Reference no: EM133276422

Assignment:

Jessy is a hobby farmer with a small herd of 25 Jersey cattle, which she feeds perennial ryegrass pasture and the following supplements: ryegrass/clover silage, ryegrass/clover hay and Barley grain. But she noticed around half of cattle displaying unusual symptoms. You record these symptoms and Jessy's concerns. You will conduct research to determine the likely cause of the symptoms in Jessy's cattle and how to resolve this condition and make recommendations on how to prevent the condition from reoccurring in the future by improving the diet she currently feeds her cattle.

Jessy describes the symptoms she has seen in at least 10 of her cattle. They have recently calved and are in the early stage of lactation. Despite needing to feed their calves, these cows are eating less and walking around with a stiff gait. She has also noted some calves trying to feed on the affected mothers more than the other calves, suggesting they may not be keeping up with their demand for milk (reduced milk yield). On careful observation, several cows were showing muscle tremors whilst lying down. You measure the body condition and rumen scores of the cattle. The animals average a body condition score of 3.5 and a rumen score of 2.

a) Crude protein, starch, Neutral Detergent Fibre, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. Explain to Jessy what would happen if any of these components are significantly in excess or deficient over time.

b) Explain to her what she can do to prepare her cattle for early lactation. Think about the nutritional requirements for early lactation and the ideal body condition these animals should be in.