BASICS OF ANIMAL NUTRITION AND FEEDING

The course lecturers will cover:
- the classification of animals based on their feeding habit;
- the concepts of essentiality, minimum requirements, recommended dietary allowance;
- nutritional role, functions, interactions and natural sources of macronutrients (water, fat, carbohydrates, protein) and micronutrients (minerals and vitamins);
- nutritional evaluation of feeds: chemical composition, digestibility using metabolic cages, nutritive value, biological value;
- factors affecting palatability and voluntary intake;
- energy and nutrients requirements (maintenance, growth, pregnancy, lactation);
- regulation on feed and additives used in animal nutrition, labeling, contaminants
- feed classification, processing, storage, preparation and distribution

Laboratory sessions and practical activities will cover:
- laboratory sessions of chemical, physical and biological analyses of feeds, which will be organized by dividing students into 3 groups;
- interpretation of feeds labels;
- identification of vegetal-origin ingredients by using dedicated collections;
- visit to a natural zoological garden and visit to an enclosure with laboratory animals in order to evaluate the adopted feeding management and the preparation of diets addressed to both healthy and sick and recovering animals