饲料是饲养的动物的食物的总称。比较狭义地一般饲料主要指的是农业或牧业饲养的动物的食物。

一般来说只有植物饲料才被称为（经济动物用）饲料，这些饲料中包括草、各种谷物、块茎、根等。这些饲料可以粗地分为：

这些饲料主要是用含大量淀粉的谷物、种子和根或块茎组成的。比如各种谷物、马铃薯、小麦等。这些饲料主要通过多糖来提供能量，而含很少蛋白质。它们适用于反刍动物、家禽和猪，但含太多淀粉的饲料不适用于马。

这些饲料由含油的种子（油菜、黄豆、向日葵、花生）等组成。这些饲料的能源主要来自脂类，因此其能量密度比含淀粉的饲料高。这些饲料的蛋白质含量也比较低。由于这些油也有工业用途，因此这样的饲料的普及性不高。

Fodder, a type of animal feed, is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them), rather than that which they forage for themselves (see forage). It includes hay, straw, silage, compressed and pelleted feeds, oils and mixed rations, and sprouted grains and legumes. Most animal feed is from plants, but some manufacturers add ingredients to processed feeds that are of animal origin.