Paper 2 · Livestock Production
Cattle lose body condition in winter even where there is still plenty of grass, because
Athe winter grass is short of protein, so intake and digestion both slow down
Bthe grass carries far more protein than the microbes in the rumen can handle
Cthe grass is too long for the animals to be able to bite it off cleanly
Dthe cold weather makes the animals unwilling to leave the kraal to graze
Explanation: As the grass matures and dries its protein content falls, and the cellulose-digesting bacteria in the rumen need protein to multiply. Food then passes through slowly, intake drops, and the animal draws on its body reserves.
Derived from ZIMSEC Agriculture 5035/2 Paper 2, November 1996, Q2