Nutrition

Question 1

where is fibre sourced?

Answer 1

in the cell wall

Question 2

what is forage?

Answer 2

any plant based food that is eaten by grazing or browsing.
provides 50-100% total feed requirement

Question 3

what effects the digestibility of food?

Answer 3

type and age of grass - lignin content increases with age - harder to digest

Question 4

why is digestion limited by lignin

Answer 4

lignin cross links to cell wall polysaccharides so they cannot be fermented.

Question 5

what is herbage mass?

Answer 5

the amount of forage in a particular area of pasture and time of year
ex) highest in spring

Question 6

define forage availability

Answer 6

the balance between growth and grazing

Question 7

describe the process of fermentation

Answer 7

grass is left to wilt to remove water
packed into pits for anaerobic respiration (glucose converted to lactate, then to volatile fatty acids)
the low ph kill the bacteria and now the grass is stable

Question 8

what are the benefits of haylage

Answer 8

younger grass than hay so more digestable
more moisture than hay so less dry matter
less sugar due to more fermentation

Question 9

describe hay

Answer 9

old grass
85% water removed
high in sugar
low in vitamins, minerals and proteins

Question 10

describe silage

Answer 10

young grass
high moisture
wrapped in bales
pickled after fermentation

Question 11

what is straw made from?

Answer 11

cereals

Question 12

what do legumes make up?

Answer 12

Alfalfa (usually pelleted)

Question 13

why are cereals fed?

Answer 13

high in carbohydrates (energy) - starch

Question 14

if hay is soaked in water, what should be added to the diet and why?

Answer 14

a balancer
for minerals, vitamins and energy

Question 15

what are the disadvantages of haylage

Answer 15

there is less dry matter per kg so horses will feed on other things they’re not meant to, this leads to colic and gastric ulcers.

Question 16

what can be used to allow horses to constantly chew

Answer 16

concentrates
holes in buckets or metal grids of forage

Question 17

what is the purpose of concentrates

Answer 17

give additional energy and protein

Question 18

which straw is not used for horses

Answer 18

wheat straw - low nutrition value

Question 19

where are cereals broken down?

Answer 19

small intestine

Question 20

how would you help a horse loose weight

Answer 20

exercise
mussel for slower eating
cut the grass

Question 21

How much Dry Matter Intake should most animals have

Answer 21

2.5% their body weight

Question 22

which minerals can cats not synthesise, and where are they found in the diet

Answer 22

Beta Carotenase - meat
taurine - plants
arachidonic acid - fish oil
Niacin B3 (cannot be converted from tryptophan) - animal byproducts and legumes

Question 23

which minerals can dogs not synthesis

Answer 23

Vitamin D
arachiodonic acid - need to get this from linoleic acid

Question 24

how would you describe a dog and cats dietary requirements

Answer 24

dog: facilitate carnivores
cats: obligate carnivores

Question 25

how would you obtain an accurate diet?

Answer 25

recognise physical signs of nutrition
obtain a body fat score
obtain body weight
determine exercise levels

Question 26

how often should a horse be weighed?

Answer 26

every 2 weeks