Development of a Precision Livestock Nutrition Framework for Optimising Individual Animal Feeding in Nigerian Commercial Cattle Systems

This study develops and validates a precision livestock nutrition framework for optimising individual animal feeding in Nigerian commercial cattle production systems, integrating animal phenotyping, real-time sensor data, predictive modelling, and automated feeding technologies to maximise feed use efficiency while minimising environmental impact. Feed is the largest cost in commercial cattle production and also the largest source of environmental impact through methane emissions and nitrogen excretion. Precision nutrition, which targets feeding to individual animal requirements rather than group averages, can simultaneously improve production economics and reduce environmental footprint, but no framework for its application in Nigerian commercial cattle systems exists. This study develops the framework through three sequential phases: animal phenotyping and requirement modelling using 200 commercial cattle at NAPRI Shika, sensor technology validation for real-time feed intake and body weight monitoring, and automated feed delivery system design and testing. Phase one generates breed-specific nutrient requirement equations accounting for liveweight, growth rate, body condition, and production stage. Phase two validates RFID-linked electronic feed intake monitoring and walk-over weigh station systems for Nigerian management conditions. Phase three integrates requirement models and real-time data into an automated decision support system that adjusts ration composition and delivery for each animal. Field validation compares the precision nutrition system against conventional group feeding in a randomised herd-level trial. Findings demonstrate that precision nutrition improves feed efficiency by 18 percent and reduces nitrogen excretion by 24 percent compared to group average feeding, while reducing total feed cost per kilogram gain by 14 percent. The study contributes an original Nigerian precision nutrition framework and recommends a phased commercial adoption pathway.

Keywords: precision nutrition, individual animal feeding, commercial cattle, Nigeria, feed efficiency.