Nutrient requirements of sheep and goats

Nutrient requirements of sheep and goatsSusan Schoenian Sheep & Goat Specialist [email protected]

Ruminant digestive system

The rumen can be “fed” different feeds, but it is very sensitive to drastic changes in the diet.

CONCENTRATE – GRAIN - STARCH

▪ Greater numbers and proportion of microbes that digest sugar and starch.

▪ Insensitive to acidityLower pH (more acidic)Risk of acidosis

▪ Produce more propionic and butyric acidMore efficient energy source

▪ Quicker passage through digestive tract.

FORAGE – FIBER - CELLULOSE

▪ Greater numbers and proportion microbes that digest cellulose.

▪ Higher pH (normal range)

▪ Produce mainly acetic acid. Necessary for production of milk fat.More methane (byproduct) produced.

▪ Lower rate of passage.

Do sheep and goats have a dietary requirement for fiber?

▪ Fiber is the primary energy source for sheep and goats via rumen microbial fermentation.

▪ Research supports the inclusion of effective fiber (long forage) in beef and dairy cattle diets.

▪ Sheep have successfully been fed soy hull (ewes) or whole grain (lambs) diets without effective fiber.

▪ What about goats? In most studies, hay has been included in diets as a “scratch” factor.

Sheep and goats require five essential nutrients.

1. Water

2. Energy

3. Protein

4. Minerals

5. Vitamins

Water is the most important nutrient.

▪ Sheep and goats are able to obtain most

of their water from forage consumption.

▪ Sheep/goats drink less water than

other species, but require better

quality (cleaner) water.

▪ Water quality can be impaired by

contaminants, such as salt, excess

nutrients, or bacteria.

▪ Water should be shaded in summer and

warm in winter, to encourage intake.

Water requirements vary by animal.

ClassDaily consumption

gallons per day

Young lamb 0.1 to 0.3

Feeder lamb 1.0 to 1.5

Gestation 1.0 to 2.0

Lactation 2 to 3

Ram 1 to 2

1 gallon per 4 lbs. of DM consumed.

1 quart of water for every pint of milk produced.

Energy is usually the most limiting nutrient in sheep and goat diets.

▪ Most feedstuffs provide energy.

▪ Energy comes mostly from carbohydrates, but also fats and protein.

▪ Best sources of energy are fat, oils, and grains.

▪ Excess energy is stored as fat.

▪ Energy is expressed in many ways in animal nutrition: TDN, ME, and NE.

▪ TDN (total digestible nutrients) is most commonly used to balance small ruminant rations.

Gross energy

in feed

100%

TDN

Digestible

energy (70%)

Loss in feces

(30%)

ME

Metabolizable

Energy (60%)

Loss in urine (5%)

and in gas (5%)

NE

Net energy

(40%)

Losses as heat (20%)

1. Fermentation

2. Nutrient metabolism

NEM

Maintenance (20%)

Production (20%)

Nutrient partitioning

Pregnancy toxemiaTwin lamb disease, lambing paralysis, ketosis

▪ One of the most common metabolic disorders in sheep and goats.

▪ Caused by a deficiency of energy in the late gestation diet.

▪ Females that are fat, thin, old, or timid – and carrying multiple fetuses are most prone.

▪ Is common to feed grain to meet increased energy requirements in late gestation.

Protein is a more expensive nutrient.

▪ Most feedstuffs provide protein.

▪ Amount is more critical than quality.

▪ Best sources are oilseed meals and legumes.

▪ Need decreases as animal ages.

▪ Excess protein is converted to energy.

▪ By-pass protein is not degraded in rumen. It by-passes rumen and is mainly digested in the small intestine.

▪ Protein is expressed many ways in animal nutrition. CP or crude protein is usually used to balance rations for sheep and goats.

Minerals: two kinds

MACRO

▪ Sodium (Na)

▪ Chloride (Cl)

▪ Calcium (Ca)

▪ Phosphorus (P)

▪ Magnesium (Mg)

▪ Potassium (K)

▪ Sulfur (S)

MICRO OR TRACE

▪ Cobalt (Co)

▪ Copper (Cu)*

▪ Fluoride (Fl)

▪ Iodine (I)

▪ Iron (Fe)

▪ Manganese (Mn)

▪ Molybdenum (Mo)

▪ Selenium (Se)*

▪ Zinc (Z)

Salt

Salt – Sodium Chloride - NaCl

▪ Required in relatively large amounts compared to other minerals.

▪ Requirements vary.

▪ Only mineral for which livestock have “nutritional wisdom.”

▪ Salt deprivation may cause animals to eat things they ordinarily wouldn’t (pica).

▪ Salt can be used to regulate intake of other nutrients

▪ Salt can be used as a carrier for other nutrients

Calcium and phosphorus

▪ Improper ratio of calcium to phosphorus can result in urinary calculi in male animals.

▪ Calcium to phosphorus ratio should be at least 2:1 in rations for male animals.

▪ Low blood calcium causes milk fever in does and ewes.

▪ In doe, calcium requirements peak in lactation.

▪ In ewe calcium requirements peak in late gestation.

▪ Calcium is one of the least expensive nutrients, while phosphorus is one of the most expensive.

COPPER (Cu)

▪ Copper metabolism is very complicated.

▪ Many antagonists: molybdenum, sulfur, zinc, and calcium.

▪ Different rates of absorption.

▪ Sheep are sensitive to too much copper in diet.

▪ Goats have higher requirements for copper and are less prone to toxicity.

SELENIUM (Se)

▪ Maryland soils: deficient in Se [?]

▪ White muscle disease occurs in lambs/kids born to selenium deficient dams.

▪ Sub-clinical deficiencies of selenium are not easily determined.

▪ Oral administration of selenium is recommended over injections.

▪ Narrow margin between Se toxicity and deficiency.

Concentration of minerals in liver can be used to determine mineral status in animals.

Vitamins: two kinds

WATER SOLUBLE

▪ C - synthesized in tissues

▪ B complex

▪ Thiamine (B1)

▪ B12

▪ Others

FAT SOLUBLE

▪ A

▪ D

▪ E

▪ KSynthesized

in rumen

Usually no

dietary

requirement

Usually adequate in diets containing

high quality forage.

Sometimes, supplementation required.

Synthesized

in rumen

Polioencephalomalacia (polio, PEM)Thiamine – Vitamin B1 deficiency

▪ Caused by change in rumen environment: too much grain in the diet.

▪ Over-use of Corid (amprolium: a thiamine inhibitor) to treat coccidiosis.

▪ Consuming some species of ferns

▪ Causes neurological symptoms: star gazing and blindness, similar to listeriosis

▪ Treat with thiamine (Rx) or fortified B complex.

Many factors affect nutrient requirements of sheep and goats.

▪ Species

▪ Genetics

▪ Size (weight)

▪ Stage or production

▪ Level of production or performance

Nutrient requirements vary by species and genetics

Source: Nutrient requirements of small ruminants, 2007

1.00

1.20

1.40

1.60

1.80

2.00

Mature ewe Meat doe Dairy doe Angora doe

+

fiber

growth

Energy (TDN) requirements, lbs./day, for a 132 lb. female (maintenance)

1.75% 1.90%

2.25% 2.6-2.7%

Nutrient requirements vary by species and genetics


0.70

0.90

1.10

1.30

1.50

1.70

Boer Local Dairy Late maturing

lamb

Early Maturing

lamb

Energy (TDN) requirements (lbs/day) for a 44-lb. intact male gaining 0.44 lbs. per day

Nutrient requirements vary by size (weight)

0.80

1.00

1.20

1.40

1.60

1.80

110-lb 154-lb 198-lb

Energy requirements, lb. TDN/day

Mature ewe, maintenance

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

1.40

1.60

88-lb 132-lb 154-lb


Mature non-dairy doe, maintenance


2.1%

1.9%

1.83%

1.83%

1.68%

1.58%

Energy requirements vary by stage of production

1.00

1.20

1.40

1.60

1.80

2.00

2.20

2.40

Maintenance Breeding Early gestation Late gestation Lactation

Energy requirements, lb. TDN/day 132-lb. for a mature non-dairy doe (twins)


Energy requirements vary by stage of production


1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

Maintenance Breeding Early gestation Late gestation Lactation

Energy requirements, lbs. TDN/day for a 176-lb. mature ewe (twins)

Protein requirements vary by stage of production

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.60

0.70

0.80

Maintenance Breeding Early

gestation

Late

gestation

Lactation

Protein requirements, lb/day

176-lb. mature ewe (twins)

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

0.30

0.35

0.40

0.45

0.50

Maintenance Breeding Early

gestation

Late

gestation

Lactation

Protein requirements, lb/day

132-lb. non-dairy doe (twins)


Mineral requirements vary by stage of production

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.0

Maintenance Breeding Early gestation Late gestation Early lactation

Mineral requirements, g/d

176-lb. mature ewe (twins)

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.0

Maintenance Breeding Early gestation Late gestation Early lactation

Mineral requirements, g/d

132-lb non-dairy doe (twins)

Calcium

Phosphorus


Nutrient requirements vary by level of production.

1.60

1.70

1.80

1.90

2.00

2.10

2.20

2.30

2.40

Single Twins Triplets


132-doe, late gestation

1.60

1.80

2.00

2.20

2.40

2.60

2.80

3.00

3.20

3.40

Single Twins Triplets

Energy requirements, lb. TDN/d

176-lb. mature ewe, late gestation


Nutrient requirements vary by performance level, e.g. ADG.

0.50

0.70

0.90

1.10

1.30

1.50

1.70

No gain 0.11 0.22 0.33 0.44 0.55


44-lb. intact Boer buckling

0.75

1.25

1.75

2.25

2.75

3.25

0.44 0.55 0.66 0.88


66-lb. ram lamb, 4 mos. early maturing


What else can affect nutritional requirements?

▪ Heat and cold extremes

Nutrient requirements are based on thermoneutral zone

Critical temperature varies by coat condition, body

condition, wind, rainfall, and humidity.

▪ Activity

Nutrient requirements are based on pen feeding.

▪ Parasitism, including sub-clinical

Nutrient requirements are for confined animals.

Greater effect on protein than energy requirements.

▪ Adjustment in feed intake

Animals eat more in cold weather and less in hot

weather.

Dry matter (DM) is an important concept in animal nutrition.

▪ Dry matter is what remains after water has been extracted out of a feed.

▪ Feed stuffs vary in the amount of dry matter they contain.

▪ Dry matter is an indicator of the amount of nutrients in the feed.

▪ Livestock need to consume a certain amount of dry matter per day.

▪ In small ruminants, dry matter intake (DMI) varies from ~1.5 to 6 percent and is affected by many factors.

Feedstuff % DM

Hay 88 – 90

Grain 88 – 90

Fresh grass 24 – 29

Fresh clover 19 – 24

Corn silage 34 – 44

Grass silage 30 –40

Pumpkins 10

Soybean meal 91

Straw 90 – 91

Where to find nutrient requirements of sheep and goats

▪ Nutrient requirements of Small Ruminants (2007)

National Academies Press ($129)

www.nap.edu

▪ Sheep Production Handbook and CD-ROM (2015)

Request new producer tool kit from [email protected]

▪ University of Maryland Extension

Dairy Goat, Meat Goat, and Sheep Ration Evaluators (FREE)

https://www.sheepandgoat.com/spreadsheets

▪ Langston University Nutrient Requirements (goats)

http://www2.luresext.edu/goats/research/nutreqgoats.html

▪ Old NRC requirements (1981, goats; 1985, sheep)

http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0812/ANR-0812.pdf

http://animalrange.montana.edu/documents/courses/ANSC320/NutrientRequirementsSheep.pdf (sheep)

https://blogs.cornell.edu/newsheep/files/2015/09/NRC-Sheep-1985-1m52js8.pdf (sheep)

Ration balancing

1. Describe animals you are feeding

2. Determine their nutrient requirements

3. Determine what feedstuffs are available

4. List composition of feedstuffs

5. Match feedstuffs to nutrient requirements of animals

Step 1Describe the animals you are feeding

▪ Mature ewe

▪ ~150 lbs.

▪ Lactation

▪ Twin lambs

▪ In the barn, with access to pasture

Step 2: Determine nutrient requirements

TDN, lb CP, lb Ca, lb P, lb

2.88 0.642 0.0174 0.0152

Step 3Determine what feedstuffs you have available

▪ We have the following feedstuffs available.

Barley grain Protein pellet Orchard grass hay

Step 4List composition of feedstuffs

Feedstuff % DM % TDN % CP % Ca % P $/cwt

Barley grain 89 84 12 0.06 0.38 $8.00

Orchard grass hay 88 59 10 0.32 0.30 $12.00

Protein pellet 89 72 38 1.60 0.95 $20.00

Step 5Balance ration by matching the animal’s nutrient requirements to the feedstuffs

▪ The easiest way to balance a ration is to start with the forage (usually hay). Determine how much hay you are feeding or how much hay they are consuming (if the hay is fed free choice). Be sure to factor in waste, as there can be considerable waste when feeding hay, particularly lower quality hays.

▪ Let's say you are feeding (they are eating) 4 lbs. of hay per day. Assume a 10% feeding loss.

▪ 4.0 lbs. fed - 10% loss = 3.6 lbs. of hay being consumed by an individual sheep

You have to convert it to dry matter intake (DMI) in order to do further calculations.

3.6 lbs. fed x 0.88 (% DM) = 3.2 lbs. of DM

Step 5 continued

▪ Determine how much nutrients the 3.2 lbs. of hay is providing.

Lbs. DM % nutrient Lbs. supplied

Energy 3.2 59 1.89

Protein 3.2 10 0.32

Calcium 3.2 0.32 0.0102

Phosphorus 3.2 0.30 0.0096

Step 5 continued

▪ Start with the most limiting nutrient: energy (TDN)

TDN Amount

Lbs. provided 1.89

Lbs. required 2.88

Deficiency 0.99

▪ Feed grain to meet the energy (TDN) requirements

0.99 ÷ 0.84 (% TDN in barley) = 1.2 lbs.

Convert to AS-FED basis to know how much to feed.

1.2 ÷ 0.89 = 1.35 lbs. TDN, lb CP, lb Ca, lb P, lb

2.88 0.642 0.0174 0.0152

Requirements

Step 5 continued

▪ Now you need to know how much protein the grain ration needs to provide.

▪ 0.32 (deficiency) ÷ 1.2 (pounds of grain) = 26%

Protein Amount

Lbs. provided 0.32

Lbs. required 0.64

Deficiency 0.32

TDN, lb CP, lb Ca, lb P, lb

2.88 0.642 0.0174 0.0152

Requirements

Step 5 continued

▪ Use Pearson Square to balance concentrate ration for protein.

Barley – 12

Protein supplement - 38

12 ÷ 26 = 46% barley

14 ÷ 26 = 54% supplement

26

26

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=B4A.PearsonSquare

http://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/livestk/01618.pdf

Step 5 continued

▪ Determine if ration meets calcium and phosphorus requirements

Feed DM Ca P

OG Hay 3.2 0.0102 0.0096

Barley 0.55 0.0003 0.0021

Supplement 0.65 0.0104 0.0062

TOTAL 4.4 0.0209 0.0179

Required 0.0174 0.0152

% provided 120% 118%

Balanced ration

▪ 4 lbs. of hay (10% waste)

▪ 1.35 lbs. of concentrate (0.62 lbs. barley + 0.73 lbs. protein pellet)

4 lbs.

(10% waste)

+

1.35 lbs.

0.62 lbs. 0.73 lbs.

Options for balancing rations

1. By hand (math), including Pearson’s Squarehttp://www.sheep101.info/201/balanceration.html

2. Spreadsheetshttps://www.sheepandgoat.com/spreadsheets

3. Online programs (free)http://www2.luresext.edu/goats/research/nutritionmodule1.htm (goats)https://msusheepration.montana.edu/ (sheep)

4. Software ($)https://store.extension.iastate.edu/Topic/Livestock/Sheep

https://www.sheepandgoat.com/rationsoftware

Langston University Nutrient Calculator

Montana State UniversityMSU Sheep Ration Program

Uses 1985 nutritional requirements

University of Maryland Ration Evaluators

Body condition scoring

▪ A subjective way to evaluate the nutritional status of a flock or herd.

▪ It is a subjective measure of the body fatness of muscle cover of an animal.

▪ Is rated on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being emaciated, 3 being average, and 5 being obese. Half score are utilized.

Thank you.Comments.Questions?

SUSAN SCHOENIANSheep & Goat Specialistsschoen@umd.eduwww.sheepandgoat.comwww.sheep101.infowww.wormx.info

Nutrient requirements of sheep and goats

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