If you own horses, cattle, or other livestock in Australia, understanding feed testing is crucial for ensuring the health and well-being of your animals.
A feed test provides detailed insights into the nutritional content of your feed, helping you make informed decisions about supplementation, feed management, and overall animal performance.

But how do you read and interpret an Australian feed test?

In this blog, we will break down the key components of a typical feed test and explain how to make sense of the results.

What is a Feed Test?

A feed test involves analysing the composition of the feed, such as hay, silage, grain, or pasture. It provides a detailed breakdown of nutrients, including protein, energy, fibre, minerals, and vitamins. In Australia, feed tests are typically conducted in accredited laboratories, and the results help farmers and owners optimise their feeding practices.

Key Components of an Australian Feed Test

When you receive your feed test results, it will come with a series of values and percentages. Here are the most common components you’ll encounter:

Crude Protein (CP)

Crude protein is an essential nutrient that indicates the amount of nitrogen in the feed, which is directly related to the protein content. It’s essential for growth, milk production, and reproduction in livestock.

Higher crude protein content means higher nutritional value. For example, high-quality hay might have 15-20% crude protein, while lower-quality hay might be as low as 6-8%.

Metabolisable Energy (ME)

Metabolisable energy measures the available energy in the feed after accounting for losses in digestion. It’s expressed in megajoules per kilogram (MJ/kg). Energy is a key factor in livestock performance, affecting growth rates, milk production, and overall health.

Livestock typically require 8-12 MJ/kg of energy in their diet, depending on their stage of production. For example, high-quality grains might have higher ME than pasture or hay.

Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF) and Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF)

These two components refer to the fibre content in the feed. NDF represents the total fibre, including cellulose and lignin, while ADF measures the indigestible fibre that reduces the nutritional value of the feed.

High NDF values often indicate a rougher, more fibrous feed, which is less digestible and provides lower energy. Lower ADF values typically indicate higher-quality feed that is more digestible for livestock.

Water Soluble Carbohydrates (WSC)

WSC includes sugars like glucose, fructose, and sucrose found in plants. These sugars are particularly important for horses prone to laminitis or metabolic disorders.

  • High levels of sugar can exacerbate conditions like laminitis or insulin resistance.
  • Monitoring WSC helps control sugar intake and prevent triggering laminitis flare-ups.
  • WSC is typically reported as a percentage of the dry matter of the feed.
  • For laminitis-prone horses, aim for WSC levels below 10% of the dry matter in their diet.
  • High WSC percentages can indicate that the feed may not be suitable for horses at risk of metabolic disorders.

Dry Matter (DM)

Dry matter is the amount of feed left after removing water. It’s important to know because the nutritional values are based on the dry matter of the feed, not the moisture content.

If a feed has a high moisture content (like silage), you might need to adjust for that to ensure you’re feeding the correct amount. For example, if the dry matter is 90%, the remaining 10% is water.

Minerals and Vitamins

Feed tests will often include information on the levels of key minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and trace elements like copper and zinc. These minerals are crucial for bone health, reproductive success, and overall well-being of animals.

How to interpret: Compare the levels of minerals in the feed with the animal’s nutritional requirements. For example, dairy cattle require higher calcium levels during lactation, and deficiencies can lead to health problems like milk fever.

How to Use the Results

Now that you have your feed test results, it’s essential to compare them with the nutritional requirements of your livestock. Here’s a general approach:

Step 1: Understand Your Livestock’s Needs

The first step is understanding the nutritional needs of the animals you’re feeding. Factors such as species, age, production stage (e.g., pregnant, lactating, growing), and activity level will influence their dietary requirements.

Step 2: Compare Feed Results with Requirements

Using your feed test results, match the nutrient levels to the needs of your livestock.

Step 3: Adjust the Diet as Needed

Based on the results, you might need to adjust your feed strategy.
If a feed is deficient in a particular nutrient, supplement it with another feed or concentrate (like a protein meal or mineral licks). If a feed does not have enough fibre or low energy, consider adding higher-quality feed to improve intake and digestion.

Additional Considerations

  • Test Regularly: Feed composition can change with seasons, plant growth, and storage conditions. Regular feed testing ensures that your animals are always getting the proper nutrients.
  • Consult with Experts: If you’re unsure how to interpret the results or need help adjusting your feeding plan, consult a nutritionist or local agricultural service.

Reading and interpreting an Australian feed test is essential for optimising livestock nutrition.

By understanding key components like crude protein, energy, fibre content, and minerals, you can ensure that your animals receive the right balance of nutrients for maximum performance. Regular feed testing and adjustments based on your test results will help keep your livestock healthy, productive, and thriving.