Large Animal Feeds Flashcards
What do herbivores eat?
water
forage (fresh/processed)
concentrates
concentrated source of energy
vitamin/mineral
Forage
plants that animals eat
cool season forage and legumes
warm season grasses and legumes
cool season grass
orchard grass
timothy
tall fescue
blue grass
warm season
bermudagrass
tall fescue
abundant
ergot alkaloid from symbiotic fungus
broodmares (thickened placenta)
cattle (summer slump, fescue foot)
Legumes
cool season
alfalfa, clover
warm season
kudzu
replenish soil nitrogen due to symbiotic root bacteria
slaframine (fungal alkaloid)
hypersalivation in horses
clover
When do forages grow?
varies by US region and forage type
cool season
2 growth phases
warm season
1 growth phase
pasture forage
grasses
tall fescue
blue grass
timothy, orchard grass
legume
clover
2-3+ acres of 3” average grass height
more palatable than processed foragee
How are forages processed?
Hay-dried, <15% moisture, long-stem, chopped, cubed, pelleted
Haylage-fermented, 30-45% air is bad, chopped
Silage-fermented 63-68% air is bad, chopped
Silage/Haylage
fermented forage
grass or legume
corn silage (whole corn plant)
cut, harvested, chopped -silo
anaerobic fermentation
Good quality forage
Season
time of day
sunlight
precipitation
temperature
fertilization
forage species and variety
maturity
hygiene
Maturity changes over time
immature
high quality
less yield/biomass
higher leaf to stem ratio
mature
lower quality
more yield/biomass
lower leaf to stem ratio
Determine forage quality
visual, tactile, olfactory
leaf:stem
color
smell
presence of debris
pasture and processed forage
sampling method
wet chemistry or near infrared
Forage nutrient concentration change over time
cell wall is represented by Neutral detergent fiber (NDF)=cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin
Acid detergent fiber (ADF)=cellulose and lignin
Cell wall as a proportion of the plant cell, increases with maturity
Digestibility influenced by maturity
immature
higher digestibility
mature
lower digestibility
higher NDF=lower quality hay
