Veterinarian Licensure 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 heifers · easy

On a smallholder farm without a weighbridge, heifer growth is most practically monitored by:

1. heart girth tape measurement at regular intervals
2. counting the number of permanent incisor teeth
3. measuring rectal temperature every morning
4. noting the colour of the dung each week

4 · 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

5 · 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

6 · Evaluation of silage and hay · easy

Silage with a strong rancid, putrid smell indicates:

1. homolactic fermentation of a high-sugar crop
2. clostridial fermentation producing butyric acid
3. overheating with a Maillard (browning) reaction
4. too dry a crop with excessive mould growth

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