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Texas Horse industy
1,066,800 horses 288,000 households $4.2 billion $11.2 billion/year to TX economy
Cost of horse ownership
Around $1,486-$3,060/ year
Challenges of equine nutrition
Size and breed differences Feed forage and grain separately Owners feed by volume and not weight
Right side of digestive tract of horse
Large intestine, Cecum; sounds like a whooshing sound every 20 seconds
Left side of digestive tract of horse
Stomach and small intestine; Constant gurgling sound
Equine digestive system
Hindgut ~ 60% GI tract Low capacity and activity in foregut
Horse VFAs
do not contribute to diet, may need to supplement protein
Equine diet
balance is important; cannot just supplement calories, must keep nutrients balanced
Equine supplements
Not regulated by government, don't necessarily enforce labels
Forages
minimum 0.75% recommend 1% mature can comsume 2-3%
Don't feed to horses
sorghum, sudan, kleingrass
Possible grass problems
Fescue (endophyte fungus), alfalfa (cantharidin blister beetles), Sweet clover (dicoumarin), Millet (alkaloids), Dallisgrass (dallisgrass toxicity - easy to see and treat)
Pull mares off fescue
90 days before they foal or late term abortion/retained placenta/ poor lactation can occur
Concentrate feeds
used for supplementing; work, growth, pregnancy, lactation
Length of time for feed to reach end of SI
90 minutes
If fed too large of concentrate meal
starch can reach LI and rapid fermentation can occur causing acidosis of cecum
Omega 6
pro inflammatory - working horse joints
Omega 3
anti inflammatory - poor palatability
Founder - laminitis
microbe that digest roughages die and release endotoxins which change blood flow and damage tissues
As fiber increases
DE decreases
As fat increases
DE increases
Mature idle horses should survive on
forage only - 2% BW/ day
Weanlings can't use forage as well
they require concentrate. And they're often underfed at this efficient age and overfed later on.
Protein quality of a horse's diet is
critical.
First limiting AA for horses
Lysine
Urea can be tolerated by horses
but MCP not absorbed successfully
Best source of EAA for horses
SBM
Nutrition:calorie ratio requirement for weanlings not met by
oats and alfalfa alone
Minimum needed Ca:P ratio for equine diet
1:1
Recommended Ca:P ratio for equine diet
1.5:1
Many common feed ingredients have
inverted Ca:P ratios
Electrolytes supplemented to performance horses
Na, Cl, K
Mirominerals important during growth and reproduction
Cu, Zn, Mn
Microminerals important for disease resistance
Cu, Zn, Se
Thiamin
usually synthesized in adequate amounts in the hind-gut of horses, but some hard working horses need supplementation
Long term biotin supplementation
may improve hoof integrity in 1/3 or more of horses
Body condition score
1-9; used to access energy status
Recommended BCS at foaling
6
Open or maiden mare should enter breeding season at BCS
5-7
Feed maiden or open mare
for maitenance
For pregnant mare
feed maintenance for first two trimesters then increase concentrate for 3rd trimester; must have balanced diet for protein and minerals
Early lactating mares
increase in energy, protein, and Ca requirements; increase concentrate of ration slowly at foaling
Milk production in mares
Highest between 2-3 months post foaling; around 38 lb/day
Late lactation
does not support all nutrient needs for foal
Creep rations
should be high quality and have a higher nutrient:calorie ratio than mare's diet; weanlings have low forage consumption
Working horses
increased energy requirements proportional to work.
Horses in training undergo
bone remodeling
Bones weakest at
50-60 days of training
Light work
25% increase from maintenance; seldom worked to exhaustion; same CP:DE ratio
Moderate work
50% increase from maintenance; work frequently performed; same CP:DE ratio
Intense work
100% increase from maintenance; same CP:DE ratio
Most horses consume
2-2.5% BW daily
Recommend free access to
trace mineralized salt block
Recommend
feed by weight, not volume
Ionophores are
toxic to horses
Ration changes for horses
gradual; over 1 week to avoid digestion disturbances; 3 weeks to adapt to any dietary changes (supplements)
For individual feeding
avoid feeding on the ground; keep troughs clean; attempt to slow aggressive eaters
Group feeding
adequate space if single trough used; better to feed 50 feet apart; discourage aggressive eating with obstacles and spreading grain over large area
Feeding time and frequency
feed regularly at same time each day; if grain >0.5% BW feed at least 2X per day with even time interval.
Limit grain intake of horses to
0.5 lb feed/ 100lb body weight per feeding
Milk cow operations since 1994
have been decreasing overall
Milk cow numbers since 1994
has increased
Number of cows/operation is
increasing
Milk output overtime
has increased
Cows becoming more productive due to
genetics and technology
Percentage of diary cows in Texas
is increasing
Cheese plants
caused negative environmental impact and had to be shut down, initial drop in dairy numbers in Texas but eventually it began increasing again
NE values of feed affected by
chemical composition of ingredients and physiological function of the animal
As fiber increases HI
increases and NE decreases
As fat increases HI
decreases and NE increases
Heat increment
highest for fiber, intermediate for starch, lowest for fat
NE will be lower for
growth than for lactation
HI will be higher for
growth than for lactation
NE for maintenance is similar to
lactation
NE accounts for
Gross energy, digestible energy, and metabolizable energy
To meet nutrition demands for high-producing dairy cow
Increase DMI and increase nutrient density of diet
To meet huge energy needs for dairy cow we rely on
natural increase in appetite and making more nutrient rich diet
Phase I : Early lactation
0 -10 weeks; peak milk production occurs within 3-6 weeks
Phase II: Mid lactation
10-24 weeks; Milk yields begins to decrease. Peak DMI occurs within 11-13 weeks.
Phase III: Late lactation
>24 weeks; Milk yield continues to decrease. Cows regain body tissue reserves.
Phase IV: Dry period
5-8 weeks; Dry period. Late pregnancy (rapid fetal growth).
Phase V: Transition period
2-3 weeks; Dry period. Late pregnancy. Prepare for lactation.
Phase I
negative energy balance; appetite lags. Break down of muscle and fat
Phase II
neutral energy balance; adequate AA and energy
Phase III
positive energy balance; deposits fat lost in last phase
Phase I physiological priorities
1. Lactation 2. Reproduction 3. Growth 4. Maintenance
Phase II physiological priorities
1. Reproduction 2. Lactation 3. Growth 4. Maintenance
Phase III physiological priorities
1. Reproduction 2. Growth 3. Maintenance 4. Lactation
Bovine somatotropin (growth hormone) shouldn't be given
in phase I since lactation increases demands already
Goal of feeding diary cattle
Provide high energy diets to allow cows to achieve their genetic potential to produce milk
Dilemma with feeding dairy cattle
Feeding high grain diets for more milk, but too much dietary starch may damage rumen papillae (Parakeratosis) and depressed milk fat due to inadequate intake of dietary fiber.
Parakeratosis
rumen papillae damage
Challenge of feeding dairy cattle
Feed diets with sufficient energy to support maximal milk production while maintaining adequate dietary fiber levels to avoid rumen damage and milk fat depression.
Fiber is important because
if milk protein quality is poor, producers face discounts
More fiber in dairy diet means
more rumination, adds saliva and increases rumen pH. This favors fiber loving microbes which produces more acetate.
Acetate gets higher with roughage and is a precursor for
milk fat
Propionate gets higher and lowers rumen pH causing
lower milk fat
Rules of thumb for lactating dairy cows
1. formulate diet with min forage:concentrate ration of 40:60 2. Formulate diet which contain min 17% crude fiber or 21% ADF 3. Feed minimum of 1 to 1.5% of body fat body weight as a forage
Why do rules of thumb not always apply?
Form of roughage is VERY important
Effective fiber increases with
particle size, amount of fiber, proportion of lignin
Roughage value index
measured as minutes chewing per unit of feed DM
Method used to measure effective fiber
Penn state particle size separator
Recommended amount of large particle size (> 0.75 in)
10-15%
As particle size increases
pH increases, acetate increases, milk fat increases
Other nutritional factors that affect milk composition
1. Type of grain 2. Grain processing 3. Dietary buffers 4. Dietary fats
Type of grain
faster starch fermentation lower milk fat. Wheat> barley> corn~Sorghum (wheat fastest fermentation)
Grain processing
the more processing, the faster fermentation
Dietary buffers
adding dietary buffers to the diet will increase rumen pH and help minimize milk fat depression
Dietary fats
adding dietary fats to the dairy diet may decrease milk protein
Add buffers to
maintain pH of rumen; 0.75-1.5% elevates rumen pH
When adding fat to a dairy cows diet
allows more energy while avoiding excess starch or low fiber. can be added at 5% (for an 8% total) without affecting DMI or digestibility.
Which cows benefit most from fat-added diets?
first 2-5 months of lactation
Cows fed fat-added diets
typically produce 4-6 lbs more milk per day
Heat stressed cows
eat less and produce less milk. Feeding fat decreases heat increment.
Feeding fat added diets
reduces the incidence of ketosis and enhances reproductive performance.
Unprocessed fat
has an effect on microbial fermentation of fiber
To avoid microbial fermentation of fat we feed
bypass fat.
Usually feed dairy cows a blend of all three sources of fat:
plant and oil seed sources, unprocessed fat sources, and processed fat sources.
Unprocessed fat sources in rumen
LCFA --> saturated LCFA (biohydrogenation)
Traditional feeding system for dairy cattle
Fed forage and grain separately
Steps to traditional feeding
Determine nutrient requirement (easy) Estimate forage DMI (difficult in grazing cattle) Estimate forage nutritional quality (difficult) Challenging to formulate concentrate mix to supply nutrient beyond what the forage provides
Total mixed ration system for feeding dairy cattle
Forages and concentrates mixed together
Steps to TMR feeding systems
Determine nutrient requirements (easy) Estimate forage DMI (easy because cows not grazing) Estimate forage nutritional quality (easier for harvested forages) Formulate TMR (easy compared to formulating supplements)
Advantages of using TMR feeding system
Cows not permitted to eat their favorite forage Cows are forced to eat the correct balance of forage and concentrate feeds Many small meals eaten throughout the day which help maintain stable pH in rumen Easier to feed cows in various production groups Reduce social dominance
Advantages of traditional feeding system
Harvesting and chopping for TMR is expensive Cost of grazing forages is cheaper The cost of feeding equipment for traditional system is less expensive
Body condition scores for dairy cattle
1-5
Target BCS for calving, Drying-off
3.5
Goals during early lactation
Maximize intake ( every 1lb increase in DMI leads to 2.5 lb milk increase during early lactation) Minimize body tissue loss
Feeding recommendation for early lactation
Use high quality forages Use palatable feeds Ensure adequate fiber levels Add fat to the diet Use all natural protein supplements (no urea/NPN) Consider use of high quality bypass protein/ UIP sources
When using UIP
ensure high quality to get increase in milk production
Goals for mid lactation
Maintain high milk production Begin to regain condition lost in phase 1
Feeding recommendations for mid lactation
Use palatable feeds with high energy density Use high quality forages Ensure adequate fiber (min 20% ADF) Use all natural protein supplements (no NPN)
Goals during late lactation
Restore body condition Limit overconditioning Target BCS 3.5
Feeding recommendations for late lactation
Use lower cost feeds when possible to meet cows nutritional feeds when possible to meet cows nutritional needs Consider use of NPN to meet portion of protein needs
Replacing fat during late lactation is more or less efficient than during the dry period?
More efficient - dry cows don't convert feed to tissue as efficiently
Goals of the dry period
Optimize fetal growth, prepare cow for next lactation, minimize length of dry period (must have min of 60 days), feed cows to achieve BSC of 3.5 at calving
Feeding recommendations during dry period
Separate dry cows from lactating cattle, feed higher roughage (lower energy) based diet, avoid high-grain diets to prevent abomasal displacement, avoid feeding excessive Ca levels to prevent milk fever
Goals of the transition period
Acclimate the rumen microbes to the diet that will be fed during early lactation, proper acclimation will allow cows to be switched to a high-grain diet with minimal digestive upsets
Feeding recommendations during the transition period
Feed 0.5-1.0% of BW as grain to prevent acidosis, continue to limit intake of Ca to prevent milk fever, feed negative cation-anion balanced diet, feed high levels of Vitamin A and E to prevent mastitis
80% of cases of milk fever occur within
48 hours of calving
Milk fever rarely occurs in cows during their
first lactation
Milk fever symptoms
Hypocalcemia, inactive GIT, "downer cows", uncoordinated walking, more susceptible to mastitis, ketosis, dystocia, displaced abomasum, uterine prolapse
Cows are often fed high Ca diets before calving
when cows are fed excess Ca, the mechanisms to absorb Ca from the GIT and mobilize ca reserves from the bone are down regulated. Right after calving, the cow's high demand for Ca is not met resulting in hypoglycemia.
Can feed low Ca diet to
activate mechanisms for intestinal absorption and bone mobilization of Ca, this is the traditional method for preventing milk fever
Feed negative dietary cation- anion balance (DCAB)
diet during the dry period, which activates mechanisms to absorb more Ca from gut and mobilize more Ca from bone
Recommended DCAB is
-10 to -15 meq/100 g diet DM
If a ration is positive, we must add
more salts to make ration more negative
Ketosis usually occurs
within 60 days of calving
Ketosis occurs when
appetite decreases, milk production decreases, and the cow can develop ketosis
Prevention of ketosis
#1 ia Avoid excess BCS at calving, feed glucose precursors, feed niacin

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