Application of nonlinear programming in the field of animal nutrition : A problem to maximize the weight gain in sheep

The principle objective in the application of linear programming to feed formulation for animals is the production of least cost ration. This approach is useful to maximize the weight gain of an animal. Solving a weight gain model has been difficult as nonlinear relation arises due to complexity between the nutrient ingredients and weight gain. This study is an attempt to develop a nonlinear programming model for optimal planning for using nutrient ingredients. Objective function is formulated to maximize the weight gain in sheep dependent on three independent nutrient ingredients: Dry Matter, Digestible Crude Protein and Total Digestible Nutrient. We shall analyze the effect of all the variables simultaneously.