Key words
B420 – nutrition , B400 – cattle husbandry , B360 - cattle physiology
Objectives
Dairy cattle husbandry is important in the Belgian agriculture. The financial balance of the dairy farm is largely dependent on the nutrition of the cows. Therefore, a profound knowledge of dairy cattle nutrition is essential for an Industrial Engineer in Agriculture.
The student has to be able on an intimate knowledge of the physiology of cattle in different production phases, to program a scientifically based dairy cattle nutrition, being justified on the economical, technical and ecological point of view and which fulfils the consumer's demand with regard to the quality of animal products.
Topics
- Energy metabolism, energy evaluation systems, energy requirements
- Protein metabolism, protein evaluation systems, protein requirements
- Metabolism and requirements for fat, minerals, vitamins, physical structure
- Feedstuffs (evaluation, intake) and ration calculation
- Feeding dairy cattle in different stages of lactation
- Dairy cattle nutrition in relation to environmental pollution
- Relation nutrition - milk composition
- Relation milk urea content - nutrition - N-excretion
Prerequisites
A profound physiological knowledge of the animal in the different production phases.
Knowledge of cropping principles of the main forages
Final Objectives
The student has to be able to :
- optimise dairy cattle nutrition in different lactaction phases
- develop the feeding program of a dairy herd
- modify dairy cattle nutrition based on milk composition and milk yield
- have a notion of the background of the actual feed evaluation systems
- interpret a roughage analysis and nutritive value estimation
- know the main parameters influencing the quality of the currently used feedstuffs
- know feeding factors preventing some health and fertility disorders
- know potential feeding measures to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus excretion
Materials used
::Click here for additional information::
Teacher's course - background information – 380 p. - 2005
Scientific and technical literature
Study costs
Cost: 260.0 EUR
Theory-syllabus : + 10 €
Excursions + documentation : + 50 €
International study tour : + 200 €
Study guidance
Supplementary support and explanation is provided by appointment
Teaching Methods
Lectures
Farm visits and exercises (computer simulations, elaboration of case studies)
Assessment
Scoring system: oral examination - assignment
Lecturer(s)
Daniël De Brabander
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