Nutrition Flashcards
What % of sheep are in upland vs lowland?
50:50
What % of variable costs are lowland sheep feed costs?
60-75%
What is growing season like in hills/upland?
Short
When must hill/upland sheep gain weight for the winter?
In the summer
Minimum BCS for a hill/upland sheep?
2
What does “sent to tack” mean for hill/upland ewe lambs?
Wintered on better land
When are hill sheep usually only supplemented?
Bad weather
What feeds are given to hill sheep from 8 weeks old?
Hay, feed blocks, concentrates
What is supplemented in lactating hill sheep?
Magnesium
Until which month are feed blocks used in hill sheep?
May
How many lambs per year should hill sheep have?
One
When are lowland sheep on grass?
Spring to Autumn
What food should you give to lowland sheep in Autumn?
Fodder, root crops, byproducts
What food should you give lowland sheep during winter and at lambing?
Stored root crops
What should you feed store lambs?
Arable crops and byproducts
When should you feed ewes concentrates?
Late pregnancy and lactation
What should you feed fattened lambs?
Concentrates with minimal roughage
What is silage from mature grass like?
Low digestibility and crude protein
What is the risk if silage isn’t properly fermented?
Listeriosis
What is the minimum dry matter than hay should be?
85%
Risk if dry matter of hay is too low?
Mould and mycotoxin
What is the minimum digestibility hay should be?
60
How does digestibility of grass change with time?
Falls with grass maturity
What is the minimum crude protein hay should be?
14%
What mineral is often added to sheep concentrates?
Magnesium
Why should you not use cattle feed for sheep?
Too much copper - stored in liver
What is in home mix (for sheep)?
Cereal with protein/mineral balancer
Where is the protein from in home mix?
Fishmeal, soya, maize
What is the problem with home mix for sheep?
Maize gluten palatability
What happens to sheep if you use ground cereal?
Get acidosis
At how many weeks does the sheep embryo implant?
3-4 weeks
During which days does the sheep placenta develop?
30-90
Why should sheep lose condition during placental development?
To optimise placental growth
During which days should sheep be scanned?
70-90
How much sheep foetal growth is in the last trimester?
90%
How much sheep foetal growth occurs within the last month?
60%
During which time period does the sheep mammary tissue develop?
Last 30 days
What should feed be like in late sheep pregnancy?
High dry matter and digestibility
What is the minimum % digestible undegradable protein should be? Why?
At least 30% so bacterial protein can be used for energy
What should sheep BCS be in 1st month?
1-1.5
What should sheep BCS be in 2nd/3rd month?
2.5-3
How much BCS is it acceptable for a ewe to lose in late pregnancy?
0.5
Compared to maintenance, how much does sheep energy demands rise during lactation?
3x maintenance
How much milk does a 5kg lamb need per day?
1L
What % crude protein does a lactating sheep need?
18%
How long after lambing does milk production peak?
3-5 weeks
After how long are lambs grass-dependent?
6 weeks
After how long are lambs herbivores?
8 weeks
What happens if dry matter is too low in lambs?
Scour
Which parasites can cause problems in lambs?
Coccidiosis and nematodirus
At what stage is ill-thrift common in lambs?
The stage when they are becoming grass dependent/herbivore
Lack of which nutrients affects lamb growth?
Cobalt, copper
Up to what age does the weight of a ewe increase?
3yo
Up until what age should you feed a ewe for weight gain?
18 months
How much of her mature weight should a ewe lamb be at breeding?
60%
How much of her mature weight should a shearling (2 tooth) be at breeding?
80%
What % should ewe lambs and two toothed ewes increase their weight by during pregnancy?
5%
What are mature rams usually fed?
Grass with hay during winter months
What is target BCS for tups at the start of tupping?
3.5-4
How long before mating should underweight tups be given concentrate?
6-8 weeks before mating
How many mls/kg of colostrum should lambs receive in the first 18 hours of life?
200
How many daily feeds of milk replacer should lambs receive?
3
What what age can creep feed be given to lambs?
7 days
On good grass, what growth rate can lambs achieve?
250g/day
After what month must lambs not finished be fed on forage crops?
August
Which foods are fed to store lambs as grass quality declines?
Cheap - grass aftermaths, crop byproducts, green forages, root crops
Why do you give store lambs iodine supplements?
To counteract goitrogens in kale or rape
What do brassicas contain that can cause haemolytic anaemia?
SMCO
Which feed can cause photosensitisation?
Rape
What growth rates can indoor cereal finished lambs achieve?
250-300g/day
How quickly to indoor cereal finished lambs reach 40kg (slaughter weight)?
90 days
How many kg of feed is required to take indoor cereal finished lambs from weaning to slaughter?
100kg
What triggers hypocalcaemia in sheep?
Stress
When are ewes commonly affected by hypocalcaemia?
Last few weeks of pregnancy or early lactation
Why does increasing dietary calcium not work to prevent hypocalcaemia in sheep?
Not calcium deficient, the problem is uptake from the gut
When do ewes most often get hypomagnesemia?
Parturition and early lactation
Clinical signs of hypomagnesemia in sheep?
Tetanic spasms and fits
How lost must you supplement magnesium for in sheep after lambing?
Several weeks
What is cobalt needed for in the sheep rumen?
B12 synthesis
Signs of cobalt deficiency in lambs?
Poor growth rate, ocular discharge, poor wool growth and quality, anaemia
Effects of cobalt deficiency in adult sheep?
Reduced fertility and lamb survival
How can you confirm a sheep cobalt deficiency?
Liver or plasma assay
What is the best way to give cobalt to sheep?
Oral bolus
Which minerals in the diet may block copper uptake in sheep?
Molybdenum, S and Fe
Why can copper deficiency occur after lime on pasture in sheep?
Increased pH of the soil increases the available molybdenum in the diet
WHen should you supplement copper in sheep?
Only if proven deficiency
Which copper preparations should be avoided in sheep?
Edatate or glycinate
Three ways to supplement copper in sheep?
Copper heptonate injection, oral capsules, soluble glass boluses
What is selenium needed for in sheep?
Enzymes that scavenge free radicals eg glutathione
Which feeds is vitamin E present in?
Green forages, grass silage, grains
How do fertilisers affect vitamin E present in food?
Increase growth rate of crop so decrease vit E
Which kind of feeds are commonly vit E deficient?
Root crops for pregnant ewes or poor quality roughage
Which treatments of feed decrease vitamin E?
Preservatives and caustic soda
How do oil seeds with high PUFAs affect vitamin E demand?
Increase
Which areas commonly get iodine deficient soil?
Away from the sea
Effects of iodine deficiency in sheep?
Infertility, stillborn lambs, high neonatal lamb mortality
What do iodine deficient lambs look like at PM?
Enlarged thyroid
How is iodine commonly administered to sheep?
Commercial mineral preparations and boluses
Why are pig diets processed and what is a problem with this?
To increase digestibility, but causes stomach ulceration
How do pigs digest cheap cereal byproducts like wheat bran?
In caecum to use fibre
Where does the protein in pig feed come from?
Legumes or milk powder/whey
Which kind of protein is illegal to use in pig feed?
Animal (but fish can be used)
Where does energy come from in pig feed?
Oil and fats like soya oil
What are the most important minerals in pig feed?
Ca and P (as dicalcium phosphate)
What is the problem with using beans and peas in pig feed?
Cause trypsin inhibition
Which is the rate limiting amino acid in pigs/the most important/runs out first?
Lysine
Which kind of pig has the lowest lysine requirement?
Lactating sows
Which kind of pig has the highest lysine requirement?
Creep/weaner
Which kind of pig feed is lowest in lysine so must be supplemented?
Cereals
How can you estimate the crude protein in a diet?
Nitrogen
What are the four point you should BCS a sow?
At weaning, service, mid-pregnancy, farrowing
Why should you BCS a sow at weaning?
Poorest condition here
What should you do if a sow BCS is too low at weaning?
Wait a heat
Why should you BCS a sow at farrowing?
To know if feeding strategy worked
Why should you restrict a sows feed just after farrowing?
To increase intake when it is really needed later
How many times per day should you feed a sow?
3x
When should you replace condition in a sow?
During the next pregnancy
What is the problem with high feeding a sow during pregnancy?
Low feeding in lactation and excessive weight loss = “milking off her own back”
How are boars treated with regards to feeding?
Like a dry sow
What are the problems with a thin sow at weaning (thin sow syndrome)?
Decreased ovulation, increased W-R interval, ulcers/pressure sores
What are the causes of thin sow syndrome?
Feeding too much/little in pregnancy, too little in lactation, bullying, cold, parasitism
How should you ideally feed the lactating sow?
Give high protein first then feed to appetite to increase overall feed intake (let milk production increase in line with requirements)
Which substances have the same effect as antibiotics in pig feed?
ZInc oxide and copper sulphate
What is the problem with using zinc oxide in copper sulphate?
Contaminate environment
