ration evaluation Flashcards
what is the important input cost in animal production systems
feed
what percent of the cost of production is feed
50-70%
what are the 3 components of animal production and feed
- feed for animal maintenance (fixed)
- feed for production (varies)
- feed for replacement animal (fixed)
what is “feed for animal maintenance”
- body size and environmental conditions
- ability to perform “everyday” activities
what is “feed for production”
- growth
- milk production
- reproduction
what is “feed for replacement animal”
- animals must be raised to replace current production animals
- heifers, steers, gilts, chicks
- goal is max efficiency at entry level (24m vs 48m to raise replacement)
what do long feed out periods carry a lot of
“maintenance cost”
why is higher production efficient
- every farm has a goal
- some farms better than others
- low yielding herds at risk of leaving industry
- evolution to capture efficiency
- evolution of nutrition
what is fixed relative to
production
what are the benefits of energy budget
- economic
- environment
- resource use
what is energy budget directly influenced by
management factors
what do larger herds tend to have
better/dedicated managers and consultants
what is the amount of certaintly of iron and calcium
varies widely - “OK” window is larger
what is the amount of certaintly of energy/protein
tighter “OK” window
what are the two ways nutrient requirement measurements are presented
- amount of nutrient
- densisty basis