Gain a clear map of how farm animals turn feed into usable energy.
This edition surveys the energy economics of digestion, metabolism, and work produced by the animal, with careful attention to how different feeds contribute to metabolizable energy and how losses occur in methane and urine. It presents methods for comparing rations and interpreting energy data, grounded in historical experiments and detailed tabulations.
This book frames the energy concept as a practical tool for evaluating rations and optimizing animal nutrition. It discusses how researchers measure energy, the role of external work, and the limits of data on metabolizable energy. The material is structured to support readers who want a solid, method-based understanding of energy in animal feeding without assuming prior specialized knowledge.
- How energy from feed becomes usable power in the animal’s body
- Ways scientists measure metabolizable energy and account for losses
- How to compare different rations using energy data and corrections
- Insight into historical experimental approaches and their implications for nutrition practice
Ideal for readers of scientific nutrition and animal science who want a foundation in energy accounting for farm animals, with practical context for interpretation and application.