Very little research has been conducted to determine the effect of wasted feed on the environment. However, wasted feed will increase the amount of feed required for a given level of animal production and may be disposed of in the manure pit. Feeding animals on the ground in dirt lots can result in mud accumulation and erosion and could be a surface water runoff risk.

It is common for animals to spill or waste feed. For example, pigs can waste as much as 20% of their diet while eating. This wasted feed is often wet and covered with saliva, and it will spoil and rot. If this feed is left in place, animals will not consume it. Silage left in the feed bunk and not consumed quickly is especially susceptible to spoilage and will not be eaten.

1. Bunks and feeders should be designed to reduce wasted feed. Animals should be allowed to eat comfortably, while making it difficult for them to spill feed. Feeder design can vary from species to species.

2. Bunks and feeders should be cleaned on a regular basis so that clean feed is not contaminated with spoiled or rotten feed.

3. Feeding processing can also have an influence on feed consumption and feed wastage. Dairy cows fed total mixed rations will waste less feed than those fed individual components. Animals fed pelleted feeds will waste less than when fed ground or mashed feeds.

4. Do not feed animals on the ground. It is a common practice, but there is no greater source of waste than feeding an animal on the ground. Although this might be acceptable with beef cows or sheep on the open range, or even horses, it is not acceptable to feed animals on the ground near a stream. This practice encourages loitering near a stream, which can lead to destruction of the vegetation near the stream, and a higher level of manure deposition, which in close proximity to a stream, can make manure reaching the stream more likely. This sort of waste also contributes to the creation of mud in pastures and paddocks.

See Feed Management on Livestock Farms

Author: Michael Westendorf, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey