Animal Science & Nutrition

Livestock nutrition, physiology, reproduction, breeding and husbandry.

Animal science studies farm animals - cattle, pigs, poultry, small ruminants, rabbits - with a focus on nutrition and feeding, digestive physiology, reproduction, genetics and breeding, and housing and management systems.

Ruminant nutrition is one of its largest areas, including how feed composition and additives affect digestion, productivity and methane emissions. Other topics range from heat stress in livestock to feed efficiency, rangeland grazing and product quality.

Studying animal science & nutrition

Degree programs in this subject often run under these names:

What you typically learn

  • Animal nutrition and feed science
  • Animal physiology and reproduction
  • Animal breeding and genetics
  • Livestock husbandry: cattle, pigs, poultry, sheep, goats
  • Animal welfare and housing
  • Animal products: milk, meat and eggs

Where graduates typically work

  • Feed and animal nutrition companies
  • Livestock farms and herd management
  • Breeding organizations and artificial insemination services
  • Advisory and extension services
  • Animal product processing and quality control
  • Research and public agencies

Curricula differ by country and institution - the program pages linked below have the details.

Where to study animal science & nutrition

126 programs in 35 countries. See all 126 programs

Where research is heading

Typical research questions

  • How do feed composition and feed additives affect productivity and methane emissions?
  • How does heat stress affect livestock, and how can it be mitigated?
  • How can feed efficiency be improved through nutrition and breeding?
  • How can reproduction and fertility of high-yielding animals be maintained?

Publications per year

Papers whose main topic belongs to this field, 2010–2025.

0 15k 30k2010: 23,19120102011: 22,1922012: 22,9782013: 24,0042014: 26,6342015: 25,91720152016: 26,7542017: 27,1692018: 27,6902019: 28,7382020: 29,11320202021: 28,6122022: 25,9912023: 26,5112024: 27,4562025: 29,0182025

Research fronts: fastest-growing topics

Papers 2024–2025 compared with 2021–2022, topics with at least 500 recent papers.

Topic2021–20222024–2025Change
Livestock Management and Performance ImprovementLivestock Farming · Rural Development · Agricultural Practices · Healthcare Reform1,5022,086+39%
Rabbits: Nutrition, Reproduction, HealthRabbit Meat · Quality · Factors · Reproductive Performance2,3402,921+25%
Livestock Farming and ManagementBeef Cattle · Livestock Production · Small Farming · Genetic Diversity3,4554,233+23%
Effects of Environmental Stressors on LivestockHeat Stress · Livestock Production · Dairy Cattle · Climate Change3,6604,342+19%
Livestock and Poultry ManagementChicken Domestication · Genetic Diversity · Village Poultry · Mitochondrial DNA2,8183,292+17%
Rangeland Management and Livestock EcologyRangeland Degradation · Pastoralists · Livelihoods · Ecological Knowledge5,3826,190+15%

Largest topics

By number of papers 2024–2025.

  1. Animal Nutrition and PhysiologyAmino Acids · Gut Microbiota · Probiotics · Antibiotic Alternatives 11,443
  2. Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestockGenomic Selection · Plant Breeding · Animal Breeding · Genetic Value Prediction 8,016
  3. Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive PhysiologyRuminant Nutrition · Methane Production · Microbial Community · Dietary Tannins 6,512
  4. Rangeland Management and Livestock EcologyRangeland Degradation · Pastoralists · Livelihoods · Ecological Knowledge 6,190
  5. Reproductive Physiology in LivestockReproductive Loss · Uterine Disease · Dairy Cattle · Metabolic Stress 4,474
  6. Effects of Environmental Stressors on LivestockHeat Stress · Livestock Production · Dairy Cattle · Climate Change 4,342

Highly cited recent papers

Most-cited articles and reviews published 2024–2025. Citation counts favor reviews and papers published early in the window.

  1. Response of Broiler Chickens to Three Different Energy Source Feedstuffs Abrani Sulaiman, N. B. Rano, Halima Abdullahi et al. · International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology (IJISRT) · 2024 · 734 citations · Open access
  2. Haematological Studies of Broilers (1-28 Days) Fed with Diet Containing Varying Proportions of Tithonia Diversifolia Leaf Protein Concentrate Ibidiran Oluwasegun Emmanuel, Adebayo Francis Bosede · International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology (IJISRT) · 2024 · 733 citations · Open access
  3. Genomic selection in plant breeding: Key factors shaping two decades of progress Admas Alemu, Johanna Åstrand, Osval Antonio Montesinos-López et al. · Molecular Plant · 2024 · 339 citations · Open access
  4. Oxidative stress in poultry production Oyegunle Emmanuel Oke, O.A. Akosile, Aderanti Ifeoluwa Oni et al. · Poultry Science · 2024 · 249 citations · Open access
  5. Groundwater-dependent ecosystem map exposes global dryland protection needs Melissa M. Rohde, Christine M. Albano, Xander Huggins et al. · Nature · 2024 · 191 citations · Open access
  6. Managing fragmented croplands for environmental and economic benefits in China Ouping Deng, Jiangyou Ran, Shuai Jun Huang et al. · Nature Food · 2024 · 130 citations

All study programs in animal science & nutrition

All study programs