Maintenance requirement: farm glossary
Maintenance requirement is the nutrient supply needed to sustain an animal’s basic body functions. It forms a part of the total requirement in a feeding plan. Production, growth and other life stages add their own needs. Body weight and the requirement model help describe the animal to which the maintenance calculation applies.
Compiled from open-access scientific sources.
A farm example
A dairy cow’s total needs include maintenance and milk production. The same animal can have a different total requirement at another production stage, even when its body weight is similar.
Everyday use
HerdMobile uses the selected animal information and production stage in ration calculations. Separating maintenance and production helps explain why a feeding target changes with the group’s condition and output.
How HerdMobile helps
Bring your animals, feed stocks and farm accounts together on your Android phone. HerdMobile keeps your daily work moving offline: record events, compare feed quantities and follow sales and payments in one place. Use your own feeds and herd information to prepare a ration, then keep a backup file under your control.
