Feed Intake and Ration Balancing

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Feed Intake and Ration Balancing
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Factors Affecting Feed Intake

• 1) Level of production
• 2) Palatability
• 3) Appetite
• 4) Energy level

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Feed Intake

• 1) Level of Production

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Feed Intake

• 1) Level of Production
• Growing
• Lactating
• Working
• Maintenance
• Body weight
• Environment
• Bunk space

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Feed Intake

• 2) Palatability

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Feed Intake

• 2) Palatability
• Taste
• Odor
• Texture

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Feed Intake

• 3) Appetite - Regulated by internal factors
• a) Hunger cant turn on
• b) Satiety is turned on
• - Long term body composition
• - Short term
• 1. Fill Gut capacity
• Passage rate
• - Particle size
• - Digestibility
• 2. Chemical sense
• - Blood glucose
• - Candy bar increase blood sugar

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Feed Intake

• 4) Energy
• -Animals will eat to a maximum energy level
• ie Steer fed high corn diet (80) vs. a steer
  on low energy diet (40)
• Steer consuming low energy diet will eat more

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Practical Considerations - Beef
Wean
Birth
Market
Nursing
Backgrounding
Finishing
120-240 days
Age, mo Weight
6-8 450-550 lb
10-12 750-800 lb
15-17 1325 lbs

• Backgrounding
• Roughage 60 80 Concentrate 40 20
• Crude Protein 13 14
• ADG 1.5 1.75 lbs / day
• Finishing
• Roughage 10 Concentrate 90
• Crude Protein 11
• ADG 3.0 3.5 lbs / day

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Practical Considerations - Swine
Birth
Wean
Market
Breed
Nursing
Starting
Finishing
Growing
Gestation
3
3
Weeks Weight
8
8
10
16 lb
320 lb
45 lb
125 lb
260 lb

• Nursing
• Creep feed 20 crude protein pellet
• Starter
• Pellet Crude Protein 20
• Growing
• Corn Soybean meal Crude Protein 16
• Finishing
• Corn Soybean meal Crude Protein 14
• Replacements Limit finishing diet to 1.5 of
  BW

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Practical Considerations - Sheep
Wean
Market
Birth
Nursing
Grow / Finishing
Age, mo Weight
2-3 40-60 lb
5-8 110-130 lb

• Nursing
• Free choice Creep feed 20 Crude protein
• Growing
• Some hand feeding at 2 of BW
• 15 - 18 Crude Protein diet 60 concentrate
• Finishing
• Roughage 10 Concentrate 90
• Crude Protein 12
• Self Feeders / Roughage fed as a dehydrated
  alfalfa pellet
• Lambs consume 2.5 3.5 of BW

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Practical Considerations - Horse
Wean
Birth
Nursing
Yearling
2 year old
Weanling
Age, mo Weight
12 600-700 lb
24 900-1100 lb
3-4 320-350 lb
36 1200 lbs

• Dry Matter Intake
• 1.0 3.5 of BW, depends on energy needed
• Avg 1.5
• Level of Concentrate Protein
• Weanling 70 15
• Yearling 60 14
• 2 year old 30 12
• Lactating Mare 50 13
• Gestating Mare 20 13