ANIMAL HUSBANDRY - Dairy Industry Flashcards

1
Q

What is the average dairy herd size in the world?

A

The average dairy herd size is three cows

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2
Q

What are the current trends seen in the dairy industry?

A

Milk demand is increasing
Milk yield is increasing
Average herd size is increasing
Number of dairy farms is decreasing

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3
Q

What are the main challenges within the dairy industry?

A

Animal welfare
Environmental viability
Disease
Cost of production
Public perception
Volatility of milk price

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4
Q

What are the three main costs within the dairy industry?

A

Feeding
Labour
Heifer rearing

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5
Q

What is the average optimal milking time that a cow should be milked?

A

On average, the optimal milking time is five minutes

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6
Q

How much milk should be fed to a calf daily?

A

20% of the calf body weight per day

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7
Q

At what age should you begin weaning calves off of milk and onto solid roughage?

A

60 - 65 days old

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8
Q

What are the four most common health problems seen in calves between birth and weaning off of milk?

A

Diarrhoea
Pneumonia
Naval ill leading to joint ill
Septicaemia

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9
Q

How much do you want a dairy calf to grow per day post-weaning from milk?

A

850g of growth per day

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10
Q

What are some of the common health problems seen in dairy calves post-weaning from milk?

A

Pneumonia
Gastrointestinal nematodes
Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke)
Lung worm
Dermatophytosis (ringworm)
Clostridial disease
Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (pinkeye)

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11
Q

At what age are most heifers bred for the first time?

A

Heifers are bred at 13 months old

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12
Q

How often should a dairy cow produce a live calf?

A

Once a year

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13
Q

How many days should dairy cows be lactating for?

A

305 days of lactation

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14
Q

How many days should dairy cows be dry (not lactating) for?

A

60 days of drying off

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15
Q

In which period of a dairy cow lifecycle are they at the highest risk for contracting disease?

A

Dairy cows are at the highest risk for contracting disease in the transition between drying off and lactation

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16
Q

Why are dairy cows at very high risk of mortality and morbidity during the transition between drying off and lactation?

A
  1. The sufficient increase in nutrient requirement due to the metabolic demand of lactation
  2. Physiological negative energy balance
  3. Decrease in the dry matter intake in the last week of pregnancy (end of dry period)
17
Q

What is the physiological negative energy balance seen in lactating dairy cows?

A

Negative energy balance occurs when the daily energy requirement for a cow cannot be met by the energy she consumes in a day. This occurs within the first few months of lactation as the metabolic requirement during such intense lactation cannot be offset by energy consumption

18
Q

(T/F) The effects of the physiological negative energy balance is more pronounced in thin dairy cows

A

FALSE.The effects of the physiological negative energy balance is more pronounced in FAT cows

19
Q

What is the main reason for culling a dairy cow?

A

Cow is no longer a productive member of the herd

20
Q

What are the three main reasons for the involuntary culling of dairy cows?

A

Mastitis
Lameness
Infertility

21
Q

What is the metabolic demand of a dairy cow during pregnancy?

A

100-120 MJ (Mega Joules)

22
Q

What is the metabolic demand of a dairy cow during lactation?

A

370-380 MJ (Mega Joules)