| Semester 2, 2023 External | |
| Units : | 1 |
| School or Department : | School of Agriculture and Environmental Science |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
| Course fee schedule : | /current-students/administration/fees/fee-schedules |
Staffing
Course Coordinator:
Requisites
Pre-requisite: BIO2103
Overview
An in-depth knowledge of nutrition is key to improving efficiencies in animal production systems. Understanding of the composition of feed material (including supplements), animal growth responses to different dietary intakes and the characteristics of healthy and dysfunctional digestive systems is vital in this regard. This course has particular relevance to students aiming to work in the cattle, sheep, pig and poultry industries.
In this course students will learn about the main aspects of production animal nutrition. This will include the composition of animal feed, animal growth in response to different food sources and the process of digestion (including mechanical and chemical digestion, absorption and the metabolism of macro and micronutrients). The implications of common nutritional disorders will also be covered. Students will be provided with an overview of the current nutritional approaches to improving productivity and animal health in the cattle, sheep, pig and poultry industries.
This course contains a highly recommended residential school for both external and on-campus students (non-attendance will mean the student misses an element of assessment preparation). To participate in the residential school students will need to have immunity to or have been vaccinated against Q fever (A zoonotic disease).
Course learning outcomes
On completion of this course students should be able to:
- Evaluate the current principles of livestock feed composition;
- Compare and evaluate animal growth responses to different dietary intakes;
- Explain the principles of food digestion, absorption and metabolism;
- Assess the impact of nutritional disorders on animal production;
- Evaluate the current nutritional approaches to improving productivity and animal health in the cattle, sheep, pig and poultry industries.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Food composition | 8.00 |
| 2. | Animal growth | 8.00 |
| 3. | The digestive process | 20.00 |
| 4. | Metabolism | 8.00 |
| 5. | Protein, carbohydrate & lipid digestion | 20.00 |
| 6. | Mineral & vitamin uptake | 8.00 |
| 7. | Nutritional diseases | 8.00 |
| 8. | Applied animal nutrition | 20.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
Student workload expectations
To do well in this subject, students are expected to commit approximately 10 hours per week including class contact hours, independent study, and all assessment tasks. If you are undertaking additional activities, which may include placements and residential schools, the weekly workload hours may vary.
Assessment details
| Description | Group Assessment |
Weighting (%) | Course learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiz | No | 10 | 1,2 |
| Presentation (ind, grp, mltmd) | No | 25 | 3,4 |
| Report | No | 30 | 1,5 |
| Quiz | No | 35 | 1,2 |