Technical area

Pre-calving management with a ration that has a reduced dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD), obtained with anionic salts: it acts on the cation-anion balance of the ration and on calcium mobilisation around calving.

Naturally occurring substances in some plant raw materials that reduce digestibility or nutrient utilisation: in soya, for example, trypsin inhibitors and lectins. Fermentation can reduce their content.

The feed as it is given to the animals, water included. The opposite is a value expressed on a dry matter basis.

The animal’s average weight gain per day, in g/day. In some tables it appears as ADWG (average daily weight gain).

Phases of beef cattle production: backgrounding is the growth of young animals after they arrive on the farm, finishing is the final phase before slaughter.

B-group vitamin involved in keratin formation: it is among the nutrients involved in forming the horn of the hoof.

Feed made from biscuits, bread, pasta and confectionery no longer intended for human consumption, ground and checked. It concentrates ready energy (sugars, cooked starches and fats) and is very palatable: in rations it replaces part of the cooked cereals, fats and whey; dairy cows get 2–3 kg per head per day. For pigs: only for pigs outside the Parma ham PDO circuit.

Trace elements, such as zinc, copper or manganese, bound to organic molecules such as amino acids to make them more stable and better absorbed.

The central axis of the maize ear, which carries the kernels. In corn-cob mix a share of it is harvested together with the grain.

The first secretion of the udder after giving birth, rich in antibodies: it is the newborn’s first immune defence and should be given in the first hours of life.

Feed with a high content of certain substances which, because of its composition, meets the daily requirement only when combined with other feeds in the ration.

Feed which, because of its composition, is sufficient on its own to provide the daily ration.

Starch that has undergone heat treatment, such as cooking or extrusion: it becomes more digestible than the starch in raw cereals. It is one of the reasons for the high energy value of biscuit meal.

Silage of high-moisture maize grain with variable proportions of cob, ground together. In finishing pigs it can partly or fully replace wheat bran.

Feed fraction determined with a conventional analytical method; it includes cellulose and part of the hemicelluloses and lignin. It is expressed in % or g/kg.

The nitrogen content of the feed multiplied by 6.25: it estimates all nitrogen-containing substances, not just true protein.

Gross energy of the feed minus the energy lost in faeces, expressed in kcal or MJ per kg. The rations in the article on corn-cob mix give it in kcal per kg of dry matter.

What remains of a feed once the water has been removed. To compare different feeds, work on a dry matter basis: wheat distillers’ grains contain about 40%, the fermented EP products between 880 and 895 g/kg.

The period before calving during which the cow is not milked, to allow the udder to regenerate and prepare for the next lactation; it usually lasts a few weeks.

The balance between the main positive ions (sodium, potassium) and negative ions (chloride, sulphur) in the ration. In hot weather salt losses increase and the balance needs careful monitoring.

European certification scheme for the safety and quality of feed additives and premixes.

Kilograms of feed consumed to obtain one kilogram of weight gain: the lower it is, the more efficiently the feed is used.

A product of plant or animal origin, in its natural state or processed, intended for animal feeding as such or for preparing compound feed. Wheat distillers’ grains, for example, are a liquid feed material.

Bread, pasta, confectionery and pastry products no longer marketed for human consumption (breakages and production offcuts, packaging errors, products close to their expiry date) that are recovered for animal feed. On farms they are known as ‘biscuit meal’ (biscotti). For pigs: only for pigs outside the Parma ham PDO circuit.

International certification scheme for feed safety throughout the supply chain (GMP+ Feed Safety Assurance).

Two large groups of bacteria distinguished by Gram staining, which depends on the structure of the cell wall. Streptococci, staphylococci and clostridia are Gram-positive; E. coli and salmonellae are Gram-negative.

All the microorganisms living in the intestine. It contributes to digestion, to the development of the immune defences and to resistance against pathogens.

Acute-phase protein of inflammation; its blood level is used as an indicator of systemic inflammation.

A condition in which the animal cannot dissipate excess heat. In dairy cows it reduces feed intake, by up to 20%, as well as milk yield and fertility.

Sows from lines selected for very large litters; during lactation they often struggle to eat enough feed for the milk production required.

International standard setting out the requirements for a quality management system.

Organic acid produced by lactic acid bacteria when they ferment sugars; it lowers the pH of the feed. The data sheets of the fermented EP products give its content in g/kg.

Bacteria, such as lactobacilli and enterococci, that ferment sugars and produce lactic acid. They are the basis of the lactic fermentation of EP100, EP199 and EP200.

Fermentation carried out by lactic acid bacteria, which convert sugars into lactic acid. Applied to soya, rapeseed and seaweed meals, it lowers their pH and can reduce anti-nutritional factors.

Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) given alive as an additive; in ruminants it is used to help keep the rumen environment stable.

The energy in the feed that remains available to the animal after losses in faeces, urine and gases. The EP data sheets give it in MJ/kg for pigs, broilers and laying hens.

Periodic measurement of the yield and quality of each cow’s milk (quantity, fat, protein, somatic cells): the basis for assessing ration and herd.

Milk powder to be dissolved in water, formulated for young animals to replace or supplement their mother’s milk.

Complementary feed containing at least 40% crude ash, that is rich in minerals. Alpha Unifeed Control and Summer Stress Bovini are complementary mineral feeds for cattle.

Carbohydrates derived from the cell wall of yeasts. They can bind some bacteria, hindering their adhesion to the intestinal wall.

Feeds and ingredients chosen for a specific nutritional contribution, beyond the basic one of the ration. In our line: the fermented products EP100, EP199, EP200 and the live yeast Alpha Conc XLPS.

Acids of organic origin, such as formic and propionic acid, and their salts. In feed they are used as technological additives to preserve feedstuffs and control unwanted yeast and mould fermentation.

A production method governed by European legislation, which limits the use of synthetic substances and requires inspections by authorised certification bodies.

Protected Designation of Origin: a European label for products made in a defined area according to a product specification. For pigs intended for PDO hams, the specification also regulates feeding: that is why biscuit meal, former foodstuffs and distillers’ grains are offered only for pigs outside the Parma ham PDO circuit.

A measure of acidity on a scale from 0 to 14: below 7 a product is acidic. Wheat distillers’ grains have a pH of about 3.4.

Signalling substances perceived by animals of the same species. In pigs, synthetic analogues of the maternal pheromone are used for their calming effect, for example when regrouping.

Substances obtained from plants, such as extracts and essential oils, used in feed for their aromatic and antioxidant properties.

Parts per million: 1 ppm corresponds to 1 mg per kg of feed.

A mixture of feed additives, or of additives with a carrier, not intended to be fed directly to animals but to be incorporated into feeds.

Mixtures of salts, such as sodium, potassium and bicarbonates, that help replace lost electrolytes, for example in hot weather.

Failure to expel the foetal membranes within about 24 hours of calving. It increases the risk of uterine infections and can impair fertility.

Amino acids, such as methionine and lysine, treated so that much of them resists degradation in the rumen and reaches the intestine, where they are absorbed. They are used to balance the rations of lactating cows.

Genus of Gram-negative bacteria that can cause enteritis in animals and is responsible for zoonoses.

The proportion of an amino acid digested and absorbed by the end of the small intestine, corrected for basal endogenous losses. It is the reference for formulating pig and poultry rations.

The phase in which piglets are still with the sow and suckling, before weaning.

An agreement between several links in the supply chain, from raw material producers to processors and farmers, on quantities, quality and terms of supply.

Pigs biting one another’s tails. It is an abnormal behaviour with various causes: stress, regrouping, high stocking density, a barren environment, nutritional imbalances.

An index combining air temperature and relative humidity to estimate the heat load on animals: the higher it is, the greater the risk of heat stress.

A feeding technique in which forages, concentrates and supplements are mixed in the mixer wagon into a single ration, delivered to the feed bunk.

The transition from milk to solid feed. In piglets it is a delicate phase for the gut, with a higher risk of diarrhoea.

Liquid raw material obtained from processing wheat flour to produce alcohol, glucose and starch: about 40% dry matter and a pH of about 3.4. For pigs: only for pigs outside the Parma ham PDO circuit.

Forage obtained by chopping the whole plant, usually maize, and preserved by ensiling.

Abbreviation of wheat wet distillers’ grains: wheat distillers’ grains in wet or liquid form, a by-product of alcohol, glucose and starch production. For pigs: only for pigs outside the Parma ham PDO circuit.