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BYOB (Build Your Own
Breed)
Before constructing a case, make sure you have checked to see if the weight,
frame and body condition agree for the breed type you are using. For instance if
you use the default Angus with frame score 4 and you have cattle that are frame
score 6, your results will not accurately depict the animals you are working
with. Use COWSCORE
to compute these attributes. Similarly, use PKMILK or NEWPMILK to determine milk
production. Default values are for guidelines only, use real numbers if you can
get them.
Use F3 (next) and F4 (previous) to move from one record to another within a list
such as case names or feedstuffs. Use F9 (forward) and ESC (back) to move from
one screen to another in a case.
Default values on feeds are also just for a starting point. Use feed tags or lab
analyses from the actual feeds you are using so that you accurately describe the
supplemental nutrition of your animals.
When working with large breed dairy heifers, you may not want to use the >55,
60, or 65% MW option. They are growing at a rate different than beef heifers and
even though they are not milking, they will have different needs than beef
animals.
If you have small grain forages and are getting CP > 14 %, DOM:CP ratio of
less than 5, and you are projecting ADG's higher than actual gains, try
switching the rumen degraded protein >75% option to Yes.
To estimate gain or loss in sheep and goats, choose a projection of say, 30
days, then put in a projected weight and run the case. Look at protein and NEm,
If they are positive, put in a slightly higher projected gain until protein and
especially energy balance out as closely as you can get.
Always run your case with 0 lbs projected gain first. This will let you
establish maintenance values without any imposed gain. Use a 7-14 day
projection. Forage and environmental values can change quickly at times.
Remember that the GAN Lab values reflect diet quality of the animals in question
approximately 24-48 hours prior to collection.
If you change breedtype within a case, or choose the same breed with a different
frame score, etc..., go back and re-enter your weight/condition numbers since
the program will not automatically update these.
Make sure that forage availability is not limiting intake. You may get good
values for CP and DOM but if there is not enough standing crop to support
intake, you will overestimate performance. The NUTBAL output gives you estimated
intake of concentrates, forage, roughage, and total.
If your animals are consuming hay and pasture, don't enter any hay in the
concentrates and roughages screen. Remember that the GAN Lab value is a
prediction of the diet quality of the hay and pasture combined.
For northern locations, in growing, breeding age heifers, (>1yr, >55%
MW),If temp >90 and CP<7% or DOM:CP ratio >8 : Use an average daily
temp not a daily high temp and use a 5-10% increase in non-forage intake.
For northern locations, mature cows, use average daily temp instead of daily
high temp when temp >90 and CP<7% or DOM:CP ratio >8.
If you are currently feeding a certain amount of a particular feed and want to
mediate in NUTBAL using that feed and determine what additional feed could be
used to meet a shortfall, select that feed as one to consider, then set the
upper and lower limits in the edit feedstuffs screen to that amount. This will
force the program to allocate that amount first and then use another feed to
meet the additional requirements not met by the first feed.
In a confinement situation, leave the activity option in the animal description
screen set at - adequate water, <15% slope - (don't choose confinement). Then
in the diet quality from forage base screen set CP and DOM to 1.0. When you run
the case this will best represent a confinement or drylot situation.
In the weight performance goals screen, if you are using a 0.0 desired daily
gain, make sure the projected weight and or condition score is the same as the
current one. If it is somewhat different, due to rounding by NUTBAL, the program
may add some requirement for NEg and cause your results to be off.
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