Livestock - Nutrition

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Nutrition

  • maintenance diet - the amount of food required to keep the body alive with no change in body weight or production
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Utilisation of Feed

  • life processes - breathing, circulation
  • growth
  • heat
  • movement
  • offspring
  • milk
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The Nutrient Groups

  • carbohydrates
  • minerals
  • water
  • vitamins
  • fats/lipids
  • proteins
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Dietary Instructions

  • rationed (set weighed amount) i.e. once or twice daily
  • ad-lib (free access to food all the time)
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Feeding Systems

  • automatic feeding system - ad lib
  • semi-automatic feeding system - rationed
  • manual (by hand) feeding system - rationed
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Feeding Systems - Silage

  • straights
    • mixing facilities maybe required
    • storage facilities required
    • time-consuming getting the best deals
    • maybe even cash flow
    • outside ration formulation advice maybe required
  • compounds
    • can be delivered
    • ready-made ration
    • easy to get extra minerals or other additives included
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Feed Types

  • hay
  • wheat
  • barley
  • straw
  • oats
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Feed Types: Forages

  • roughages e.g., hay (made from grass) and straw (made from wheat and barley stalks)
  • high dry matter content
  • haylage
    • grasses grown and cut
    • left to dry for less time (approx. 30% - 40% moisture)
    • bales are wrapped and compressed
    • high energy and protein content
  • silage
    • grass, maize (sweetcorn), whole crop cereal
  • grasses are cut and then fermented to keep as much of the nutrients (e.g., sugars and proteins) as possible
  • fermented in acidic conditions (around pH 4-5), fibrous and cheap
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Feed Types: Forages: Hay

  • smell
    • should be sweet - not sickly
    • not fousty
    • poor mouldy hay gives out clouds of white/grey dust when shaken. This is caused by bailing when damp.
  • colour
    • green or golden
    • not pale or bleached - a sign the grass has been left out in the sun for too long
    • not chocolate brown with sickly smell - results from overheating
  • composition
    • individual varieties of grass should be identifiable
    • plenty of leaf - protein
    • no weeds or soil
    • not brittle - caused by over making
    • DM 80%
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Feed Types: Forages: Grass Silage

  • smell
    • desirable smell is sharp and slightly sweet
    • not sharp acid smell caused by acid fermentation
    • not ammonia smell - caused by protein breakdown
  • colour
    • good - greenish/yellow
    • not olive green
    • not dark brown or black, caused by poor clamp sealing or allowing air into clamp once opened
  • composition
    • individual varieties of grass should be identifiable
    • plenty of leaf - protein
    • no weeds or soil
  • dry matter
    • hold silage in hand and squeeze
    • water runs out: under 20%
    • water felt when squeezed: 20-24%
    • no water can be felt when compressed into a ball = 28%
    • springs open on its own = over 30%
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Feed Types: Succulents

  • e.g., fodder beat, turnips, brewers grains
  • low in dry matter
  • high moisture content
  • fibrous
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Feed Types: Grazing

  • e.g., grass, stubble turnips, kale
  • low dry matter
  • quality can vary according to season
  • fibrous
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Food Types: Concentrates

  • high energy/protein/fibre
  • dry, 89-90% dry matter
  • e.g., cereals, pellets/cake, coarse mix
  • cereals = high in energy
  • peas and beans = high in protein
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Dry Matter

  • food materials left after all water is evaporated off
  • this portion contains all the nutrients
  • constituents: energy, protein, minerals, vitamins
  • Grass silage: 25% DM
  • Maize silage: 30% DM
  • Cereals: 86% DM
  • Hay: 80%
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Food Storage

  • hay and straw
    • barn
    • polythene covered
    • big bales - round and square
  • silage
    • big bales
    • clamp
  • concentrates
    • hopper
    • bagged feed
  • grains
    • grain silo
    • barn
    • feed bags
  • supplements
    • plastic tub
    • bagged
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Feed Quality

  • palatability
  • smell
  • taste
  • texture
  • visual
  • digestibility (D value)
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