Protein and Energy Imbalances in Ruminants Flashcards
What factors affect dairy cow productivity?
Genetics Diet Environment Management Disease
What stimulates saliva production?
Chewing and ruminating - which needs fibre in the diet
What is the ideal fibre length?
2-4cm
What can interfere with cow resting?
Not enough time for lying (need 14hrs)
Environment design and comfort
Disturbances
Broadly, what are the main components of a cow diet?
Energy, Protein, Minerals
How much space is needed per cow for feeding?
What else needs to be assessed with regards to the feed trough?
60cm
Are the edges rough or sharp?
What is DMI and how can it be estimated?
This is a masure of how much cows are eating.
Calculated for milking cows as roughly - 0.025BW +0.1Milk Yield
To gain a representative sample for feed assessment what is needed?
Multiple samples from multiple levels of the clamp. Also need to know when sample was taken.
Other than lab analysis, what is important when assessing feed?
Need to look at diet to see things like fibre length, is it palatable, are the cows eating it or are they sorting etc?
How does secondary fermentation of silage occcur?
Air enters the clamp - this will also leading to heating
n.b. moulds produce mycotoxins
What are the problems that can occur with regards to grass grazing?
Insufficient quality grass
Bloat from clover rich/lush pastures
Mg deficiency = grass staggers
What is the cow comfort index?
85% of cows should be lying down 1 hour before feeding
What is an ideal milk fat %age, what is it related to and what ratio of feed should not be exceeded?
4.2%
Fibre
60:40 concentrates:forage
What may low bulk milk fat indicate?
SARA
What is an ideal milk protein and how is this related to feeding?
3.4% - dependent on energy intake
How is dung scored?
1-5 with 3 being an ideal slow hand clap that does not stick to boots
What are some of the problems that may result from weight loss during the dry period?
Poor DMI post calving Ketosis Fatty Liver fat cow syndrome LDA Poor milk production Poor fertility
What BCS should cows be dried off at?
3.0
What cows should be sampled if running metabolic profiles?
Healthy, representative cows of the herd. Always ample 10 days after any major changes
Which groups of cows should be sampled for metabolic profiling?
10-20d after calving (early lactation)
Mid lactation 100-200d post calving
Dry cows within 14 days of calving
