pasturenutritioniv

2015 WINTER WEBINAR SERIES

PASTURE MANAGEMENT FOR SMALL RUMINANT PRODUCERS

IV. PASTURE NUTRITON

SUSAN SCHOENIAN & JEFF SEMLER - UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EXTENSION

SMALL RUMINANT PROGRAM

NUTRIENTS REQUIRED BY SHEEP AND GOATS

• Energy (TDN)

• Protein (CD)

• Degradable intake protein (DIP)

• Undegradable intake protein (UIP)

• Minerals

• Macro (Ca, P, Na, Cl, Mg, K, S)

• Micro (Co, Cu, F, I, Mn, Mo, Se, Zn)

• Vitamins

• Water soluble (B & C)

• Fat soluble (A, D, E, & K)

• Water

NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS (AMOUNT/DAY) VARY BY

• Species

• Size (weight)

• Body condition

• Sex

• Age

• Genetics

• Stage and level of production

• Climate, environment, and activity

FORAGE GROWING PATTERNS

GROWTH PATTERN OF COOL SEASON GRASSES

EFFECT OF GROWTH (MATURITY) ON FORAGE QUALITY

COOL SEASON GRASSES PERENNIAL LEGUMES

DETERMINING FORAGE & DIET QUALITY

FORAGE

• Sample forage to determine likely quality of animals’ diet.

SAMPLE FECES

• Sample feces to determine quality of diet consumed.

If quantity is not a limiting factor then diet quality becomes the primary determinant of animal productivity.

SAMPLING PASTURE FOR NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS

• Sample pasture when animals first have access to it.

• Observe animals to see what plants they eat and which they avoid

• Take grab samples from entire pasture.

• Tear plant at grazing level.

• Thoroughly mix sample.

• Fill a gallon size plastic bag with a representative sample.

• Take/mail sample immediately to lab or freeze until sending.

http://www.foragetesting.org/files/2013_Certified_Labs.pdf

Cumberland Valley Analytical Serviceshttp://www.foragelab.com/

WESTERN MARYLAND PASTURE-BASED MEAT GOAT PERFORMANCE TEST

Sample date Forage DM CP NDF ADF TDN RFV

7/14 Sunn Hemp 16.8 20.0 24.4 21.4 75.8 278

7/14Sunn HempDwarf Pearl Millet

15.2 21.8 36.3 26.7 72.6 174

7/14 Orchardgrass 43.9 9.9 69.4 43.8 53.5 73

7/13 Sorghum 26.9 18.4 66.8

8/09 Mixed weeds 14.1 65.8 111

8/09 Chicory 14.3 75.3 184

8/09 Lambsquarters 23.2 89.6 289

Forage Analyses, Cumberland Analytical Services

FECAL SAMPLING TO PREDICT DIET QUALITY

• Analyzes crude protein and energy. Also measures fecal N and P.

• Collect samples after animals have been grazing pasture for at least 48 hours

• Collect samples from about 10% of herd or flock.

• Fill quart size plastic bag with feces.

• Keep sample cool until shipping. Can be frozen indefinitely.

• Fill out paperwork. Put sample in styrofoam cooler with frozen gel pack. Mail in cardboard box.

Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to evaluate forage component of diet and predict quality of forage animals were consuming for the past 36 to 48 hours.

Grazingland Animal Nutrition (GAN) Lab

http://cnrit.tamu.edu/ganlab/

2014 WESTERN MARYLAND PASTURE-BASED MEAT GOAT PERFORMANCE TEST

Date Composition CP DOM DOM:CP

June 19 Cool season 16.7 46.9 2.8

June 29 Cool season 19.0 50.0 2.6

July 3 Cool season 21.2 50.1 2.4

August 7 Warm season 21.5 47.4 2.2



Grazingland Animal Nutrition Lab

SYNCHRONIZING FORAGE AND ANIMAL PRODUCTION

BREEDING FLOCK/HERD GROWING/FINISHING LAMBS & KIDS

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

January February March April May June July August September October November December

176-lb ewe 132-lb doe

ENERGY REQUIREMENTS OF EWES/DOES, LBS. TDN/DAYWINTER (JANUARY) LAMBING/KIDDING (TWINS)

Dry periodLactation Early gestationLate

gestationBreeding

LambingKidding

Wean

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50



ENERGY REQUIREMENTS OF EWES/DOES, LBS. TDN/DAYWINTER (JANUARY) LAMBING/KIDDING (TWINS)

DryLactation Early gestationLate

gestationBreeding

LambingKidding

Wean


GROWING AND FINISHING WINTER-BORN LAMBS AND KIDS

Winter born

Wean

GROWING AND FINISHING WINTER-BORN LAMBS AND KIDS

Winter born


Sell at Easter or market by July 1

Wean

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50



ENERGY REQUIREMENTS OF EWES/DOES, LBS. TDN/DAYSPRING (APRIL) LAMBING/KIDDING (TWINS)

DryLactationEarly

gestationLate

gestation Breeding

LambingKidding

Wean


GROWING AND FINISHING SPRING-BORN LAMBS AND KIDS

Spring born

Wean


GROWING AND FINISHING SPRING-BORN LAMBS AND KIDS

Spring born

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50



ENERGY REQUIREMENTS OF EWES/DOES, LBS. TDN/DAYFALL (SEPTEMBER) LAMBING/KIDDING (TWINS)

Dry LactationEarly gestationLate

gestationBreeding

LambingKidding

Wean

ENERGY REQUIREMENTS OF EWES/DOES, LBS. TDN/DAYFALL (SEPTEMBER) LAMBING/KIDDING (TWINS)

Dry LactationEarly gestationLate

gestationBreeding

LambingKidding

Wean

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50



September October November December January February March April May

GROWING AND FINISHINGFALL-BORN LAMBS AND KIDS

Fall born

Wean


Fall born

Market at Christmas

Wean




Fall born

Wean

SUPPLEMENTAL FEEDING

• Providing nutrients that are lacking in the forage diet.

• Supplementation may enable livestock to make better use of nutrients in forage, especially low quality forage.

• Supplementation may be necessary to meet performance targets.

• Weather may necessitate the need for supplemental feeding.

• To stretch forage resource.

• Supplementation should be economical.

WHY SUPPLEMENT?

EWES AND DOES

• Flushing

• Late gestation

• Lactation

LAMBS AND KIDS

• To improve growth rates

• To improve parasite tolerance

• To finish for market

• To meet target markets

• To help develop replacement females so that they can be bred to lamb/kid as yearlings.

As a carrierEnsure adequate mineral intake, e.g. SeMGA for out-of-season breedingAntibiotic to prevent abortionsCoccidiostat to control coccidiosisSericea lespedeza pellets for parasite controlFungus to reduce parasitism

SUPPLEMENTAL FEEDING

SUPPLEMENTATION

• The animal eats the supplement and pasture intake is not reduced.

SUBSTITUTION

• Some of the supplement is substituting for pasture; pasture intake drops. Saved pasture may be your goal.

COMPLEMENTATION

• A good supplement increases the animal’s intake of dead pasture or crop residue.

TYPES OF SUPPLEMENTS

• Salt

• Mineral mixes

• Lick tubs

• Hay

• Grain

• Roughage feeds

SUPPLEMENTATION WITH FIBROUS BY-PRODUCT FEEDSPermissible under USDA Grass-fed Standards

>18% CF < 70% TDN 5.5% FAT

Feedstuff CF (fiber, %)

TDN(energy, %)

CP(protein, %)

Fat(EE, %)

Almond hulls 16 59 5.0 3.3

Cottonseed hulls 48 45 5.0 1.9

Oat hulls 32 40 4.0 1.5

Peanut hulls 63 22 7.0 1.5

Soybean hulls 38 77 13.0 2.6

Source: Nutrient Requirements of Small Ruminants, 2007

Roughage feeds are low in starch and thus do not create the negative associative effects in the

rumen that are often created when the forage diet is supplemented with feed grains.

SOYBEAN HULLS

• Soyhulls are a coproduct of soybean processing. The hull is the

seedcoat of the soybean.

• Pelleted soyhulls have a higher bulk density and are easier to

store.

• Total energy intake is similar to supplementing with an equal

amount of corn. Can be substituted for corn on a one-to-one

basis.

• Since they have 30% more energy per pound than most grass or

legumes forages, 1 lb. of soyhulls would replace 1 lb. of forage.

HOW TO MONITOR NUTRITIONAL WELL-BEING OF GRAZING LIVESTOCK

• Health

• Performance

• Body condition (1-5)

BODY CONDITION SCORING

• One the most practical and important tools available to livestock producers.

• Used to monitor nutritional program and health of flock/herd.

• Cannot determine body condition without handling (touching) animals.

• A scoring system of 1 to 5 (with 0.5 increments) is usually used for sheep and goats.

Extremely thin with no fat reserves, 1

Healthy animals, 2.5 to 4

Very over-conditioned (obese) animal, 5

NEXT (LAST) WEBINAR

PASTURE HEALTH PROBLEMS

WED. MAR 4, 7 PM EST

Susan SchoenianSheep & Goat SpecialistUniversity of Maryland [email protected]

SMALL RUMINANT PROGRAM

pasturenutritioniv

Education

sample cool

quality of forage animals

sampling pasture

quality of diet

forage component of

entire pasture

activity forage

likely quality of animals