Livestock Nutritionist

Click for salary, education, & more: Livestock Nutritionist (nutricionista ganadero)

Livestock nutritionists make dietary plans for each animal under their care. Livestock vary tremendously by species, weight, age, and health, so every dietary plan is slightly different. In this activity, you’ll try your hand as a livestock nutritionist and create your own feed formulation!

STEP 1: Imagine you have been hired to help a farmer create a diet for their livestock. Pick your favorite species of farm animal.

STEP 2: Research online to find out what this animal eats and its dietary requirements. Make a list on a piece of paper.

STEP 3: Raid your pantry! See if you have anything in your pantry or outdoors that the animal you chose could eat, or could serve as a symbol (ex: oatmeal to represent oats). Add these items to your list.

STEP 4: Do another round of research to see how much of each nutrient your animal needs (for example percentage needs for fiber, grains, protein, etc.).

STEP 5: Make your own feed formulation recipe! Using the ingredients you identified in step 3, combine what you have in the proper ratios according to the animal’s real dietary needs. Be sure to represent the proper ratios and units of measure (ex: grams, pounds, etc.) Write your formulation recipe to list each feed item you use, the quantity, and explanation of the ingredients you chose. It should be so specific that someone else can use your recipe to make the formulation exactly as you did.

STEP 6: Share your formulation in the Student Showcase to build your resume as a Livestock Nutritionist!