HARE KRISHNA RURAL LIFE
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Livestock Feeds
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The importance of feed quality manifested
recently when I came to hear that an oxen died due to malnutrition. At least,
that was how it was described to me by someone directly involved in the care
of the animal. It was allegedly due to the ox being fed very poor quality
hay. So for those involved in the care of animals, it is necessary to be aware
of both the quality and quantity of feed fed to the herds. Both are important.
The following is copied directly out of my notes from a livestock course
I took during college. Obviously due to the nature of notes, only basic details
are given but I do hope that it will provide a better understanding of what
is being fed to the cows and oxen and what symptoms of malnutrition to look
out for. Hopefully, as time passes this and other details on animal feed can
be expanded upon as it is a crucial aspect of basic animal husbandry.
The reader should also not take the information contained below as conclusive
especially when it comes to means to supplement deficiencies. There may be
other products as well. Of course an ounce of prevention is worth a pound
of cure.
Macro-Minerals:
1. Sodium/chlorine (NaCl)
2. Calcium (Ca)
3. Phosphorus (P)
4. Magnesium (Mg)
5. Potassium (K)
6. Sulfur (S)
1. Sodium / Chlorine
a. Formation of digestive juices
b. Control of body fluid concentrations
c. Control of body fluid pH
d. Nerve and muscle control
Symptoms of Deficiency:
-slow to develop
-ill-defined
-acute symptoms are disrupted nerve
and muscle function and possible nervous prostration
Supplementation:
a) loose salt
b) block salt
c) part of mineral mix
2. Calcium
a. Bone and teeth
formation
b. Nerve and muscle
function
c. Acid-base balance
d. Milk production
Symptoms of Deficiency:
-Rickets (joints become enlarged; bones become soft and deformed
-Osteomalacia or osteoporosis
(bones become soft and deformed)
Supplementation:
a) Ground limestone (Ca)
b) Oyster shell flour (Ca)
c) Marble dust (Ca)
d) Deflourinated phosphates (Ca & P)
3. Phosphorus
a. Bone and teeth
formation
b. Component of
protein in soft tissues
c. Milk production
d. employed in
various metabolic processes
Symptoms of Deficiency:
- Rickets
-Osteomalacia or
osteoporosis
- animal shows
poor appetite, slow gain, lowered milk production, low blood phosphorus and
general unthriftiness and chew on non-feed objects
- animals may eat
soil
Supplementation:
-deflourinated
phosphates
4. Magnesium
a. necessary for
many enzyme systems
b. plays role in
carbohydrate metabolism
c. necessary for
proper functioning of nervous system.
Symptoms of Deficiency:
-hypomagnesemia:
associated with sever toxic symptoms and frequently death.
-grass tetany (sharp
flexion of the wrist and ankle joints, muscle twitching, cramps and convulsions);
grass staggers and wheat poisoning
-hypomagnesic tetany
(hyper irritability of the neuromuscular systems producing hyper excitability,
incoordination and frequent death.
Supplementation:
-MgSo &
MgO
5. Potassium
a. osmotic relations
b. acid-base balance
c. rumen digestion
d. primary intracellular
cation in neuromuscular activity
Symptoms of Deficiency:
-generally unlikely
- symptoms rather non-specific (decreased feed consumption, lowered feed efficiency,
slow growth, stiffness and emaciation).
Supplementation:
-grain
is lower in K than roughage.
6. Sulfur
a. component of
the amino acids cystine and methionine
b. component of
the vitamins biotin and thiamin
c. in the synthesis
of sulfur containing amino acids in the rumen.
d. in the formation
of various body compounds.
Symptoms of Deficiency
-seldom
experienced under ordinary conditions.
- a deficiency of sulfur will express itself as a protein deficiency -- a
general unthrifty condition and poor performance.
Supplementation
-either
as elemental sulfur or in sulfate form.
Micro-Minerals:
1. Iron (Fe)
a. necessary for hemoglobin function
b. essential for
formation of certain enzymes related to oxygen transport and utilization.
c. enters into
the formations of certain compounds which serve as iron stores in the body.
Symptoms of Deficiency:
-most often observed with pigs and yound pigs
-most often ovserved with pigs raised on concrete
Supplementation:
-concentration of ferrous sulfate (drops)
-injections of iron dextran
-traces of mineralized salt.
2. Iodine (I)
a. production of
thyroxine by the thyroid gland.
b. other apparent
iodine funtions are probably an outgrowth of the thyroxine activity.
Symptoms of Deficiency:
-found mostly in young animals.
-goiter at birth
-hairless at birth
-dead or weak at birth
-infected navels (especially with foals)
Supplementation:
-Iodized salt
3. Cobalt (Co)
a. component of
the B12 vitamin molecule
b. in the rumen
synthesis of vitamin B12
Symptoms of Decifiency:
-general malnutrition -- poor apetite, untrhfitiness, weakness, anemia, decreased
fertility, slow gorwth, decresed milk and wool production.
Supplementation:
-supplemenatl cobalt in trace-mineralized salt.
4. Copper (Cu)
a. in iron absorption
b. in hemoglobin
formation
c. in synthesis
of keratin for hair and wool growth
d. various snzyme
systems.
Symptoms of Deficiency:
-seldom experienced.
- low blood and liver copper
-bleaching of hair in cattle
-abnormal woold growth in sheep
-abnormal bone metabolixm
-muscular incoordination
-weakness at birth
-anemia
Supplementation:
Salt
5. Flourine (F)
a. reduces incidence of dental caries in humans and possibly other animals.
b. possibly retards osteorporsis in mature animals.
Symptoms of Deficiency:
-excesses are more of a problem.
-increased caries in children
Supplementation:
-non need ever shown
6. Manganese (Ma)
Probably in enzyme systems influencing estrus, ovulation, fetal development,
milk production, growth and skeltal develpment
Symptoms of Deficiency
-delayed estrus
-reduced ovulation
-reduced fertility
-Abortions
-Resorptions
-deformed young
-poor growth
-Knuckling over in calves
Supplementation:
-trace-mineralized salt
7. Molybdenum (Mo)
a. component of the enzyme xanathine oxidase -- especially important to poultry
for uric acid formation.
b. stimulates ation of rumen organism.
Supplementation:
since small doses are toxic, it is not recommended to supplement
Mo.
8. Selenium (Se)
a. in vitamin E absorption and utilization
b. essential element of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase, which functions
to destroy toxic peroxides in the tissues, therby having a sparing effect
on
Vitamin E requirement
c. works in concernt with vitamin E in the maintenance of normal cell functions
and membrane health.
Deficiency:
-fouind in forages of States adjoining the Great lakes
-Corn and Soyabean meal are frequently marginal to low
-symptoms similar to Vitamin E deficiency
-Nutritional muscular dystrophy (white
muscle disease in lambs and calves)
-retained placenta in cows
-heart failure
-paralysis
-poor growth
-low fertility
-liver necrosis
-Pancreatic fibrosis in chicks.
9. Zinc (Zn)
a. exact functions
not understood
b. prevents parakenatosis
c. promotes general
thriftiness and growth
d. promotes wound
healing
e. related to hair
and wool growth and health.
f. deficiency impairs
testicular growth and function.
Symptoms of Deficiency:
-Parakeratosis
-General untrhiftiness
-Poor Growth
-Unhealthy looking hair or wool
-Slow wound healing
Supplementation:
-trace-mineralized salt
