Protein and Energy Imbalances in Ruminants Flashcards

1
Q

What factors affect dairy cow productivity?

A
Genetics
Diet
Environment
Management 
Disease
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2
Q

What stimulates saliva production?

A

Chewing and ruminating - which needs fibre in the diet

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3
Q

What is the ideal fibre length?

A

2-4cm

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4
Q

What can interfere with cow resting?

A

Not enough time for lying (need 14hrs)
Environment design and comfort
Disturbances

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5
Q

Broadly, what are the main components of a cow diet?

A

Energy, Protein, Minerals

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6
Q

How much space is needed per cow for feeding?

What else needs to be assessed with regards to the feed trough?

A

60cm

Are the edges rough or sharp?

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7
Q

What is DMI and how can it be estimated?

A

This is a masure of how much cows are eating.

Calculated for milking cows as roughly - 0.025BW +0.1Milk Yield

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8
Q

To gain a representative sample for feed assessment what is needed?

A

Multiple samples from multiple levels of the clamp. Also need to know when sample was taken.

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9
Q

Other than lab analysis, what is important when assessing feed?

A

Need to look at diet to see things like fibre length, is it palatable, are the cows eating it or are they sorting etc?

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10
Q

How does secondary fermentation of silage occcur?

A

Air enters the clamp - this will also leading to heating

n.b. moulds produce mycotoxins

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11
Q

What are the problems that can occur with regards to grass grazing?

A

Insufficient quality grass
Bloat from clover rich/lush pastures
Mg deficiency = grass staggers

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12
Q

What is the cow comfort index?

A

85% of cows should be lying down 1 hour before feeding

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13
Q

What is an ideal milk fat %age, what is it related to and what ratio of feed should not be exceeded?

A

4.2%

Fibre

60:40 concentrates:forage

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14
Q

What may low bulk milk fat indicate?

A

SARA

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15
Q

What is an ideal milk protein and how is this related to feeding?

A

3.4% - dependent on energy intake

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16
Q

How is dung scored?

A

1-5 with 3 being an ideal slow hand clap that does not stick to boots

17
Q

What are some of the problems that may result from weight loss during the dry period?

A
Poor DMI post calving
Ketosis
Fatty Liver
fat cow syndrome
LDA
Poor milk production
Poor fertility
18
Q

What BCS should cows be dried off at?

A

3.0

19
Q

What cows should be sampled if running metabolic profiles?

A

Healthy, representative cows of the herd. Always ample 10 days after any major changes

20
Q

Which groups of cows should be sampled for metabolic profiling?

A

10-20d after calving (early lactation)

Mid lactation 100-200d post calving

Dry cows within 14 days of calving