Animal Science LAB - quizzes exam

What is one reason that a producer would make or buy silage to feed cattle?

Silage is more nutrient dense, so they dont use all their expenses on DM (dry matter). Dont have to feed them as much.

Why are implants used with beef cattle being ded out to market weight?

Hormone growth is important to reach market weight (implants are done to encourage hormone growth)

Ad Libitum

Unrestricted access to feed (they eat as much as they want)

Restricted Feeding

limits how much feed an animal can eat at one time

Program feeding

Targets a specific daily value that the producer sets

What is the most critical time period for health of feedlot cattle?

Right as they get to the feedlot

The growing calf diet primarily consists of corn so that they have as much energy as possible provided to them as they enter the feedlot

False

Your pounds of dry matter wil ALWAYS be heavier than pounds of as-fed

False

As body weight of an animal increases, feed intake increases

True

The primary focus/goal of the finishing phase is to develop/promote muscle and bone growth

False

What is the name of the handling system at the feedlot (before the chute) and what is the concept behind how it works?

“Bud box” - organizes them, also since their social animals they will naturally follow one another. Its used for implanting/ organizing cattle when they get to the feedlot.

TMR

Total Mixed Ration - a diet for dairy cows that combines all feed components (forages, concentrates, and supplements) into a single, uniform mixture, ensuring a balanced and complete nutritional intake

When calculating percent muscle, if a pig has more fat than the base you should _____1%, and if it has a larger loin eye area, you should _____ 1%.

subtract, add

What was one step that was taken during lab to help reduce biosecurity hazards?

“shower in” and “shower out” —> change out of normal clothes to work clothes to avoid contamination

What are two common management practices that are done with piglets within 48 hours of birth (piglet processing)? Why are each of these practices done?

1. Iron injection - piglets are born anemic, so iron injection is done

2. Tail docking - pigs can be aggressive, so to reduce injury, tail docking is used to prevent injury later on

How would you explain to someone unfamiliar with swine production two difference between gestation stalls and gestation pens?

Gestation stalls are small pens with only one sow in each where they can only stand + lay down. Pens are around 25-20 sows that can move freely. Pens are less safe for workers and the pigs fight. Gestation stalls are safer and it also allows for individual feeding to meet nutritional needs.

What is body condition scoring (BCS) a measure of?

A 1-5, sometimes 1-9, to measure their body weight condition, 1 being slim and 5 overly fat

Why is gestation pen housing becoming more common?

Commonly used in Europe due to animal welfare laws, more common now due to rule and laws

What are three things that are done with a ewe and her lambs within 24 hrs of lambing? (they rhyme)

• Clip – Clip the lamb’s umbilical cord if needed to shorten it.

• Dip – Dip the umbilical cord in iodine to prevent infection.

• Strip – Strip the ewe’s teats to make sure milk (especially colostrum) is flowing.

Please indicate which ultrasound color corresponds to what tissue type (muscle, bone, fluid) , black, gray, white

• Black = Fluid (like blood, urine, amniotic fluid)

• Gray = Muscle or soft tissues (organs, muscles)

• White = Bone or very dense tissues (also can be gas sometimes)

Quick way to think about it:

• Black = empty space (fluid)

• Gray = medium density (muscle/soft tissue)

• White = very dense (bone)

Why is it common practice to dock tails in the sheep industry?

So that the wool growing on the tail doesn’t cause infection, that could cause parasites to potentially live on it

What is a piece of equipment that is used to aid in sheep reproduction (breeding or lambing)?

Breeding harness - put on a ram, when mounts an ewe, marks that the ewe has been mounted

Like cattle, sheep have four compartments (quarters) to their udder

False

What is the gestation length of sheep?

The gestation length of sheep is about 145 to 150 days, or roughly 5 months.

What is the best location to approach a horse from?

Front left shoudler

What is TPR?

Temperature, Pulse, Respiration What if

What is the first thing on and last thing off when saddling a horse?

Front cinch

List one step/task you should do before every ride on a horse and describe why it should be done.

Pick hooves, so the horse is comfortable and no issues arise later

You must be sitting the saddle to check and be sure everything feels right/nothing is bothering the horse after saddling

False

Teeth do not need to be floated every year

True

A good place to check a horse for hydration is by punching its neck because there is plenty of sick there to pinch

False

Horses mouths/teeth are still changing at the time that we typically start training horses

True

What are two locations to evaluate body condition score in horses?

Back line, withers

What is the name of the type of teeth are typically removed at a young age in male horses?

Wolf teeth

What are two areas to look for fat deposition (body score)?

Shoulder, hips

what is the ideal score for a mature cow prior to calving?

6

What is the BCS range for beef cows? What is the relationship between body condition and beef cow reproductive performance?

The Body Condition Score (BCS) range for beef cows is from 1 to 9, where:

• 1 = extremely thin/emaciated

• 5 = moderate/good condition

• 9 = extremely fat/obese

Relationship Between BCS and Reproductive Performance:

• Optimal BCS for reproduction is around 5 to 6.

• Too low (1–4): Cows may have trouble cycling, conceiving, or maintaining pregnancy.

• Too high (7–9): Can lead to calving difficulties (dystocia) and expensive feed costs.

• Moderate BCS (5–6): Increases chances of timely breeding, healthy pregnancy, and strong calf.

What is one major item to look for in live/visual evaluation of bulls and why is this important?

Structural soundness/ mounting so breeding can take place easliy

Describe what the inside lining of the remen is like and why is it like that

The inside lining of the rumen is:

• Rough and textured,

• Covered with tiny finger-like projections called papillae.

Why is it like that?

The papillae increase the surface area inside the rumen, which helps:

• Absorb nutrients, especially volatile fatty acids (VFAs) made during fermentation.

• Support digestion of roughage (like hay and grass) by microbes living in the rumen.

So in short:
The rumen lining is rough and covered in papillae to absorb more nutrients efficiently from fermented food.

What are two functions of salt in processed meat products? Describe what happened when you added salt to the sausage you made

1. Flavor - taste

2. Bind proteins - make it all stick together

Why are two different size grinder plates used when grinding meat for sausage?

To reduce surface area

What is the minimum temperature ground products (pork sausage) should be cooked to?

160F

Why do ground products need to be cooked to a higher temperature than whole muscle products (steaks or pork chops)?

Because they are handled much more while the meat is still raw- bacteria

What was the cheapest protein source included in the wieners and sausages?

Mechanically separated chicken

What are two types of casing used in sauage products?

Collagen casing

Natural casing - intestine

Explain the difference between ham products which are labeled (a) ham with natural juices, (b) ham, water added, and ( c ) ham and water product. In other words, what do the labels tell you

(a) Ham with Natural Juices

• Contains very little added water (about 7–8% or less)

• Has a richer, more natural flavor

• Texture is firmer
  ✅ Higher quality

---

(b) Ham, Water Added

• Contains up to 10% added water

• Still flavorful, but slightly diluted

• Common in sandwiches or recipes needing moisture
  ⚠ Medium quality

---

(c) Ham and Water Product

• Can contain more than 10% added water

• May say something like “up to X% of weight is added water”

• Softer texture, lower flavor concentration
  ❌ Lower quality, cheaper

What compound is added to processed meat products to provide the “cured” pink color

Cherry powder or celery powder

why is the as-fed weight of a ration that is primarily corn silage (such as for a lacating cow) so heavy?

Corn silage contains a lot of water — about 65–70% moisture.

This means:

• Even though it looks like you're feeding a lot, much of the weight is water, not nutrients.

• To meet the cow’s energy and nutrient needs, you must feed more total weight of silage than you would with drier feeds (like hay or grain).

In simple terms:

Water is heavy, so feeds like corn silage with high moisture make the ration weigh more on an as-fed basis, even though the actual dry matter (nutrients) is much less.

What stage of production (in mature female livestock) are nutrient requirements the highest?

Lactating

What is the appropriate of body weight that most livestock need to consume in dry matter per day for maintenance?

2%

E

Explaining the difference in appearance between steam flaked corn and whole corn. What is the reason why corn would be steam flaked or processed before being fed to livestock?

Difference in Appearance:

• Whole Corn:

  • Looks like regular dry corn kernels

  • Hard, round, and smooth

  • Golden yellow color

• Steam-Flaked Corn:

  • Flattened, thin, and soft flakes

  • Often look wrinkled or curled

  • Lighter in color due to processing

---

Why Steam Flake or Process Corn?

Steam flaking improves digestibility by:

• Breaking down the starch inside the corn

• Making nutrients easier to absorb in the rumen

• Increasing energy availability for livestock

Especially in cattle, processed corn helps boost weight gain and milk production because animals can digest more of the corn efficiently.

In short: Steam-flaked corn is easier for animals to digest and use, so it's more efficient than whole corn.

Which compartment of a ruminant stomach is the “true stomach, or the compartment that functions the most similarly to your stomach?

The “true stomach” of a ruminant is the abomasum.

Why?

• It functions most like the human stomach

• It uses acid and enzymes to break down food

• It digests proteins from both the feed and microbes that came from the rumen

What feedstuff is a by-product of the ethanol industry and can be found in both wet and dehydrated forms? On a dry matter basis, it has about 25% crude protein

The feedstuff you're describing is Distillers Grains — more specifically:

Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS)

or

Wet Distillers Grains (WDG)

✅ It’s a by-product of the ethanol industry
✅ Available in wet or dry form
✅ Contains about 25% crude protein on a dry matter basis
✅ Commonly used in beef and dairy cattle rations

It’s a high-protein, high-energy feed that also contains fiber and fat, making it a valuable ingredient in livestock diets.

List two feed ingredients commonly found in a 1200 Lb feedlot steer finishing ration

corn, silage

What are two quality factors that are evaluated for fresh pork? Describe one characteristic that would be considered unacceptable quality

Two quality factors evaluated for fresh pork:

1. Color

   • Ideal: Pinkish-red

   • Tells you if the meat is fresh and well-handled

2. Marbling (Intramuscular Fat)

   • Small streaks of fat in the muscle

   • More marbling = juicier, more flavorful pork

---

One unacceptable quality characteristic:

❌ Pale, Soft, and Exudative (PSE) Pork

• Appearance: Very pale color

• Texture: Soft and watery

• Cause: Often due to stress before slaughter

• Problem: Poor taste, bad texture, and low shelf life

The name of the wholesale cut of pork which can be a quality problem if it is too thin, but that produces one of the most popular meat items in the country

loin

The name of two beef wholesale cuts known as “middle meats”

Loin, rib

The name of the wholesale cut of lamb that is not one of the middle meats, but is still considered quite high value because of its weight, leanness and consumer acceptability

Lamb leg

The name of the wholesale cut of beef, which contains many different muscles and is the lowest value of the four major beef wholesale cuts

Chuck

What two factors are taken into consideration when determining quality grade?

Amount of marbling

Maturity

Certified Angus Beef (CAB) has a requirement that the carcass must grade in upper 2/3s choice. What does this mean in terms of marbling and quality grade?

A modest amount of marbling or higher

If a final calculated yield grade is 2.95, then it should be rounded to a YG 3

False

What is one factor other than a YG 4 or quality grade that a carcass could receive a large (>$10/cwt) discount for?

For being a dairy cow - usually not a beef cow quality

What two common retail cuts from beef loin

Sirloin

tenderloin

What does the term “no roll” mean?

When a carcass is deemed "no roll," it means it was not given a grade and is typically considered lower quality meat. This can occur due to:

• Insufficient marbling (fat interspersed in the meat).

• The age of the animal affecting tenderness.

• Other factors like texture or color of the meat.

What is one factor that affects the exterior quality of eggs?

Dirt, lack of calcium

What are two reasons why someone would “candle” an egg?

1. To see if it’s fertile

2. To examine the quality or “grade”

List one major difference in the nutritional analysis of feed meant for layers, as compared to feed meant for broiler chicks?

Broiler has more protein to fatten them up

What is one factor that will cause a chicken carcass to be downgraded from an “A” to a “B” or “C” grade?

Missing limbs

What breed of chicken is the #1 white egg layer in the United States?

White leg horn

What is one portion of the digestive tract that is unique to poultry, as compared to mammalian livestock? What is its function of?

In poultry, the digestive process involves:

• Crop (storage and softening food)

• Proventriculus (glandular stomach where enzymes and acid begin digestion)

• Gizzard (grinding and further breaking down food before it moves to the intestines).

Approx. what size of air sac does an egg need to have to be graded as AA or A?

Less than a dime

Brown eggs have more nutritional value than white eggs due to a higher fat content

False

Why do eggs need to be turned during incubation?

So they don’t stick to one side of the shell

Which of the following characteristics would result in a premium on the price of a beef animal, as compared to the base price for a low choice, yield grade 3?

The characteristics that would result in a premium on the price of a beef animal, compared to the base price for a low Choice, Yield Grade 3, would be:

• a. Prime: Prime beef is the highest quality grade, known for superior marbling and tenderness. It would command a premium price.

• c. YG 1: Yield Grade 1 indicates that the animal has a higher yield of usable meat with less fat. This is a desirable trait and would also command a premium price.

If a beef carcass is heavier muscled than the expected REA, we ___ to the preliminary USDA yield grade to determine our final USDA yield grade?

Subtract

What factor determines preliminary yield grade?

Fat Thickness —> YG up, less desirable

Yield grade is a measurement of ____, whereas quality grade is a measurement of____

quantity, quality

What factor has the greatest impact on price/cwt

Quality

How do cattle fatten? (in what direction)

Front to back

What is one factor that affects the estimate of quality grade that you would not be able to know just by evaluating a live animal?

Marbling is one of the primary factors in determining quality grades like Prime, Choice, or Select. While you can estimate things like muscling, size, and overall condition of a live animal, marbling can only be accurately assessed once the carcass is exposed.

Nutritionally, what is the advantage of beef as compared to beans?

More protein