Protein/Energy Imbalances Ruminant Flashcards
1
Q
What affects productivity?
(5)
A
- all important (a lot of different things, but this is a comprehensive list)
- Diet is absolutely key! and is probably the most $$ cost the farms face
- managing grass is also a huge cost
2
Q
Rumen Fermentation
A
- occurs close to a neutral pH and it is very important to keep it that way
- cud needs to be chewed, has bicarbonate in it
- need to have a comfortable place to do so
- If fiber is too short, will not allow rumination to work properly
- food needs to have the right nutrition and also be in the right form for rumination
- need a place to relax and chew cud! - comfort is key
3
Q
Cow Comfort
A
- need about 14hrs out of every 24
- If cows are reluctant to lay down in cubicles, it is going to really affect their rumination
- also if we keep moving them around (milking, cleaning, teaching, AI), this will disturb their time to be able to relax and ruminate
4
Q
Feeding Cows
A
- Nutrition takes a lot of careful thought - req. some calculation and science
- we wont know what is in grass/silage unless we analyze it - allows nutritionists to put a proper diet plan together for the herd
- Need to regularly check that we are feeding food that is close to food analysis over the year - tends to change over seasons
- Need to make sure the food is fed properly! - needs to be palatable, don’t feed on top of old food, keep it fresh
- Don’t starve them into eating it either
5
Q
Trough Space
A
- We need to have enough space for the cattle to eat
- more importantly, you need to make sure that all the cows can come up to feed
- smaller cows (lactation 1) can continually get bullied out which is a problem
6
Q
Trough
A
- Need to clean out at least once a day
- dont want moldy yesterday food under fresh food
7
Q
Water
A
- Often a down cow cant reach the water and food in front of it, you need to give them TLC and encourage them to eat/drink
- Cows like to drink together! Need enough space
- Need it to fill up quickly especially since they come at once
- don’t want to have a build up of food, debris in the troughs
- Needs to be cool! - summers can get too hot, the cows need a way to cool off
- TDS: distinguishes between drinking water and incompatible salty water. need to be aware if there are bore holes, don’t feed distilled water either! they will get really sick
8
Q
Dry Matter Intake
A
- All it means is appetite
- how much does the cow eat
- Take out the water intake from it to get your dry matter intake
- ex: silage- water = dry matter
- need to calculate! Can estimate sometimes
- Milk yield has a huge potential effect on Dry Matter intake
9
Q
Diet Assessment
A
- you personally need to be looking at the diet (sometimes with the stock person)
- is it mouldy, dry, smell, etc.?
- How are the cows handling the diet? are they eating it, see how much is leftover after a feeding, they may not like it and then it is a waste of money
10
Q
TMR and Sorting
A
- TMR is all the feed components (forage and concentrates mixed)- best way to feed cows
- concentrate is a good way to temp cows into the milking parlor, but a true TMR doesnt have anything in parlor
- true TMR has the concentrate wholly fed with the fiber - this way the rumen pH stays more even
- concentrate alone can casue slight rumen acidosis which isnt great, need fiber!
- Sorting: they tend to pick out concetrate over fiber. always done to some extent but an excessive amount is a concern, means they are leaving important forage behind
11
Q
Silage and Moulds
A
- It stays very stable
- If it falls, will undergo secondary fermentation which will lead to much less quality in the feed
- this is not good to be feeding the cows!! - need to keep the feed face tidy so that it remains anaerobic
- A lot of farmers are told this and it can save a lot of money and issues
12
Q
Some Problems to Look For
(7)
A
- Can cows feed together
- Sunlight on feeding face can keep them from going up and feeding as much as they should
- need to make their lives comfortable and easy so they go and eat as much as they should
- if silage is too packed it is really hard for them to go and eat it, need to try and put in trough to encourage them - make it easy!
- Watch for electric fences!! - they were a lot more common in the past. Slight changes can really improve the cows wellfare and productivity
13
Q
Grazing Grass
A
- Often we overestimate the value of grass
- especially in really hot and dry summers
- there isnt much nutrition in the grass!
- Too rich of grass can also cause bloat!
- Buffer feed- give them some feed before they are turned out, will hopefully prevent them from being too hungry and giving them bloat - VERY IMP.
14
Q
Milk Fat
A
- rough figure, should be about 4.2%
- affected by level of fibre in the diet
- too many concentrates in the diet means they arent eating enough fibre–> will see decrease in milk fat
- In spring, the grass is often low in fibre and then the milk fat lowers
- SARA: sub acute ruminal Acidosis - can also be indicated by a low milk yield, this will be seen more in individual groups or parts of the herd rather than the whole milk fat yield (as would be seen in the tank)
15
Q
Milk Protein
A
- Need a long term intake of Energy
- can be hard for farmers to correct, but is important for farmers to correct by their contract (making for cheese, etc.)
