animal production

• ruminant animals have 4 compartments stomachs
• monogastric animals have a single stomach and a simple digestive system
• ruminant stomachs are rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum
• methods used to control and prevent animal pest and diseases


  vaccinate, fence off wet/swamp areas, control snail population, drench, paddock rotation, purchase stock from disease-free areas, genetic variation and resistance
• oesphagus


  smooth muscle connecting the mouth to the crop
• crop


  storage organ which holds food, some softening will occur, has capacity to hold food for some time before further digestion commences
• proventriculus


  mixes food with acids and digestive enzymes
• gizzard


  stones are accumulated here to aid the digestion (grinding) very muscular organ, grind up food for further digestion and absorption of nutrients
• duodenum


  first section of small intestine, absorption of nutrients
• liver


  detoxifies chemical and metabolises drugs, will also secrete bile that ends back in the intestines, as well as makes proteins important for blood clotting and other functions
• gall bladder


  stores bile, breaks down fat
• spleen


  filter for blood, as well as part of the immune system, old blood cells are recycled here and platelets and white blood cells are stores here
• small intestine


  food that is passed through to the small intestine and is reduced further with enzymes from the pancreas
• ceca


  pair of tubes that allow fermentation of undigested food to take place, emptied every 24 hours, light brown froth
• large intestine


  water and remaining undigested food is absorbed in the large intestine
• cloaca 


  vent passes a combination of faeces and urine, together from the oviduct
• water functions


  maintenance of body fluids, transport of nutrients and the elimination of waste products, regulation of body temperature, digestion by hydrolysis
• carbohydrate function


  sugar, starch, and cellulose

  provides energy to the animal, maintains the working of organs, regulates the body temperature and allows animals to move
• protein functions


  non-ruminant animals are unable to make proteins and, therefore are fed, however can be derived from meat meal and plant bases such as legume seed and linseed meal or proteins such as lysine, threonine, and glycine

  make muscle, tissue, and fat

  excess protein is broken down by the liver to form urea and fatty acids
• metabolism


  sum of all chemical reaction within an organism
• fat functions


  contain more energy than carbohydrates

  3 essential fats- linoleic, linolenic and ararchidonic

  regulates body metabolism

  improve palatability, enabling the body to absorb calcium and vitamin A, retain smells and taints
• 7 nutritional advantages of the stomach of a ruminant animal


  rumen microbes can synthesise amino acids and proteins from ammonia

  confers a tremendous advantage in the utilisation of low-quality feedstuff

  all water-soluble vitamins and vitamin K can be synthesised by rumen microbes

  maintained on poor quality proteins can be upgrade such proteins by fermentation to microbial protein

  allows utilisation of fibrous seeds

  fermentation provides animal with energy and proteins

  presence of cellulose helps break down chemical bonds linking glucose unit together in the cellulose molecule
• growth rate is affected by


  age, breed, number of offspring, sex, nutrition, climate, disease and parasites and stress
• breed of animal sets the limit to the animal's rate of maturity and final size
• number of offspring directly affects birth weight and with twins and triplets generally smaller than singles
• males are heavier and larger than females at birth and grow faster than castrates or females
• poor quality nutrition in heifers reduces growth rates and causes permanent stunting if not corrected
• compensatory growth is only possible if starvation occurs when an animal's tissues are not actively growing
• climate can also affect pasture quality and consumption rate
• stress caused by heat, fighting and disease and parasites reduces food consumption and growth rates
• beneficial organism


  any organism that benefits the growing process, including insects, arachnids, other animals, plants, bacteria, fungi, viruses, and nematodes. Helps with pest control, pollination, and maintenance of soil health
• rumen fermentation microbes

  bacteria, fungi and protozoans
• beneficial organisms breakdown long-chained polysaccharides (complex sugars like cellulose and lignin) into simple sugars that can be digested and used as energy from a low-quality pasture. They have a mutualism relationship with the animal, the organisms are provided with a place to live and reproduce, and in return they provide sugar and protein to the ruminant animal.
• I.P.M (integrated pest management)


  biological, chemical, physical
• prevention methods


  quarantine, biosecurity, known source/disease free areas, vaccinate, crutching, mulesing, jetting, dipping, genetics / breed selection
• control methods


  drench, isolate new animals, paddock rotation, cull diseased animals, breeding own stock / self-replacement flocks, buying in clean pastures hay and water
• rumen


  1st area, connected to the cow's oesophagus. acts as a storage for chewed vegetation and forms balls of cud. cud is regurgitated, chewed a second time, and swallowed. It absorbs nutrients through the papillae of the rumen wall and aids in fermentation, creating the bacteria and microbes necessary for digestion
• omasum


  3rd " manypiles" internal structure

  absorb water and nutrients from feed that passes through second round of chewing
• abomasum


  4th " true stomach "

  lined with glands, release hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes to help further break down feed and plant material
• cervix


  a natural barrier between the vagina and uterus to protect the baby from any infections