Feedstuffs: Classification Flashcards
What is feedstuff?
component of a diet that provides a source of one or more nutrients - energy, protein, minerals, or vitamins - required by an animal.
What is the biggest problem in a dairy farm?
variability. Cows like consistency.
What is something to keep in mind regarding feedstuff?
even the same feedstuff may change considerably from batch to batch. This can lead to altered animal performance.
What is a forage?
the total plant material to be consumed by the animal
What is a roughage?
dietary components that are high in fibre.
What is herbage?
plant material not including seeds or roots. Used primarily for wildlife.
Who performs well on roughages, and why?
ruminants, horses, and rabbits b/c roughages require the action of microbial digestion in the GI tract.
What are the 4 categories of herbage?
grasses, legumes, forbs, and browse.
What grasses do you typically find in the cool season?
timothy and sweetclover
What grasses do you typically see in the warm season?
bermudagrass and switchgrass.
Members of the leguminosae family have the ability to do what?
convert atmosphere N into crude protein.
Which have a higher protein content, C3 or C4 grass?
C3 grasses.
Bermuda grass is found where?
in the southern US.
When is ryegrass at its best quality?
during the cool season.
ryegrass is a ____ grass.
Perennial grass.
Brom grass is common in what season?
cold seasons.
Fescue is tolerant to what?
drought, cold, and warm weathers.
What is a problem with fescue?
It can be contaminated with a fungus. Must make sure to use the endophyte free variety.
Summer syndrome in cattle is see with what clinical signs and is caused by what?
increased body temp, rapid breathing, decreased production. Caused by fescue contaminated with neotyphodium coenophialum.
Timothy is a favorite hay grass for what animal?
horses.
When are you likely to see orchard grass? what is special about it?
likely to see it in cool weather. It is a very productive grass hay.
What part of the legumes are able to transform atmospheric N into a form usable by the plant?
The rhizobia in the nodules of the legumes.
What is the CP content of legumes and what are some examples of legumes?
High CP. Examples: alfalfa, clovers, soybeans, green beans, peas, and lentils.
Is alfalfa drought tolerant?
yes. it is deep rooted, which helps make it so.
What is alfalfa a good source of?
protein, calcium, carotene, tocopherol, and water soluble vitamins.
What are some issues that you can see with alfalfa?
bloat in cattle if grazed on alfalfa, and blister beetle toxicity in horses.
What will blister beetles cause in horses?
oral ulcers, colic. They are GI irritant, and only a few are needed to kill.
What legume is commonly found in pastures?
sweet clover.
What are some problems seen with sweet clover?
it is converted by molds to dicoumarol, which is an anti-vitamin K. Can cause bleeding problems, since vitamin K is involved in clotting. Cattle more commonly affected.
What is another legume commonly found in pastures that is characteristically IDd by a red flower?
Red clover.
What are some issues that can be seen with red clover?
can become infected with a fungus and lead to slaframine toxicosis. This presents as the salivary syndrome in horses, along with bloat, diarrhea, and frequent urination.
What legume is a temperate climate legume and can cause photosensitization problems in horses?
alsike clover. Should not be fed to horses in greater than 5% of the feed.
This legume is common in pastures and lawns and is also known as dutch clover. It has high CP levels.
White clover.
What are forbs? Who uses forbs best?
any low growing broadleaf plant that commonly grows with grass plants. goats use forbs best. Sheep and cattle can too, but they’re not as good.
This plant material/roughage is a last resort because few animals are able to digest them
browse/woody plants.
T/F the quality of forages/pastures is highly variable.
True.
What are some good principles to follow in pasture use?
monitor quality/growth, use paddocks (rotational grazing), manage with mowing, fertilization, or herbicides, and having a proper stocking rate.
What is considered a proper stocking rate?
This varies with species/botanical composition. Some 1-2 acres/cow, others 10-20 acres/cow.
What is the highest risk with poorly maintained pastures?
poisonous plants.
What are some other concerns re: pasture management?
bloat can occur on legume pastures, so add in other grasses, and nitrate poisoning can occur from things like pigweed. These things can lead to death .
What is green chop?
forage harvested and chopped daily that is fed in bunks. cows eat less of it as the crop matures.
What are some advantages of green chop?
less nutrient loss, may reduce bloat.
When you see round bales, are you seeing hay or haylage?
haylage.
What is haylage?
semi-wilted, fermented grasses/legumes in bags.
What is hay?
forage baled at low water content.
silages are what?
short fibers that have moisture higher than haylage and hay. This is typically seen in big pits.
What does the feeding value of hay depend on?
kind of hay/botanical composition, stage of maturity when cut, and the harvesting method.
When is the ideal time to produce hay?
around mid-spring.
Why is silage stored in towers, bunkers, or with bags over it?
because of anaerobic preservation. Want to keep the oxygen out otherwise you will have mold.
What are the different types of silages?
corn (most common) and other cereal and by-product silages.
Proteinaceous silages involve what?
alfalfa, silage or clover silage.
Carbonaceous silages involve what?
corn and grass silage.
How exactly is mold inhibited in the way that silage is stored?
there is a low O2 content, the plants continue to respire, using and thus depleting the O2, making CO2 and inhibiting the mold due to lack of O2.
How long can you store silages for if stored correctly?
for several years.
What is the most popular roughage for dairy cattle?
corn silage. It is highly palatable and easily stored and handled.
What is straw?
the non-grain part of crops such as wheat or oats.
Is straw high or low in energy?
It is low in energy, protein, minerals, and vitamins.
What is straw’s main purpose in diets?
add fibre.
