Nutrition Flashcards
What is a forage?
Plant material/ Feed eaten by grazing or browsing animals- it provides 50-100% of all total feed requirements of ruminants and herbivores
What is the main carbohydrate found in forage?
Fibre
Where are cellulose and lignin found in plants?
In the plant cell wall not the cell contents
Why do herbivores need a larger % of cell walls
To help maintain gut health
What do later cut forages have more of?
Lignin (accumulated as they grow to help them stand)
What is fibre?
A carbohydrate that cannot be digested by mammalian enzymes and is fermented
What are some different types of grass?
Perennial ryegrass, Timothy, Fescues, Coltsfoot and Clover
What is digestibility dependent on?
Lignin content, ratio of cell wall to cell contents, ‘type of fibre’
What are two methods of conserving forages?
Natural fermentation/ pickling or Drying to remove moisture
Natural fermentation
Keeps high moisture (such as silage)
Drying
For low moisture
What is Silage
Fermented young grass, has limited wilting as most of the water is removed- wrapped up to remove oxygen for anaerobic respiration (acidic conditions to prevent degrading bacteria from working)
What happens when the environment acidifies?
More lactic acid bacteria grow, prevents plant enzymes and degrading bacteria and the crop is preserved
Haylage
Fermented older grass, usually for horses, drier and has less nutrition
Hay
Mature grass, left outside to dry and 85% of water is removed- usually stored inside in a barn
What is Straw?
Stems/Stalks of common cereals such as Wheat, Barley, Oats… Harvested after the cereal, very dry and stored inside under a cover (has a very low nutritional value)
What are cereals?
Edible seeds of specific grasses
Fermenting vs drying
Fermenting: More water- higher nutrition but has a lower DM and fibre content (and vice versa)
What determines how nutritious a cereal is?
Variety, Method of processing and digestive anatomy of the animal
Whole cereals
Most suitable for acidic stomachs (horses) and animals that can chew
Why feed cereals?
High in starch
Why break open cereals?
For animals that don’t chew, increases the SA of the material so they are more likely to be digested by microbial enzymes
What are the 4 processes involved in processing cereals?
Latinistaion, Micronising, steam flaked and extruding
Why might Herbivores require cereals?
Provides additional energy for performance animals
