Applied Animal Nutrition-I

FORMULATION OF LEAST COST RATION

Definition

• A least cost ration incorporates all the available feedstuffs having good nutritive value and being available at a reasonable low cost.
• It can also be defined as an economic ration for animal production (dairy, beef, sheep, goats, poultry etc.) that provides nutrients in balanced proportion with lowest possible cost per kg or 100 kg.
• It is the ration containing all essential nutrients that are needed to meet the requirements of the animal (growth, maintenance, production, reproduction, work etc.) without affecting quality and with least cost.

Aim

• To minimize the cost of ration while meeting the nutrient requirements of animals without affecting their productivity.

Advantages

• Incorporation of non-conventional feedstuffs is easy.
• The speed and accuracy of the linear programming by computer saves time and labour.
• As the programme is flexible, inclusion of feed ingredients as per availability and quality can be made quickly.
• Gives more productive efficiency with least cost.
• Increases profitability of the livestock farm.
• Farmer can also afford to make use of it more effectively because it is cheaper in nature.

Procedure

• List all the available feeds, fodders and other available ingredients.
• Enlist the components of each ingredient
• Feed the computer with the cost of all available feed ingredients.
• Give instructions to the computer for the type of ration desired depending upon the requirements of animal (growth, maintenance, production, reproduction, work or starter, grower, layer etc; high energy, high protein, low energy, low protein etc.)
• Give instructions to the computer regarding the amount of feed ingredients (for example say DM of 20 kg or DCP of 1.5 kg). Similarly, amount of certain feed ingredients in the ration can be fixed like fish meal (say 10 %) and mineral mixture (say 2 %).
• Now, the computer will take the least cost feed ingredients for formulating least cost ration.
• It is a linear programme based model that includes the following stepwise approach: i e. Proximate values (DM and nutritive value i.e. CP / DCP and TDN / ME).

Limitations of computer based model

• Certain constraints need to be imposed on ingredients (maximum and minimum levels) or otherwise, it may take all low cost ingredients with poor nutritive value. Such a ration would not result in high milk production at least cost and hence, milk production may get adversely affected.
• Computer can not encounter the toxic material in the ingredients.
• Computer will not count the additive effect of feeds.
• Computer can not judge the digestibility and palatability of ingredients. It may be a least cost ration, but with poor palatability.
• Needs skill and good programming.