Equine, Beef, Dairy, Swine, and Small Ruminant Nutrition

Four stomach chambers of ruminants:

1.) rumen

2.) reticulum

3.) omasum

4.) abomasum

What is considered the "fore-stomach" in ruminants?

1.) rumen

2.) reticulum

3.) omasum

What is considered the "true stomach" in ruminants?

abomasum

The _______ is the fermentation vat of the GI tract

rumen

Cattle have no maxillary ________ or ________

incisors; canines

Cattle have a ________ shaped colon

spiral

Three organisms that live in the rumen from highest to lowest:

1.) bacteria

2.) fungi

3.) protozoa

The rumen produces four products:

1.) volatile fatty acids

2.) protein

3.) carbohydrates

4.) fats

volatile fatty acids are the main ________ source of ruminants

energy

Three volatile fatty acids:

1) acetate

2.) propionate

3.) butyrate

The major source of energy for mature ruminants are __________

The major source of energy for neonatal ruminants is _____________

VFAs

glucose

Bypassed nutrients in ruminants

nutrients that are bypassed into the lower GI tract instead of being digested in the rumen

What type of cattle require the most water intake?

lactating dairy cows

Young cattle are ____-___% water, however, mature cattle _______ water concentration over time

85-90%

lose

Three sources of energy for cattle from food:

1.) forage

2.) concentrates

3.) fat

forage

high-fiber, lower-energy roughage that comes from grass/legumes

concentrates

nutrient-dense, high-energy feeds for boosting production that come from grains, byproducts, and coproducts

Why is fiber required for rumen health?

it feeds the bacteria and also stimulates the rumen to move

fiber stimulating the rumen to move is called the...

scratch factor

Two major minerals required for ruminants:

1.) calcium

2.) phosphorus

Generally ruminants require a ___:___ ratio of calcium to phosphorus

2:1

Trace minerals

minerals essential in nutrition, needed in small quantities daily

Trace minerals for ruminants

-zinc

-copper

-cobalt

-magnesium

Ruminants synthesize ALL vitamin ______ vitamins through the rumen microbes

vitamin B

Three vitamins ruminants also synthesize:

1.) vitamin B

2.) vitamin C

3.) vitamin K

What three vitamins must ruminants ingest in their diet?

1.) vitamin D

2.) vitamin A

3.) vitamin E

Largest source of vitamins D, A, and E for ruminants

forages

Four components of ruminant diet:

1.) forages

2.) grains

3.) by-products/co-products

4.) mineral and vitamin mixes

forage sources examples

-pasture

-hay

-silage

-baleage

-grasses

-legumes

Legumes are higher in ________ and _______ compared to grasses

energy and protein

Grasses _________ in protein with age

decrease

Forage ________ is always a challenge

quality

Factors affecting forage quality:

-weather (biggest issue!)

-soil quality

-water

-harvest timing

-hearvest maturity

What is used to determine forage quality?

feed analysis

RFV

relative feed value; a system of comparing forages based on anticipated digestibility and intake characteristics

NDF measures...

hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin

ADF measures...

cellulose and lignin

What components of the cell wall are digestible by bacteria?

hemicellulose and cellulose

What components of the cell wall are NOT digestible by bacteria?

lignin

TDN

total digestible nutrients; percentage of feed that yields digestible energy

Hay should be ____% dry

95% (5% moisture)

grains examples

-corn

-wheat

-soy

-oats

-sorghum

by-products/co-products examples

-dried distillers grains solubles

-corn gluten mean

-brewers yeast

-brewers grain

Why are by-products/co-products given? (What do they provide?)

they provide concentrated energy, protein, and fat in smaller volumes compared to forages, so they are used to balance the needs of protein, energy, and fat without increasing bulk

*instead of feeding a cow tons of hay to provide the same nutrients, can feed by-products/co-products to provide same nutrients with samller amounts

Silage

grass or other green fodder compacted and stored in airtight conditions for fermentation to occur

Silage is more or less digestible than grass?

more (because its fiber has been broken down through fermentation)

Three types of feed strategies:

1.) total mixed ration

2.) partial mixed ration

3.) component feeding

total mixed ration

a ration that provides all needed feed ingredients in each mouthful of feed a cow eats

total mixed ration is commonly fed to what cattle operations?

dairy and feedlot cattle (finishing)

Partial Mixed Ration

Most ingredients mixed, supplement fed separately

partial mixed ration is commonly fed to what cattle operations?

robotic daires and older tie stall dairies

component feeding

feed forage, grain, and by-products separately

component feeding is commonly fed to what cattle operations?

Majority of beef cows/calves, pastured animals, backyard animals, etc.

Mature ruminants need ___-___% of their body weight in dry matter intake

1-2%

What percent of a neonate BW should be given as colostrum in the first four hours of birth?

10%

Ruminant neonates should consume ____-____% of their body weight in volume of milk per day

10-20%

Calves are on milk for around _____ months for dairy cows and ____-____ months for beef

2 months

3-6 months

Milk replacer

substitute for milk from mom; should be milk based (casein or whey)

For lactating dairy cows, forage to concentrate ratio should be...

50:50

For dry dairy cows, diet consists of mostly _______ with low ________

forage; low energy

Beef cows diet

mainly pasture wilth grain, hay, or silage supplemented

Beef cows have a dry matter intake of ___-___% of their BW

1-4%

Beef bulls diet

mostly on pasture to maintain ideal BCS; increase grain during breeding

Beef stocker/growers diet

forage is 40-50% of diet; concentrates fed at an increasing rate but not that majority of the diet

Beef feeders/finishers diet

70-90% concentrates; remaining is forage/fiber products

What kind of digestive tract do horses have?

hindgut fermenters

hindgut fermenters

Fermentation occurs in the large intestines and cecum

Horses are designed to eat _______ and ________ meals of forage

small and frequent

Water intake for horses depends on...

size, age, weather, performance, etc

Average horse needs about ___-____% crude protein per day

8-12%

Majority of a horse's CP comes from...

forages like grass (either hay or pasture)

Younger horses will need more or less protein?

more (15% CP per day)

What horses have the highest protein requirements?

lactating mares

Horses get most of their energy from....

forages in the form of grasses, some legumes

True or false: horses are more tolerant to fat than cattle

true! (monogastric stomach)

What is added to a horse's diet if they need more energy?

concentrates (grains)

What vitamins can horses synthesize themselves?

vitamins B and K through their gut microbiome

What vitamins do horses need supplemented?

A, D, and E

The Ca:P ratio in horses should be...

2:1

Equine ration balancer

multivitamin that is the most common supplement for horses; given in order to balance minerals and vitamins

___________ should be the main component of a horse's diet

fiber

Forage intake should be ___-___% BW per day in horses

1-3%

How many acres of land are needed for grazing in horses?

one horse will require at least two acres; for each additional horse, another acre is added

The BCS scale for horses ranges from ___-___

1-9

Ideal BCS for horses

4-5/9

Horse pastures should be a mix of both _________ and ________

grasses and legumes (though grass is more important)

What should hay be purchased based off on?

nutrient hay analysis (not color or appearance!)

When are concentrates/grain typically fed in horses?

to modify calories and diet quality

Three types of horses grain is fed to:

1.) performance horses

2.) growing horses

3.) equine seniors

Equine senior feed

can be used as a complete feed and can be the sole diet intake in some animals; easier to chew for older horses w/ teeth issues

What is one of the most important factors of feeding grain?

need to weigh it before feeding; weight is a more accurate measurement than volume

The diet of a horse with metabolic syndrome needs to be low in...

non-structural carbohydrates (starch)

The diet of a horse with metabolic syndrome should have non-structural carbohydrates of less than ___-___%

10-12%