National Veterinary Examination Applied Animal Nutrition I: Ruminants: practice questions

1 · Ration formulation by the Pearson square · medium

Which statement about the Pearson square method is correct?

1. It balances energy, protein and minerals at once for up to four feeds
2. It balances one nutrient at a time between two feeds or feed groups
3. It gives the least-cost mix when feed prices are added to the corners
4. It can be used with one feed on DM basis and the other one as fed

2 · Feeding of calves · easy

For the first feed of colostrum in a 42 kg dairy calf, a volume of about 10 percent of birth weight is advised. How much is that?

1. 0.42 L
2. 2.1 L
3. 10 L
4. 4.2 L

3 · Feeding of calves · medium

A dairy farm wants to wean Holstein calves earlier without setbacks. The most reliable criterion for weaning is:

1. steady intake of about 1 kg starter a day for several days
2. reaching four weeks of age, whatever the starter intake
3. eating long hay freely for about one week, with no starter
4. a body weight equal to twice the calf's birth weight

4 · Feeding of dry animals · medium

The commonly recommended body condition score (5-point scale) for a dairy cow at calving is about:

1. 1.5 to 2.0
2. 4.0 to 4.5
3. 3.0 to 3.5
4. 5.0

5 · Feeding of dry animals · hard

A dairy farm feeding a negative-DCAD close-up ration still has many milk fever cases. Urine pH of close-up cows is 8.2. The most likely cause is:

1. too much magnesium in the ration for the close-up group
2. too little dietary calcium in the ration before calving
3. high-potassium forage keeping the true DCAD positive
4. the anionic salts making the cows' urine much too acid

6 · Feeding of lactating animals · easy

Ewes are flushed by raising energy intake for about two to three weeks before and during mating in order to:

1. delay the onset of the breeding season by a month
2. raise ovulation rate and so the lambing percentage
3. lower the risk of pregnancy toxaemia much later on
4. increase the fat content of the ewes' milk later

7 · Evaluation of silage and hay · medium

As forage matures from vegetative stage to seed, which change in its composition occurs?

1. CP and digestibility rise while lignin falls with maturity
2. NDF falls while sugar rises and lignin stays the same level
3. All fibre fractions fall and CP doubles at seed setting time
4. NDF, ADF and lignin rise while CP and digestibility fall

8 · Area-specific mineral mixtures · medium

Cattle grazing phosphorus-deficient pastures chew bones and are later found dead with flaccid paralysis. The bone chewing (osteophagia) is a sign of:

1. phosphorus deficiency, with botulism as the cause of death
2. copper deficiency, with enzootic ataxia as the cause of death
3. iodine deficiency, with goitre as the cause of the deaths
4. zinc deficiency, with parakeratosis as the cause of death

9 · Clinical nutrition · medium

A cow with subclinical ketosis in early lactation would be expected to have a blood beta-hydroxybutyrate concentration of at least about:

1. 0.12 mmol/L
2. 12 mmol/L
3. 0.5 mmol/L
4. 1.2 mmol/L