“Evaluating your
Hay Analysis Report” Quiz
February 2011 Forage for Thought
Answers
and explanations are shown below
1.
There
are ________ types of fiber.
a.
Two
b.
Three
c.
Four
d.
Five
e.
Six
2.
The
older (more mature) a plant is, the more lignin it produces.
a.
True
b.
False
3.
Lignin
cannot be digested, even by the hindgut microbial population.
a.
True
b.
False
4.
NDF
stands for:
a.
Neutral
detergent fiber
b.
Non-deliverable
forage
c.
Negative
digestive fiber
d.
Non-delicious
forage
5.
NSC
stands for:
a.
Neutral
Saccharides condition
b.
No
sugar content
c.
Non-structural
carbohydrates
d.
Non-sugar
characteristics
6.
NSC
contains:
a.
Simple
sugars and fiber
b.
Simple
sugars, fructan, and starch
c.
Starch,
fructan, and fiber
d.
Fructan
and starch
7.
Crude
protein (CP) measures:
a.
Nitrogen
b.
Specific
amino acids
c.
Protein
quality
d.
Fat
8.
Insulin
resistant horses should be fed hay that has an %NSC level of:
a.
<20
%
b.
<12
%
c.
>
13%
d.
>
21 %
9.
Ideally,
the calcium level should be twice the phosphorus level.
a.
True
b.
False
10.
All
of the following are reasons that selenium should be tested, except:
a.
selenium
has a narrow range of safety
b.
too
little selenium intake can be harmful
c.
too
much selenium can be harmful
d.
selenium
must be balanced with crude protein levels
e.
many
commercial feeds and supplements contain selenium, so knowing how much is in
your hay is important in order to avoid overdosing.
11.
The
ideal Copper to Zinc to Manganese ratio is:
a.
1:4:2
b.
1:4:4
c.
4:1:1
d.
2:4:6
All
of these questions are discussed in detail in Chapter 1 – Ground Rules for Feeding A Horse, as well as throughout the
book on relevant issues (such as minerals, protein, concentrates, forages, and
insulin resistance) from Feed Your Horse Like A Horse
Answers:
1.
D
2.
A
3.
A
4.
A
5.
C
6.
B
7.
A
8.
B
9.
A
10. D
11. B
1.
There
are ________ types of fiber.
a.
Two
b.
Three
c.
Four
d.
Five
e.
Six
“D”
is the correct answer. The five types
are cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, mucilages, and
lignin
2.
The
older (more mature) a plant is, the more lignin it produces.
a.
True
b.
False
“A”
is the correct answer.
3.
Lignin
cannot be digested, even by the hindgut microbial population.
a.
True
b.
False
“A”
is correct. Lignin is an indigestible
fiber, which means it provides no calories, and no nutritive value to your
horse.
4.
NDF
stands for:
a.
Neutral
detergent fiber
b.
Non-deliverable
forage
c.
Negative
digestive fiber
d.
Non-delicious
forage
“A”
is the correct answer. This measurement
of fiber contains cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin (all water
insoluble). (Pectin and mucilages are water soluble fibers).
5.
NSC
stands for:
a.
Neutral
Saccharides condition
b.
No
sugar content
c.
Non-structural
carbohydrates
d.
Non-sugar
characteristics
“C”
is correct. Structural carbohydrates are
fibers.
6.
NSC
contains:
a.
Simple
sugars and fiber
b.
Simple
sugars, fructan, and starch
c.
Starch,
fructan, and fiber
d.
Fructan
and starch
“B”
is correct. Non-structural carbohydrates
(non-fibrous) include sugars and starch (digested in the foregut and therefore,
increase insulin levels) and fructan (digested in the hindgut, and do not
increase insulin but are fermented by microbes into lactic acid, increasing
laminitis risk due to endotoxin release).
7.
Crude
protein (CP) measures:
a.
Nitrogen
b.
Specific
amino acids
c.
Protein
quality
d.
Fat
“A”
is correct. Crude protein is not a measurement of protein quality or amino acid
content. It merely measures nitrogen. The more protein (regardless of quality)
the more nitrogen.
8.
Insulin
resistant horses should be fed hay that has an %NSC level of:
a.
<20
%
b.
<12
%
c.
13%
d.
21
%
“B”
is correct. Grass hay should be offered free choice to all horses and
especially insulin resistant horses because the stress of an empty stomach can
raise insulin levels further. This results in body fat storage, and can lead to
laminitis relapses. In order for the hay to be safe, the %NSC should be less
than 12%.
9.
Ideally,
the calcium level should be twice the phosphorus level.
a.
True
b.
False
“A”
is correct. However, calcium can be much
higher (up to six times higher in adult horses) than phosphorus and still be
well tolerated.
10.
All
of the following are reasons that selenium should be tested, except:
a.
selenium
has a narrow range of safety
b.
too
little selenium intake can be harmful
c.
too
much selenium can be harmful
d.
selenium
must be balanced with crude protein levels
e.
many
commercial feeds and supplements contain selenium, so knowing how much is in
your hay is important in order to avoid overdosing.
“D”
is the correct answer because it is the only one on the list that is not true.
Crude protein has nothing to do with selenium.
11.
The
ideal Copper to Zinc to Manganese ratio is:
a.
1:4:2
b.
1:4:4
c.
4:1:1
d.
2:4:6
“B”
is the correct ideal ratio, though most hays do not exhibit these exact levels.