1. Nutritional needs of animals

An important prerequisite for formulating feed is understanding the nutritional needs of animals. Formulators must not only refer to the animal nutritional requirements in books, but also adjust the formula in a timely manner based on specific conditions such as the breeding environment and feeding management.

  1. Nutritional composition of feed ingredients

Compound feed is composed of a variety of raw materials. The nutritional composition of the feed product can be calculated based on the known or estimated nutritional content and formula of the raw materials. There are thousands of feed raw materials used in the world. Crop growth, harvesting and processing conditions vary in different regions, and the nutrient types and contents of the same raw materials will also change accordingly. In actual formulation, in addition to referring to relevant feeding standards (such as NRC, CRC, etc.), formulators should also have the knowledge and skills to accurately understand the nutritional value of existing feed ingredients.

  1. Cost and supply of feed ingredients

With the continuous development and application of new alternative raw materials, formulators can design thousands of feed formulas based on their nutritional content and cost, as well as animal nutritional needs. From the perspective of feed formulation, these formulas can meet the nutritional needs of animals and the requirements for raw material limits, and are all “feasible”; however, due to the different costs of each raw material involved in each formula, there is a certain price difference between formulas. difference. A set of raw materials in a proportion that results in the lowest cost feed product is considered the lowest cost formulation, but this does not mean sacrificing quality. The lowest cost formulation must meet the desired level of quality, and its quality depends largely on the formulator’s skillful use of nutritional content and ingredient limits.