By its nutritional value foods are not equal. They are characterized by common protein, vitamin and mineral value to the animal organism.

Under the overall nutritional understand the amount of the initial nutrient foods - protein, carbohydrates and fats. The unit of nutritional assessment by a German scientist O. Kellner was offered 1 kg of digestible starch (starch equivalent). But since 1922 scientists of the Soviet Union under the leadership of Professor EA Bogdanova developed a more realistic assessment of general nutrition, as expressed in feed units (room units). Equal nutritional value of 1 kg of oats (0.6 kg starch equivalent). This unit and formed the basis for assessing the overall nutritional value of forages. Nutritional other forages weighed against the nutritional content of this type of feed. According to the accepted estimates of 1 kg of corn grain contains 1.34 k.ed., barley - 1,13, peas - 1,14, wheat --

1,06, potatoes - 0,31, grass alfalfa - 0,19 k.ed. and so on.

Nutritional value is adjusted with the energy assessment. Until recently, the unit of energy nutritional feed to count calories and calories. Then switched to a unified international system (SI) measurements of energy - joule. One calorie is 4.1868 joules corresponds rounded - 4,19. But the value of a joule is too small, in practice more than used the value of kilojoule (kJ), which corresponds to one thousand joules,

or megajoules (MJ), equal to a thousand kJ.

However, in the body of the animal is not used all the energy. Part of it is allocated along with the indigestible remains of food, the urine. The difference between the gross energy of feed and energy is not used in the body, in livestock ie exchange energy. This is the energy that is expended to maintain temperature, digestion of feed, muscle work, the formation of muscle tissue, skin, etc.

The exchange of energy as the room unit. - One member of the evaluation of nutritional food and the need for an organism depending on the period, the physiological state of the organism (sukrolnost, molting, lactation, growth, fattening, etc.).

Another crucial parameter for evaluating the nutritional value of forages and needs of an animal is crude protein, which is the sum of all nitrogen containing substances in the diet, including protein. Proteins of different forages are not identical in its biological value. It is determined by the presence of its components - amino acids. At present, isolated and studied more than 40 amino acids, of which 10 species are irreplaceable, that is, those that are not synthesized in the body and must be obtained from foods. But none of the feed is not ideal for the presence and ratio of amino acid composition. Full-fledged members of a protein are considered to be food of animal origin (fish, meat, blood meal, dairy products).

The validity of the protein of the ration can be achieved by a set of diverse forages. From mineral substances in the rabbit the most important are calcium, phosphorus, sodium. They are taken into account in determining rules of feeding and preparation of the diet.

Vitamin rabbits are most sensitive to a lack of vitamin A. In the feed contained in the form of provitamin A - carotene in it and are rationing.