Animal Nutrition: JAMB Agricultural Science Questions, Answers & Notes

What Animal Nutrition covers in the JAMB Agricultural Science syllabus

Animal nutrition deals with the feed animals need for growth, health and production. The nutrients are proteins (growth/body-building), carbohydrates (main energy source), fats (concentrated energy store), minerals (calcium and phosphorus for bones/teeth and eggshells, iron, etc.), vitamins (needed in tiny amounts, e.g. vitamin A for vision) and water (the largest part of the body, essential for all processes). Feeds are grouped as energy/basal feeds (carbohydrate-rich: maize, cassava), protein concentrates (groundnut cake, soybean, fish meal), roughages (high-fibre: grass, hay, straw — for ruminants, digested by rumen microbes) and concentrates (low fibre, nutrient-rich). A balanced ration supplies all nutrients in the right proportions; a maintenance ration just sustains the body, while a production ration adds nutrients for growth, milk or eggs. Good nutrition gives healthy animals and good production.

For Animal Nutrition, JAMB expects you to be able to:

• Identify food nutrients (protein, carbohydrate, fat, minerals, vitamins, water) and their roles
• Distinguish energy feeds, protein concentrates and roughages
• Explain balanced/maintenance/production rations and deficiency effects

Key facts & revision notes: Animal Nutrition

These are the recurring points our Animal Nutrition questions test — revise them until each feels automatic, then practise the questions above to lock them in.

• Animal nutrition deals with the food (feed) animals need for growth, health and production.
• Proteins are needed for growth and body-building (repair of tissues).
• Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for animals.
• Fats (lipids) provide concentrated energy and serve as an energy store.
• calcium, phosphorus, iron) are needed in small amounts for body processes.
• Vitamins are organic substances needed in tiny amounts to keep the body healthy.
• Water makes up the largest part of the body and is essential for all life processes.
• Energy (basal) feeds are rich in carbohydrates (e.g.
• maize, cassava, guinea corn).
• Protein concentrates are rich in protein (e.g.
• groundnut cake, soybean meal, fish meal).
• A balanced ration contains all the required nutrients in the correct proportions.
• A maintenance ration keeps the animal's body functioning without weight gain or production.
• A production ration provides extra nutrients for growth, milk, egg or meat production.
• Roughages are bulky, high-fibre feeds like grass, hay and straw, important for ruminants.
• Concentrates are low in fibre and rich in energy or protein (e.g.
• Calcium and phosphorus are needed for strong bones and teeth (and eggshells in poultry).
• Protein deficiency causes poor growth and development, especially in young animals.
• Vitamin A is important for good vision, healthy skin and disease resistance.
• Microbes in the rumen digest fibre (cellulose), so ruminants can use roughage well.
• Clean water aids digestion, temperature control and all body processes; animals need it constantly.
• Good nutrition ensures healthy animals with good growth, reproduction and production.

Worked examples

Three Animal Nutrition questions with the answer and a short explanation, so you can see how the topic is set before you practise the full set.

How Animal Nutrition is tested in JAMB Agricultural Science

Our Animal Nutrition bank holds 20 questions (11 medium, 9 hard). JAMB Agricultural Science typically returns to Animal Nutrition year after year, so steady practice on this topic is high-value revision. Questions are multiple-choice with four options, and at UTME pace you get roughly 40 seconds each — which is why timed practice matters.

How to answer Animal Nutrition questions

Work the stem first and predict the answer before you look at the options; then eliminate the ones that contradict the key facts above. Watch for “which is not…”, “all of the above” and “except” style stems, which are where rushed candidates lose easy marks on Animal Nutrition. If a calculation or a precise definition is involved, work it from first principles rather than guessing from a half-remembered rule. When two options look right, re-read the stem for the qualifier that separates them — JAMB rarely repeats an option by accident. If you are still unsure, eliminate the two weakest choices to lift your odds, flag the question, and move on; never burn a full minute on one Agricultural Science item when the exam gives you about forty seconds each. Then come back to flagged questions with whatever time remains. The single most reliable way to get faster at Animal Nutrition is repeated timed practice, so use the button above until the recurring patterns feel automatic.

Common mistakes to avoid in Animal Nutrition

The errors that cost marks on Animal Nutrition are usually careless rather than conceptual: misreading a negative stem, confusing two similar terms, or rushing a definition you actually know. Candidates also over-rely on “expo” and last-minute cramming instead of understanding the topic — which fails the moment JAMB rephrases a familiar idea. Treat every option as a claim to be checked against the facts above, keep your working tidy for any calculation, and don’t change a considered answer on a hunch. Above all, revise Animal Nutrition actively by answering questions, not just by re-reading notes — recall under time is what the exam rewards.

Frequently asked questions

Is Animal Nutrition part of the JAMB Agricultural Science syllabus?

Yes. Animal Nutrition is a recognised topic in the JAMB Agricultural Science syllabus, covering identify food nutrients (protein, carbohydrate, fat, minerals, vitamins, water) and their roles. You should be able to recall its key facts and apply them to multiple-choice questions.

How many Animal Nutrition questions can I practise on Belmadeng?

There are 20 original, JAMB-standard Animal Nutrition questions in our free bank, each with the correct answer and a worked explanation. You can practise them untimed or as a timed test.

What are the most important points to know about Animal Nutrition?

Animal nutrition deals with the feed animals need for growth, health and production. The nutrients are proteins (growth/body-building), carbohydrates (main energy source), fats (concentrated energy store), minerals (calcium and phosphorus for bones/teeth and eggshells, iron, etc.), vitamins (needed …

How do I answer Animal Nutrition questions quickly in JAMB?

Read the stem carefully, eliminate clearly wrong options, and match the remaining choices to the key facts for Animal Nutrition. Practising timed Animal Nutrition questions builds the speed you need for UTME's pace of about 40 seconds per question.

Are these JAMB Agricultural Science Animal Nutrition questions past questions or original?

They are original questions written to JAMB (UTME) standard and mapped to the official syllabus — not reproduced past papers. This keeps them legal to use freely while closely mirroring how the real exam tests the topic.

Where can I practise Animal Nutrition questions free without signing up?

Right here — tap “Start Animal Nutrition practice” on this page to begin instantly. Belmadeng's CBT practice is completely free and needs no sign-up, download or subscription.

About these questions: original, JAMB-standard items written from the official UTME Agricultural Science syllabus (last reviewed 2026-09-18). Belmadeng is an independent study platform and is not affiliated with JAMB. Spotted an error? Use the report link.