Chapter 39 - Animal Nutrition, Feeds And Body Condition - REVISION Flashcards
Why does pig feed have less fibre than cattle or sheep feed?
Pigs cannot digest fibre, unlike cattle or sheep.
What is the % of crude protein in a pig ration?
17.0%
What is the % of crude fibre in a pig ration?
4.5%
What is the % of crude oil in a pig ration?
4.0%
What is the % of calcium in a pig ration?
0.7%
What is the % of methionnine in a pig ration?
0.3%
What is the % of lysine in a pig ration?
1.0%
What three vitamins are in a pig ration?
Vitamin A, Vitamin D and Vitamin E
What does each of the 3 vitamins in a pig ration provide?
Vitamin A encourages growth and fertility (and milk production in cattle, but this point is unrelated to pigs).
Vitamin E plays an important role in maintaining the immune system.
Vitamin D encourages healthy bones
Name 2 essential amino acids in pig rations
Methionnine and Lysine
Why does this ration be fed to a pig?
In order to fatten them up and finish them for slaughter.
Why is soya bean included in this ration?
For its high energy value and high protein content.
How is soya bean meal prepared?
Soya bean meal is prepared by dehulling the seed to remove the seed coat.
What affect does removing the seed coat have on the ration?
This reduces fibre in the ration.
What happens to the seed in order to improve the biological value of the protein
The seed is toasted
What is added to ensure some fibre is in the ration?
Soya bean hulls are added to the ration.
Name a meal (other than soya bean meal) that is a source of protein?
Rapeseed meal
Why should the amount of rapeseed meal be limited in a ration?
Due to the presence of anti-nutritional factors in the rapeseed.
What is soya, palm and rape acid oils high in? What do they provide?
High in fat and they provide a good source of energy.
What will some pig rations include for energy?
Animal fat
What is added to rapeseed meal to help prevent anaemia
Iron
What is the benefit of grinding up soya bean seeds and rapeseed seeds in this ration?
Improves digestibility of feeds.
Give an example of a grounded up seed
Barley
What is barley called when grounded up?
Rolled barley.
What does rolling do?
- Breaks the seed coat
- Allowing the ruminant’s digestive system to break down contents of the seed.
What happens if the seeds are not rolled?
Undigested seeds would be present in the animal dung.
Give an example of a pig ration
Kiernan’s Prime Finisher Pellets
When is a concentrate ration fed to pregnant ewes?
During the final 6-8 weeks of gestation
What does concentrate rations help prevent in pregnant ewes?
Twin lamb disease or pregnancy toxaemia.
What is steaming up?
The process where a concentrate ration is fed to a pregnant ewe during the final 6-8 weeks of gestation to prevent pregnancy toxaemia or twin lamb disease.
What is the % of Crude Protein in a sheep ration?
19.0%
What is the % of crude fibre in a sheep ration
9.0%
What is the % of crude oil in a sheep ration
5.0%
What is the % of calcium in a sheep ration
1.2%
What vitamins are present in a sheep ration
Vitamin A and D
Why is protein important in a sheep ration
It is important for the growth of the lamb and for good milk production in the ewe.
What mineral will help prevent milk fever
Calcium.
Give an example of a sheep ration
Kiernan’s Ewe and Lamb 19%
When is dairy ration fed to cows
- Prior to calving
- -Early lactation
What are sources of carbohydrate and energy used in a beef ration
The cereals wheat and maize
Why is the inclusion of maize on a dairy ration becoming increasingly popular?
Prices for maize are lower than other cereals (barley and wheat)
Why is the inclusion of maize on a dairy ration becoming increasingly popular?
Prices for maize are lower than other cereals (barley and wheat)
What is the % of crude protein in a dairy ration?
18.0%
What is the % of crude fibre in a dairy ration?
11.0%
What is the % of crude oil in a dairy ration?
5.0%
What is the % of calcium in a dairy ration?
1.1%
What vitamins does a dairy ration contain
Vitamin A, D, and E
What is added to the dairy ration to help prevent milk fever?
Calcium
What are maize distillers
A by product of distilling (residues of fermented grains)
What is a source of protein in a dairy ration, similar to rapeseed meal and soya bean meal?
Maize distillers
What are soya bean hulls?
The seed coat of the soya bean
What is included in the dairy ration as a source of fibre?
Soya bean hulls
What is added to a dairy ration as a source of sugars
Cane molasses
Why are molasses normally used in a dairy ration
To bind the meal together into a nut
What is the residue of palm nut called once the oil has been removed?
Palm kernel expeller
What is palm kernel expeller
The residue of the palm nut once the oil has been removed. It is high in fat and energy.
What does the high fat content in palm kernal aid in?
The production of milk fat.
What is added to the dairy ration to prevent milk fever?
Calcium
What is added to the dairy ration to prevent grass tetany
Magnesium oxide
Why is beef ration mainly fed to a beef animal?
To ensure it reaches its slaughter weight, commonly known as finishing.
Why is the % of protein lower in a beef ration compared to a dairy ration?
Because in this case reaching slaughter weight is more important.
What is the % of crude protein in a beef ration?
14%
What is the % of crude fibre in a beef ration?
8.1%
What is the % of crude oil in a beef ration?
5.0%
What is the % of calcium in a beef ration
0.9%
Why does finishing beef animals not require a high % of protein
Their frame has reached its mature size.
What trace elements are added to the beef ration?
Zinc and Iodine.
Why is zinc important in a beef ration
It plays an important role in immune systems and enzyme systems.
Why is iodine required in beef ration
For the production of the hormone thyroxine by the thyroid gland.
Give an example of a beef ration
Kiernan’s buffalo beef nuts
Give an example of a dairy ration
Kiernan’s dairy 18%
What chemical is used to test for vitamin C
DCPIP
Name 5 ways that energy is lost from an animal
- Undigested materials in faeces
- Production of Urine
- Formation of methane gas by ruminant animals
- Production of heat
- Movement
What is metabolisable energy.
The energy from feed that an animal can convert into Live Weight Gain, milk, wool, etc. It is measured as Mj/kg.
What is a maintenance diet
The amount of feed that allows an animal to retain a constant body weight.
What is a production diet
The extra amount of feed required to produce 1kg of wool, 1 litre of milk, 1kg of LWG (Live Weight Gain) or to produce a calf or lamb.
What is a maintenance diet commonly known as?
Plane of low nutrition
What is a production diet also known as?
A high plane of nutrition
Why should an animal be fed on a high plane of nutrition at times?
To meet high energy demands, e.g. during breeding, giving birth and producing milk.
What sort of animal can be placed on a low plane pf nutrition?
A production animal
Are animals with a low FCR efficient or deficient converters of feed into LWG? Give an example.
Animals with a low FCR are efficient in converting feed into LWG, for example, if an animal has an FCR of 2:1, the animal would have to consume 2kg of feed to put on 1kg of LWG.
What is FCR?
Food conversion ratio (FCR) or food conversion efficiency (FCE) is a measure of an animals efficiency at converting a mass of food into Live Weight Gain (LWG). It is expressed as a ratio of the food consumed to live weight gained.
Give the FCR value for pigs:weaners
1.75:1
Give the FCR value for Pigs:fatteners
3.25:1
Give the FCR for poultry
2:1
Give the FCR for cattle/sheep.
8:1
What effect does age have on FCR
FCR values increase with age
This means the efficiency at which an animal convert food or feed into LWG decreases as the animal gets older.
Young animals (calves, lambs or piglets) have low FCR values, since they will convert most of the food they consume into bone and muscle growth.
As an animal gets older and reaches its slaughter weight in particular, its FCR value increases
The reason for this is that fat deposition has started and tgis requires more energy than the production of lean muscle, therefore decreasing FCE.
How to improve FCR
- Use high quality feeds pr increase the amount of concentrates in the diet of the animal. The higher the quality of the feed, the more efficiently the animal will convert it to body tissue. If the feed is palatable, this will increase the animal’s intake of the feed and lead to a lower FCR.
- Use breeds that confer low FCR values, e.g. Large White in pig production is used to confer low FCR value on to their offspring. In cattle or sheep, breeds with fast growth rates tend to have better or smaller FCR values.
- Good disease and parasite control. Diseases and parasotes can increase FCR value. Nutrients are diverted away from LWG and used by the immune system to fight a disease. Diseases normally reduce feed intake.
- Housing and temperature control: Cattle housed outdoors over the winter months utilise feed less efficiently than those housed indoors. Since it is colder outside, animals divert more of their feed intake into heat production to keep themselves warm. Temperature control is also vital in pig production. The houses in a pig production unit are maintained at appropriate temperatures for good FCR values: dry sow house at 20°C, weaner house at 24°C, and fattener house at 22°C.
What is the appropriate temperature ( in a pig production unit ) for dry sow house?
20°C
What is the appropriate temperature ( in a pig production unit ) for weaner house?
24°C
What is the appropriate temperature ( in a pig production unit ) for fattener house?
22°C
What is conformation
The shape of the animal and the distribution of fat and muscle around its body.
What does palatable mean?
pleasant to taste
What are the factors affecting conformation? Describe each factor.
Breed: Continental beef breeds have the best conformation, while purebred dairy breeds have the worst conformation.
Sex: The sex of the animal affects the conformation, with bulls having the best conformation, followed by steers and heifers. Cows have the worst conformation.
Give an example of a beef breed.
Aberdeen Angus
Give an example of a dairy breed.
Holstein-Friesian
What is Body Condition scoring?
Body condition scoring of cattle, sheep and pigs allows the animal producer to assess the level of fat reserves an animal has at its various production stages. It is the ratio of lean meat to fat.
How is the animal assessed in body condition scoring?
The animal is assessed both visually and by handling the animal in order to assess body reserves.
Why is it particularly important to handle sheep when assessing body condition score?
The presence of the fleece can often impair visual assessment.
Why should the BCS of an animal be assessed regularly?
So that the farmer can adjust feeding and management to ensure the animal is at the correct BCS.
What does body condition scoring range from?
1-5
What does a body condition score of 1 indicate?
An extremely thin animal
What does a body condition score of 5 indincate?
An extremely fat animal.
In the BCS of dairy cows, where is the animal assessed?
The loin ( between the hip bone and the first rib ) and the tail head.
What is the average BCS of a dairy cow drying off?
3.0
What is the average BCS of a dairy cow precalving?
3.25
What is the average BCS of a dairy cow that is at the start of breeding?
2.9
Give an example of extreme body condition scores. Why should extremes of body condition be avoided?
BCS of 1 and BCS > 4. Extremes of body condition should be avoided because cows that calve down too thin will have difficulty reaching the correct BCS prior to mating, thus delaying these cows going back into oestrous (heat) and increasing the risk of metabolic (chemical reactions in the body) problems and disease.
What body areas of sheep are assesed?
The level of muscle and fat cover above the vertebrae bone ( spinous process ) and around the horizontal bone ( transverse process ) in the loin region is assessed by hand.
What is the gross energy of a feed?
The gross energy of a feed is the energy released as heat when a food is completely burned in oxygen.
What is a bomb calorimeter
The heat energy released when the feed is burned passes into the water, causing the water temperature to rise.
