Sheep - AgRIS

8. Nutrition
8.1 Components of Sheep Nutrition
It is well known that all animal live upon the feeds that are taken by them. After the feeds
are ingested, they are subjected to the various processes of digestion by which portions become
available for great variety of functions of the body. The undigested residues and waste products
formed with in the body are exserted. The exereta of animals, often more or less mixed with
materials used for bedding constitute the animal manures which are one of the great byproducts
of live stock industry and which when properly used, serve to return to the soil, a large
percentage of the materials originally contained in the feeds.
8. 1.1 Grazing
Sheep prefer ground vegetation, grasses, legumes and a wide variety of forbes. Practically
little or no supplementary feeding is provided to sheep for efficient sheep production. The
pastures and natural range lands should be optimally utilised and some supplementation of
concentrate containing grains, cakes and agro-industrial by-products is necessary for
maximising production from sheep.
Like any other ruminant sheep also has a compound stomach with 4 compartments, viz.
rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum.
Since the well being of sheep depends upon feeding and management, the feeds provided
for them must contain the mutrients which they need. The practical feeding of sheep is often a
relatively simple matter, but the physiological process of the body are very complicated and
thus a thorough understanding of nutrition in sheep requires a knowlege regarding soil, plants,
and animal physiology as there is a important relationship between these:
8.1.1. 2 Essential nutrients
The essential nutrients in Sheep nutrition are classified into six groups based on chemical,
physical and biological properties. These are water, carbohydrates (Energy), fats, proteins,
minerals and vitamins.
(i) Water
Water, is essential for proper functioning of the body. We now recognise that water and its
ionization products are important determinants of characteristic structure and biological
properties of proteins and nucleic acids as well as membranes, ribosomes and many other cell
components.
It performs several very important functions in the body, as it aids in holding other
nutrients in solution or suspension and hence helps in the digestion, utilization, and elimination
of them or their products . It is responsible in part for the shape of the body and is a vital item
in the control of body temperature. Water constitutes over 50 per cent ofthe body composition
of a lamb, and abundant supply of water is essential to the thrift of sheep. There is a widespread
notion that sheep can do well without water, but careful sheepmen always keep a supply for
them or drive them to a good source. When grazing succulent forage in cool weather, the
amount drunk will be small. Since sheep sweat to only a very slight degree compared with
some other animals, the principal means of elimination is through the kidneys and by
respiration.
Water acts as a solvent for crystalloids, medium for digestion, absorption, metabolism,
secretion and exerction and transportation of nutrients, and harmones in animal body. Water
also plays dominant role in equalizing the temperature throughout the body due to its physical
properties like greater therrnal conductivity higher specific heat and higher latent heat of
vaporization than any other ordinary liquid. Water also serve as a lubricant for moving surfaces
in the body. It is the main constituent of all body tissues and helps in the digestion, metabolism
of nutrients and exoretion of waste products. The body water plays an important role in the
animal's thermoregulatory mechanism. The water requirement is usually satisfied by the water
present in the feed and also by drinking. Water requirement is influenced by atmospheric
temperature and humidity, stage of growth, gestation and lactation and other stresses. An adult
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