Feedstuffs

Swine, Sheep and Goat nutrition

Feedstuffs

Definition- any component of a diet ( ration) that serves some useful function

Functions- Provide source of nutrients and energy- Combined to produce rations- Modify characteristics of diet

Eight Classes of Feedstuffs

1. Dry roughages2. Pasture and range grasses3. Ensiled roughages4. High energy concentrates5. Protein sources6. Minerals7. Vitamins8. additives

1. Dry Roughages•Bulky feed that has low weight per unit

volume•High crude fiber content, low protein and fat

digestibility•A feed is classified as a roughage if it contains

>18% crude fiber and <70% total digestible nutrients

•Ex: ▫Hay: alfalfa or grass▫Straw and chaff▫Corn cobs

2. Pasture and Range Grasses

•Grazed plants- Dormant plants- Growing plants

3. Silages and Haylages

•Fermented, high moisture feed made from the entire plant, stored in silos

- corn, sorghum- Grass, grass-legume, legume

4. High Energy Concentrate

•Cereal grains ( milling byproducts of cereal grains)

•Beet and citrus pulp•Molasses•Animal, marine, vegetable fats•Roots and tubers

5. Protein Supplements

Contain > 20% crude protein•Animal, avian, marine sources•Milk and by-products•Legume seeds•Urea

6. Mineral supplements 7. Vitamin supplements•Must be added by sources that animal is

able to absorb•Vitamin concentration in plants and

animal tissues varies greatly•Plants: vitamin concentration affected by

harvesting, processing and storing•Animals: liver and kidney are good

sources of most vitamins

8. Additives

Non-nutritive ingredients added to stimulate growth or performance or improve the efficiency of feed

•Added in very small quantities•Antibiotics, antifungals, antimicrobials•Probiotics, buffers•Colors, flavors•Hormones, enzymes

Estimating Nutritional Value of a Feed

•Goal: estimate how well nutrients in feedstuff matches the animals needs

Three methods for estimating1. Chemical analysis2. Digestion and balance trials3. Feeding trials

Chemical Analysis

•Subdivides the components of the feedstuff into general groups ( protein, water, carbohydrates, lipids, minerals, vitamins) to estimate the relative amount present

•Problem: doesn’t estimate how well the animal utilizes the feed

Digestion and Balance Trials

•Measures the digestibility of feed•Feed consumption and fecal excretion are

measured over period of time•Problem: not a true measure because

feces contain sloughed cells and tissue

Feeding Trials

•Used extensively•Usually done before chemical analysis or

digestion and balance trials•Can evaluate growth, egg production,

wool or milk production

Break Time!!

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6Jw7ml7s8Q

Swine Nutrition- Water

•Neonates- 80% water, finishing pigs 55% water

•Requirement is influenced by many factors ( environment, moisture content of food, urine output etc)

•General guidelines- 1-1 ½ quarts of water per 1 lb of feed consumed

•Lactating sows require more water

Swine Nutrition- Energy

•Required for buildup of lean and fat tissue•Nursing pigs- most energy from fat and

sugar in milk•Growing pigs- most energy from cereal

grains•Sows and finishing pigs- some energy

from VFA ( volatile fatty acids) from large intestine

•Amount of feed consumed ad libitum is controlled by energy content of diet

Energy Source Feedstuffs in Swine•Cereal grains ( especially corn)•Damaged grains•Grain by-products•Purified sugars ( sucrose, lactose for

piglets)•Fat (animal and vegetable fats)

Swine Nutrition- protein and amino acids•Pigs need 10 essential amino acids to

maintain tissues•Most porcine diets are based on corn and

soybean meal, corn is low in lysine•Amino acid requirements for protein

accretion is higher than for maintenance•Plant protein sources: soybeans

Swine Minerals

•Ca/P- limestone and oyster shells•NaCl- inadequate amounts suppress feed

intake• I- require supplementation, soybean and

grain deficient•Fe- injected in piglets, milk deficient, lasts

3 weeks•Mg- usually present in diet•Z – supplemented to prevent parakeratosis

Swine Vitamins•Vit A- supplemented due to def. in corn,

breaks down with processing, dehydrated alfalfa is a good source

•VitD – absent in feedstuffs, expose to sunlight or use sun-cured hays or fish oils in diet

•Vit E- req throughout life, legume hay, green forage, cereal grains

•Vit K- synthesized in hind gut fermentation (need access to feces), supplement in confinement

Water requirements

•1 gallon per 4 lbs of dry feed consumed•More water when air temp is > 70F•Less intake if water temp is <40 or > 50F•Lower requirement with daily rain, heavy

dew or soft wet snow•Lower requirement when eating silage,

succulent or range forage

Energy for Sheep

•Insufficient energy from low intake or poor quality feed

•Energy deficiency reduces growth, fertility, wool quality, death

•High energy needs:- Immediately before and after lambing - Flushing ewes and rams for breeding- Finishing lambs

Sheep nutrition- protein

•Usually quantity is more important than quality due to bacterial conversion in rumen

•Microbial protein synthesis supplies protein needs except when lactating or very young lambs

•Green pastures, soybean meal, cottonseed meal, alfalfa hay, urea ( sometimes)

Minerals for sheep

•NaCl- usually provided ½ to ¾ lb per ewe/month

•Ca/P- highest need during lactation, provide leafy legumes for Ca, grains for P

•I in salt, Co in legumes•Se- narrow margin of safety, deficiency

leads to white muscle disease•Zinc- needed for normal testicular

development

Vitamins for sheep

•Vit A- can store excess for 6-12 months•Vit D- fast growing lambs kept inside may

show problems•Vit E- low selenium leads to Vit E

deficiency•Vit K- synthesized in rumen•Vit C- synthesized by tissues

Goat feeding behavior

•Confinement feeding- will pick and choose▫Goats will eat more if they have more to

select, so offer less feed to force them to choose more of the desired diet

•Range feeding- active forager, browses all plant types including trees, shrubs, grasses. Will sometimes defoliate one type of plant.

Goat nutrition- water

•Requirements- Intake is related to feed intake and feed

intake correlates to productivity- Free access to good quality water- More sensitive to water quality- Lactation increases needs

Goat nutrition- energy

•Mostly from carbs and low levels or fat ( high fat inhibits rumen fermentation)

•Excess fat is stored in the body around internal organs

•Consume more dry matter than other livestock species

Goat nutrition- protein

•Most expensive component of diet•Needed to support rumen fermentation

and supply amino acids•Unlike fat, excess is not stored•Vary with developmental stage•Protein feedstuffs for goats: soybean

meal, fish meal, cottonseed meal, sunflower meal

Goat nutrition- minerals

•Ca/P – needed for bone and milk production

•Phosphorus is met with high diet selectivity

•Only salt should be provided free choice•Lush pasture deficient in magnesium

Goat nutrition- vitamins

•Only vitamin A is likely to be deficient•Occurs in confinement fed goats in dry

cold weather•Occurs in range fed goats when

vegetation contains little or no green plant material