Nutrition in pregnancy

Question 1

Water

Answer 1

Water Quality, must be clean and cool, Access – cows are social drinkers, Lactation, Season, Temperature
Food always quoted on Dry Matter basis, moisture in feed

Question 2

Energy

Answer 2

Typical Energy (ME) Requirements for Dairy Cow
1 litre of milk 5 MJ/litre
Maintenance Requirement (700kg cow) 72 MJ/day
Activity -High Level (700kg cow) 19 MJ/day
Energy Requirement (ME) can be estimated approximately: Maintenance + Activity + Milk Yield + Pregnancy + Growth etc
Must remember about Growth in younger cows up to about lactation 3
Varies greatly between different breeds etc
Varies with differing milk composition
Varies with breed of sire for calf

Question 3

Typical Energy (ME) Requirements for Dairy Cow

Answer 3

Month 2 0.5 MJ / day 
Month 4 1.6 MJ / day 
Month 6 5.0 MJ / day 
Full Term 35.0 MJ / day 
Overdue 44.0 MJ/ day

Question 4

weight loss

Answer 4

loss of 1kg/day contributes 35MJ

Question 5

Main source of energy (ME)

Answer 5

cereals

Question 6

Me of grass

Answer 6

10-11MJ/kg DM

Question 7

Can we simply feed all the cereals we need to meet energy requirements?

Answer 7

Acidosis

SARA

Question 8

Voluntary feed intake (VMI)/ Dry matter intake (DMI)

Answer 8

Cow has a limited appetite
At times of high energy demand it cannot eat enough to satisfy energy requirements
VFI / DMI is greatly reduced around calving – late
pregnancy and early lactation
VFI / DMI is greatly reduced in Fat Cows (especiallyat calving and early lactation)
rapid weight loss can occur

Question 9

Body Condition Scoring (BCS) - sheep

Answer 9

This tells us how much fat cover there is in animal
Must handle the sheep to assess- cannot tell by looking
If too fat- causes dystocia
If too thin puts health and ewe and lamb at risk
Unable to cope with sudden demands of lactation after lambing
Need to regularly assess BCS and fine tune feeding during pregnancy.

Question 10

pregnancy diagnosis in sheep

Answer 10

From 40 days gestation
Often at 11-15 weeks gestation
Need to determine Pregnant or not pregnant
Need to determine number of foetuses - essential for proper management and feeding of pregnant ewe.
Separate groups depending on number of foetuses

Question 11

important basic considerations - sheep

Answer 11

Too much concentrate will cause acidosis
The Voluntary Feed Intake / Dry Matter Intake / Appetite of the sheep is limited and so may not be able to eat all the food it is offered
VFI is particularly reduced around lambing
How much is actually being fed. You can calculate it but how do you know how much is actually being eaten.
Feed must be fresh and palatable
Need to monitor BCS closely to ensure you have got things about right
After lambing keep feeding appropriate for number of lambs / milk production

Question 12

pregnancy toxaemia/twin lamb disease

Answer 12

Excessive Energy Demand from Foetus (especially twins and triplets) causing severe negative energy balance in ewe
Late Pregnancy or on point of lambing
Recumbent. Neurological Signs
Twins or Triplets
Often some stress- cold weather, wet weather, moving, transport, change of feed, delay in feeding
Life Threatening
Prognosis very poor
Need to reduce energy demand
Induce abortion
Need to get energy source into ewe- too sick to
eat
i/v Glucose, Oral Propylene Glycol, Oral Electrolyte carbohydrate source- Liquid Lectade

Question 13

pregnancy toxaemia in cattle

Answer 13

Much less common in cattle compared to sheep 
recumbent Cow 
Usually late lactation t
wins 
Usually suckler cow (= beef cow) 
Low BCS – is thin 
Not getting enough supplementary feed 
Often stress factor involved

Question 14

dairy cow BCS

Answer 14

Variation should be as small as possible
Calving BCS about 3.0
Post calving should drop no more than 0.5 BCS ie to 2.5 BCS
Essential that cow is not too fat at calving – approx 3.0
Ensure cow is dried off at same BCS – 3.0
Can alter BCS during late lactation
Do not try to change BSC during dry period
Weight loss in dry period is a disaster

Question 15

Fat mobilisation - cow

Answer 15

Around calving there is a normal tendency for fat mobilisation due to hormonal influences (last 2 weeks of pregnancy and early lactation)
Increase in Free Fatty Acids in blood
is normal.
Fat is processed by liver
Increase in fat level in liver is normal
around calving

Question 16

fat cow syndrome

Answer 16

This is life threatening
Cow recumbent
Inappetance
Poor prognosis

Question 17

Fatty liver syndrome can cause -

Answer 17

Immunsuppression 
Retained Foetal Membranes 
Endometritis 
Infertility 
Ketosis 
Mastitis

Question 18

fat cow syndrome - causes

Answer 18

1) Fat Dry Cow- ie cows with High BCS at calving. Cows must be dried off at proper BCS about 3.0 and not gain or lose during dry period
2) Never put Dry Cows on low energy diet to lose weight in Dry period- these will start mobilising excessive fat.
3) Fat Cows at calving have a much lower appetite than normal cows. So they mobilize more fat. These cows must be encouraged to eat to prevent fat mobilization!
4) Dry Cows undergoing a sudden change of diet at calving
5) Cows which lose excessive weight in post partum period.

Question 19

fat dry cows

Answer 19

Prevent this by adjusting feeding in late lactation so
they finish their lactation in proper BCS about 3.0
If you have fat dry cows do not try and lose weight over dry period. Encourage them to eat as calving
approaches to minimize weight loss

Question 20

transition diet

Answer 20

Change to ensure there is no sudden change in diet at calving
Introduce Transition diet about 2 weeks before calving which stay similar into early lactation.
Do not overfeed before calving

Question 21

protein

Answer 21

Rumen Degradable Protein (RDP) - Broken down by microbes in Rumen - Ammonia, Energy, Carbon Fragments
Rumen Undegradable Protein (UDP) - By Pass Protein

Question 22

minerals + vitamins

Answer 22

Macro vs micro
Production demands (Ca)
Balance
Interactions