Ch 17 - Small Ruminants Flashcards
Goat Products
Meat, milk, fiber - mohair, cashmere
Populations
US sheep population has declined, US goat population is stable
Do goats and sheep eat the same feed as cattle
Selective, gut parasites a problem
Types of forages
Arid rangelands: good for wool production, low lambing rate
intermountain region rangeland:
hay and grain sometimes, summer grazing at high elevations, crop residues in oct-dec, ewes confinement fed
Browse and grasslands -arid to semi arid
stored and purchased forage, grain in winter
high potential grazing land and cropland
The life cycle
Birth, suckling, weaning, growth, maturation, adulthood, pregnancy, lactaion
Breeding season
save good pasture for breeding. avoid pasture with more than 50% legumes
Flushing
increase nutrient intake and BCS prior to and during breeding season. increases ovulation, decreases embryo loss during implantation
Practical feeding for preg and lact females
Quantity over quality
make forage main part of diet
feeding thumb rule - grain
no grain during early and mid preg, .5-1lb during late gestation, maybe more if expecting trips,
feeding thumb rule - after parturition
lots of water, warm water in winter. forage at first, take about a week to get ewe/doe on full feed
feeding thumb rule - lactation
feed 4-5 lbs of best hay and 1lb grain for each offspring. if feeding alfalfa, grain can be corn or barley. if feeding grass hay, supplement protein and calcium
Additional feeding tips
weigh feed, dont do minerals free choice, include drugs for coccidiosis, feed whole grains, separate animals into groups according to nutritional needs
health risks related to lambing and kidding
pregnancy toxemia, milk fever, abortion, white muscle disease
Pregnancy toxemia symptoms
Low blood glucose
lethargy, sluggishness, not eating, neurological dysfunction, coma, stiff gait
Pregnancy toxemia risk factors
inadeuate nutrition, multiple fetuses, low food intake, obesity, poor body condition, lack of exercise, stress
Pregnancy toxemia - tmnt and prevention
Tmnt - oral glucose, IV glucose, caesarian section
Prevention - Adequate energy in diet, feeder space, proper BC, exercise, less stress
Milk Fever Symptoms
Low blood calcium
Sudden onset, recumency, neck turned back, musle weakness, muscle tremors, bloat, coma, death
Milk fever - tmnt and prevention
Treatment:
Oral calcium
IV calcium
Dextrose
Prevention:
Proper ca in diet, minimize stress, save alfalfa for laction
Abortion
Termination of pregnancy, stillborns, weak lambs and kids that die shortly after birth.
Failure to expel dead fetuses can result in death
Abortion risk factors and treatment
bacteria, spoiled feed, cat feces
Treatment - antibiotics, isolate affected females, aborting females develop immunity
White Muscle disease
deficiency of selenium and or vitamin E in newborns. Sudden exercise may trigger
white Muscle disease symptoms
skeletal - treat w vit e/se shot
mild stiffness to obvious pain upon walking to inability to stand, stiff gait, hunched-up
Cardiac - pneumonia, trouble breathing, frothy nasal discharge, fever, irregular and elevated heart and respiratory rate
White muscle disease - risk factors and prevention
selenium deficient soils, poor quality forage, lack of pasture access, low se feed
prevention - provide selenium or give injection
lactating ewe mineral requirements
Calcium - high in lactating ewe
phosphorus - mineral supplement
Vit a and d in feed and sunlight
Sheep susceptible to copper toxicity
Weaning lambs
not before 21 days, when creep feed intake is .5lb/lamb/day, or when weight equals 3x birth weight
options for feeding lambs/kids
grain feeding - creep feeding, high energy ration until marketed
Pasture:
100% grass, supplemental grain, grain feeding at end of grazing period to improve fleshing
Creep feeding
supplemental feed to nursing lambs and kids, enhances rumen, protected area, reduces stress at weaning
clean dry area with shade and water
Grain Feeding
High energy diet,
better to feed whole grains (otherwise feed hay too) include coccidiostat, Ca:P 2:1
ammonium chloride to prevent urinary calculi
enterotoxemia
overeating disease/pulpy kidney disease
excessive bacterial growth from rapid diet change or too much grain trigger lethal amounts of toxin and death
Parasitism
impacts both energy and protein
