Question

The food requirement of dairy animals?
a. Maintenance requirement, which is the food required to support the animal to live a healthy life.
b. Milk producing requirement, which is the type of food required during the lactation period.
c. Option a and b both
d. None of these

Answer 1

The food requirement mainly depends on the diet composition, intake of dry matter, pH of water. Dairy animals usually need energy for lactation and maintenance. The food requirements are the essential needs of animals to keep them living and sustain longer.

Complete answer:
There are two types of food requirement of dairy animals which include:
- Maintenance requirement and Milk producing requirement.
- Maintenance requirement is defined as the basic requirement needed for the healthy lifestyle system which includes food, roughage and water.

Milk producing requirements are the other food requirement which is needed mostly during lactation period. This process needs a high amount of energy and the diet of the animal reflects in the milk of the animal. It is considered as the output for the growth.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C).

Additional information:

An animal husbandry requires high level of maintenance in the form of health, food, nutrition, cleanliness, water and holding hygiene conditions to sustain long and healthy life and good quality products.
Health maintenance is generally including vitamins, minerals, proteins and other nutrients which are necessary for their healthy and disease-free life.
Roughage is usually used to provide high protein value which helps in sustaining better development and increasing lactation period.

Note: The food requirement of dairy animals requires maintenance in the basic form of nutrition, clean water and healthy lifestyle like humans, to sustain long life and to produce good quality of food products. They also require some special prerequisite as the process of lactation (for milk production) demands for high energy consumption.