Lab Final Review Flashcards
(34 cards)
5 characteristics that affect hay quality
Stage of maturity
Leafiness
Color
Odor & condition
Foreign material
What has the greatest impact on forage quality and how is it evaluated? (Single factor)
Stage of maturity. Older plants have more stems which aren’t digestible (decreased quality). Younger plants have a smaller diameter, better digestibility. % protein decreases as plant matures
Why is leafiness important? What makes it difficult?
Leaves contain 90% protein, most valuable part.
Whats difficult is it can be crumbly and falls on ground so animal can’t eat it.
How does color impact forage quality?
Color indicates if hay had been properly cured. Should be bright green. Yellow hay is older, drier plant material (nutrients are degraded). Brown/black hay indicates water or heat damage.
Describe hay smell. Why does smell matter?
Hay should smell fresh, sweet, and earthy. Odors impact palatability and can be dangerous (indicative of something wrong with the hay).
Types and examples of hay inclusions.
2 categories:
- non-injurious: weeds, stalks, sticks, trash
- injurious: poisonous plants, wire, glass
What forms is hay available? Pros/cons of each.
- Bales. pro: least expensive and long fibers remain intact. Con: more waste, less accurate to feed.
- cubes & pellets. Pro: decreased waste, easier to feed, more accurate, improves digestibility of lower quality hay. con: more expensive and more quickly consumed by animal- can lead to choking
Explain forage value/quality. (3 things)
- digestibility
- nutrient density
- if the animals will voluntarily consume it
Better quality has all three.
Ad libitum
Unrestricted, full access to feed
%AF to %DM (nutrient)
Divide. Number gets bigger because nutrient % goes up
%DM to %AF (nutrient)
Multiply. Number gets smaller because nutrient is more dilute.
DM to #AF (weight)
Divide. AF should always weigh more than DM!
Benefit of pellet mill?
Grinds up feed to improve digestibility. Pellet mill takes mashed feed, adds steam, processes into pellet tube which are then cut and cooled (removes heat and moisture). All done by one machine.
What is scratch made of? What animal eats it?
Whole wheat, cracked corn, Milo.
Backyard chickens (not commercial)
What is mash? Benefits? What animal does it feed?
Ground feed.
Eliminates sorting, maximizes byproducts, maximizes digestion.
Swine.
How are pellets used in feed? Pros/cons.
Pellets are used in grain mixes or as a complete feed.
Pro: complete nutrition, can hide less desirable ingredients
Con: expensive 2-step process
What livestock species eats mixed grain with molasses? Pros/cons
Ruminants and horses.
Pro: increased palatability
Con: animal can sort out what they don’t like
Who consumes TMR and why?
Complete feed popular at dairies. Allows for easy use of silage, contains lots of nutrients, cow can’t sort out what they don’t like
Who eats crumbles and why? Cons
Fed to younger commercial poultry. Smaller and easier for them to grasp.
Expensive 3-step process.
Ration
Amount of feed an animal consumes in 24 hour period.
Provides the right nutrients and proportion of nutrients needed by animal during its particular production stage.
Diet
Type of feed an animal receives in its ration.
What is a fixed ingredient?
Non-nutritive additive, does not contain protein.
Main ingredients of hog diet. Common feed forms
Mostly corn with a lesser amount of SBM as protein source.
Mash and pellets.
Which 2 specific supplements are given to piglets and why?
Zinc: high doses included in feed to prevent scours
Iron: shots given to all piglets because they are born anemic and milk is devoid of iron. Anemia causes wasting, scours, lowers immune system, death.
