibres of which the muscles are composed.
 This storage of fat which forms the so-called Marbling of
meat,
 adds to the juiciness and flavor, besides increasing the
digestibility and nutritive value.
 Young animals are still growing rapidly in muscles
and skeleton they store more protein and mineral
in their gains than in those of older animals .
 The fact that proportion or fat in the gain made by
an animal steadily increases during the fattening
period is of much practical importance .
 the feed cost/pound of gain increases rapidly after
the animal has become well fattened.
 Fattening of fattened animals is so expensive
 Such animals need more maintenance requirement and had
less nutrients for meat productions.
 Such flesh contains much more fat and less water
 The percentage of water decreases as the animal matures
 The % of fat increases rapidly during the growth and
fattening of the animal increasing from 4% soon after birth
to over 7% in the 666.66 kg steer.
 The protein and ash the % decreases gradually as the
animals grow older .
 In the fattening of farm animals, most of the fat is

formed from carbohydrates.

 Then comes the fat in the food and lastly the protein

when its amount is abundant than the needs for the

repair.
 Fattening animals need an abundance of T.D.N. or net energy

 The supply of T.D.N. must be more liberal for fattening than

for normal growth .

 In fattening young animals, it is specially necessary that they

be fed liberally
 Since the fattening of mature animals consists mainly in
the storage of fat ,there is no demand for a large supply
of food proteins.
 However, owing to the greater economy of gain by
young animals. it is advisable to fatten them before
maturity.
 Such animals are adding not only fat, but also
considerable lean meat need more protein
 Intestinal disorders will result and the kidney become
overburdened with too much work if we fed high
protein diet to mature animals and protein is so
expensive .
 However, if fattening animals are fed rations that are
rich in carbohydrates and fats, but too low in protein,
they are appear to go off food and may even suffer
from digestive disturbances .
 Mature fattening animals do not require a much
greater amount of minerals than they need for mere
maintenance , and their vitamin requirements are
also low.
Young fattening animals have greater needs for
minerals and vitamins.
 Calcium may be the chief cause of the poor gains
often made by fattening cattle or lambs when there is
 no legume hay .
1-The suitability of the ration
2-Fattening animals should be healthy .
3-Breed temperament
 While wild animal, nervous and active while the quiet
one which is inclined to eat and lie down will usually
make rapid gains
4- Fattening animals must not be allowed to exercise
too much, as this wastes nutrients which they might
store in their bodies .
 Complete deprivation of food
 Animals deprived of food are forced to draw up on
their body reserves to meet their nutrient
requirements for maintenance and to provide the
energy needed for such essential processes as
respiration and the circulation of the blood.

- Carnivora and mature animals withstand starvation

longer than herbivore and young animals

Starvation or complete deprivation of food causes rapid
 Depletion of glycogen stores and a change over in
 Metabolism to fat and protein.
 - In early stages there is hunger increase in muscle
power and endurance
 hypoglycaemia, and a loss of body weight.
 - The development of ketosis and acidosis follows
quickly
 increased fat utilization.
 In later stage:
 Ketosis
 The metabolic rate falls
 Slow heart rate
 Reduction of the stroke volume
 Massive protein mobilization
 Weakness of the cardiac and skeletal muscle
 Death
 Inanition (malnutrition)
• Incomplete starvation is a more field condition than complete
starvation.
• The diet is insufficient in quantity and all nutrient present but
in suboptimal amounts.
• ketosis
• Loss of body weight
• loss of Muscular power and a fall in metabolic rate occur.
• In addition there is mental depression,
• lack of sexual desire and increased susceptibility to infection.