Design a nutrition regimen for a flock of 120 ewes in poor shape, to raise their

Question

Design a nutrition regimen for a flock of 120 ewes in poor shape, to raise their BCS from 2.75 to 3.5, within two months. Method: Use the Pearson Square technique to formulate a supplement diet suitable for this group of sheep to contain 3.12 ME and 16% CP, using 20% brewer’s grains, and oats grain, corn and soybeans. Constraint: Given that supplement feed cannot exceed 30% of daily DM intake and daily DM intake is about 3% of BW on DM basis for each ewe, how many lb of each feedstuff will be needed to feed the sheep for the two-month period?

Explanation / Answer

For the nutrition of the sheep, the presence of bulky foods, which are characterized by having a low energy content per unit of dry matter, must be taken into account. They are called bulky because they occupy a lot of volume in relation to their nutritional value, which is relatively low. Within this group we can distinguish voluminous fibrous foods (forages) and succulent bulky foods. Bulky fibrous foods, also called forages are those that have a high fiber content (?18% dry matter base). Within this category are all the fibrous parts of the plants. Depending on their type of conservation, this group also includes green forage plants, silages, hay and by-products such as cereal straws and / or legumes. The succulent bulky foods include roots and tubers such as turnips, beets and carrots. The water content of these foods is around 80%. They have a high nutritional content if you discount the large amount of water they have. The fiber content does not exceed 15% (dry matter base).

Likewise, we should consider, concentrated foods. That unlike what happens with bulky foods, concentrates are characterized by having a high nutritional value in relation to their weight. This group includes all grains of cereals (corn, barley, wheat, sorghum, rye, rice) and by-products derived from the process of obtaining flour from these grains. This group also includes legume grains such as lupine and peas, as well as the by-products of the oil industry, among which the oilseed cakes stand out. This type of food is used mainly to supplement the rations of grazing ruminants. They have a low moisture and fiber content, which does not exceed 18%. Concentrated foods can be classified according to the predominant nutrient principle in their dry matter. This classification divides these foods into two large groups: energy concentrates and protein concentrates. Energy concentrates are those in which the concentration of energy is much higher compared to its protein content, which does not exceed 20%. Example: cereal grains. On the other hand, protein concentrates correspond to those foods where the protein fraction predominates over energy. In these foods the raw protein content is equal to or greater than 20%.

The Pearson Square Method allows to mix two foods that have different nutritional concentrations to obtain as a result a mixture that has the desired concentration (protein, energy). A simple example is one where a nutrient, protein or energy is usually balanced, considering two ingredients in the process. For example, a food mix containing 20% ??PC is required, having barley grain with 11.5% PC and fish meal with 65% PC. The functionality of this method is subject to the fact that the nutritional content of a food must be higher (HP = 65% PC) than required (20%), and another smaller (CG = 11.5% PC). The method also allows to make rations with a greater number of ingredients and nutrients, being more careful in preparing the ration. As in the other cases to make rations through this system, the nutritional requirements of the animals and the contribution of the raw materials used must be known.

In this case, the use of beer and oats, corn and soybeans is considered; which are included within the energy concentrated foods; for a group of animals (120) that are in poor condition, for a period of 2 months. They pose that they are in bad conditions; but they do not specify what stage they are in. And data is required to be able to estimate the amount of total food "as offered" to feed a herd during a given period.

In necessary to know the live weight of the animal, there are also other factors that affect the consumption of MS in sheep, among which the most important is the physiological state (late pregnancy and especially during the first 8 weeks of lactation). During the first two thirds of pregnancy (first 100 days) consumption increases between 20-25% compared to a maintenance sheep. This situation changes from the last third of gestation, at which time accelerated growth of the fetus and uterine attachments begins, as well as the beginning of breast tissue growth. This leads to an increase in the demand for nutrients, which must be satisfied with an increase in ingestion capacity. This increase will depend on the number of pregnant fetuses and on average it is of the order of 55%. During lactation, DM consumption of sheep increases in varying proportions depending on the type of delivery and the day of lactation; In fact, the highest consumption of food occurs around a month after childbirth. The increase in consumption at that time can reach 90% in sheep fed by twins, being of the order of 60-70% in sheep that breastfeed a single lamb. Flushing is a technique that allows increasing the number of lambs born from the increase in the ovulatory rate of females. In practice, the Flushing corresponds to an increase in the nutritive level of the sheep 15 days before and 15 days after the start of the encaste period. The above leads to an increase in the capacity of ingestion of MS, of the order of 9.5% with respect to the consumption of a sheep in maintenance. The passage of a child to a greater nutritional level positively affects the proliferation and maturation of the ovules in females, so that they increase the chances of double ovulation and that these ovules are fertilized. It is important to note that this management will be effective as long as the sheep are not too skinny or too fat. In addition to the needs of dry matter, which will be the basis for calculating the requirements of our herd in a productive cycle, it is important to understand that sheep have specific needs for both energy and protein, which must be found in adequate amounts in the diet . When talking about energy consumption in sheep, it refers to the amount of metabolizable energy consumed, corresponding to the energy that is actually available to the animal. Each food contains different levels of energy, so that the amount of forage to provide the animals is in close relation to the energy content of this. As in the case of food consumption, which is expressed as kg of dry matter, the consumption of metabolizable energy (ME) in sheep is also expressed in specific units, usually in MJ (Megajoules) or Mcal (Megacalories). Both the food composition tables and the nutritional requirements tables use either of these two units of measurement, so it is important to know how to transform Mcal to MJ and vice versa. In this sense it is feasible to suggest an exact calculation, with a greater data contribution.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse D
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.