Veterinarian Licensure Exam: Animal Production & Nutrition

Animal Production and Nutrition

• Broiler: a young meat type of chicken of either sex, usually up to 6-8 weeks of age, weighing 1.3-2.2 kg.
• Roaster: a meat type of chicken of either sex, typically 3-5 months of age, weighing about 2.95 kg average live weight.
• Squab: a young immature pigeon, usually up to 30 days old.
• Squab Broiler: a meat type chicken sold at 0.9-1.1 kg (2-2.5 lb) live weight, usually smaller than broiler and sold whole body.
• Capone: a cockerel or type of poultry meat from surgically castrated male chicken, weighing 3.6-4.5 kg.
• Keet: a young guinea fowl.
• Rattle: big birds (ostrich, emu, Rhea) known for their red meat and skins (for leather).
• Kosher Meat: meat from ruminants with split hooves, slaughtered according to Jewish practices and law.
• Sire: refers to the male parent.
• Dam: refers to the female parent.
• Rutting: refers to the breeding process or mating in goats.

Digestion System of Farm Animals

• Carnivores: have a short digestive tract and a large liver, and are adapted to a high-protein diet.
• Herbivores: have a longer digestive tract and a larger cecum, and are adapted to a high-fiber diet.
• Nutrients: include carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, water, vitamins, and minerals.
• Gastrointestinal Hormones: regulate digestion and nutrient absorption.

Animal Terms

• Buffalo: a domestic horned ungulate belonging to the genus Bubalus, also known as water buffalo, Asiatic buffaloes, carabao, etc.
• Donkey: a close relative of the horse, also known as ass or burro (Equus asinus).
• Mule: produced from crossing a jackass with a mare, and is reproductively sterile.
• Hinny: produced from crossing a stallion with a jennet, and is reproductively sterile.
• Pony: a small-type horse, under 14.2 hands (~57 inches) in height at the withers.

Principles of Animal Nutrition

• Proximate Analysis: a method of analyzing the nutritional content of feed ingredients.
• Vitamins and Mineral Deficiencies: can lead to various health problems in animals.
• Composition of Different Feed Groups: includes energy, protein, fiber, and other nutrients.

Common Animal Production and Husbandry Terms

• Acclimatization: adaptation to environment over a period of time.
• Ad-libitum: as desired by the animal; self-fed.
• Aquaculture: the production of fish and other marine products in a controlled environment.
• Biosecurity: a planned system to prevent entry and spread of diseases in a flock or herd.
• Broodiness: the tendency of hens to nest and incubate eggs.
• And many more...### Reproductive Traits
• Age at puberty varies among animals:
  • Caracow (carabao): 10-36 months
  • Doe (rabbit): 5-8 months
  • Queen (cat): 7-12 months
  • Bitch (dog): 6-12 months
  • Jill (mink): 10 months
• Length of estrus cycle:
  • Caracow (carabao): 12-36 hours
  • Doe (rabbit): continuous estrus
  • Queen (cat): 4-10 days
  • Bitch (dog): 4-14 days
  • Jill (mink): 2 days
• Gestation period:
  • Caracow (carabao): 320-325 days
  • Doe (rabbit): 30 days
  • Queen (cat): 62 days
  • Bitch (dog): 60 days
  • Jill (mink): 58 days

Breeding Age or Target Weight

• Cattle:
  • Heifers: 18-20 months to 2 years
  • Bulls: at least 2 years (or at least 250-300 kg BW)
• Buffalo:
  • Philippine: 2 years 4 months to 2 years 6 months
  • Murrah: 3 ½ years
  • Crosses/grades: 2 years 4 months
• Swine:
  • Gilts: 8 months or 113.4 kg BW
  • Boars: 9 months
• Goat:
  • Does: 8-10 months of age

Digestive System

• Differences between carnivores and herbivores
• Digestive tract configurations:
  • Rainbow trout (carnivore): Y-shaped stomach
  • Catfish (omnivore): pouched stomach
  • Carp (omnivore): no stomach
  • Milkfish (microphagous planktivore): tubular stomach with muscular gizzard

Nutrient Absorption and Excretion

• Diagram of routes of nutrient absorption, flow of nutrients and fluids in the body, and routes of excretion
• Lymph system not shown

Water Requirements

• Water requirements of European and Indian cattle as affected by increasing temperatures

Lipid Metabolism

• Fatty acid biosynthesis:
  • Enzymes involved at various stages
  • Interrelationships between glucose and lipid metabolism
• Triglyceride biosynthesis:
  • Enzymes involved at various stages

Amino Acid Metabolism

• Chemical structure of amino acids
• The urea (ornithine) cycle that occurs in mammals:
  • Interface with the Krebs citric acid cycle

Trace Mineral Elements

• Required by one or more animal species
• Schematic diagram of overall metabolism of Ca

Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies

• Various deficiencies and their effects on animal health### Animal Production and Nutrition
• The composition of different feed groups includes:
  • Energy sources (e.g., banana meal, barley, cassava meal, corn, oat)
  • Protein sources (e.g., animal and marine protein sources, plant protein sources)
  • Non-protein nitrogen sources (e.g., urea)
  • Milling and factory by-products (e.g., bakery by-products, brewer's dried spent grain, corn bran)
  • Dairy soy products (e.g., butter milk powder, skimmilk powder, sweet whey powder)
  • Fats and oils (e.g., acidulated oil, canola oil, coconut oil, corn oil, fish oil)

Proximate Analysis of Feed Ingredients

• Proximate analysis is a method of estimating the energy value of feeds
• Losses of energy by way of feces, urine, and gaseous products cannot be utilized or recovered by the animal
• Heat produced in the animal body can be useful in maintaining a stable body temperature unless the animal is in a heat-stress situation

Energy Terminology

• Different systems of expressing energy value of feeds include:
  • Gross Energy (GE)
  • Metabolizable Energy (ME)
  • Net Energy (NE)
• Energy losses when a mixed diet is fed to a lactating dairy cow can be estimated using a bar chart

Nutrient Composition of Common Feed Ingredients

• The nutrient composition of different feed ingredients is presented in a table, including:
  • Dry matter (%)
  • Crude protein (%)
  • Crude fat (%)
  • Crude fiber (%)
  • ME (kcal/kg)

Animal Genetics and Breeding

• The diploid number (2n) of chromosomes for common domestic animals includes:
  • Turkey: 82
  • Ducks: 80
  • Chicken: 78
  • Dog: 78
  • Camel: 74
  • Horse: 64
  • Donkey: 62
  • Cattle: 60
  • Goat: 60
  • Sheep: 60
  • River Buffalo: 60
  • Swamp Buffalo: 60
  • Human: 46
  • Rabbit: 44
  • Rat (Rattus): 42
  • Mouse (Mus): 40
  • Pig: 40
  • Cat: 38

Gene Disorders

• Single-gene disorders (genetic diseases) in domestic animals include:
  • Autosomal single gene disorders
  • Sex-linked genetic diseases
  • Familial/multifactorial disorders
• Examples of dominant and recessive traits controlled by single genes in domestic animals include:
  • Animal sex
  • Presence of horns
  • Genetic disorder
  • Weight gain

PCR

• PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) is a molecular biology technique used to amplify specific DNA sequences
• The basic steps in DNA extraction (for total or genomic animal DNA) include:
  • Sample collection
  • Cell lysis
  • Protein removal
  • DNA extraction
  • Purification

Other/Alternative Animal Production

• Bisons are an alternative animal production option
• Poultry, swine, cattle, and sheep are common domestic animals
• Examples of dominant and recessive traits controlled by single genes in domestic animals include:
  • Barred plumage and non-barred plumage in poultry
  • Erect ears and drooped ears in swine
  • Polledness and horned in cattle
  • Wooly fleece and hairy fleece in sheep

Review principles of animal production and nutrition in preparation for the veterinarian licensure exam. Topics include broiler production, animal nutrition, and more.