ANIMAL HUSBANDRY - Dairy Industry

Question 1

What is the average dairy herd size in the world?

Answer 1

The average dairy herd size is three cows

Question 2

What are the current trends seen in the dairy industry?

Answer 2

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

Question 3

What are the main challenges within the dairy industry?

Answer 3

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

Question 4

What are the three main costs within the dairy industry?

Answer 4

Feeding
Labour
Heifer rearing

Question 5

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

Answer 5

On average, the optimal milking time is five minutes

Question 6

How much milk should be fed to a calf daily?

Answer 6

20% of the calf body weight per day

Question 7

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

Answer 7

60 - 65 days old

Question 8

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

Answer 8

Diarrhoea
Pneumonia
Naval ill leading to joint ill
Septicaemia

Question 9

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

Answer 9

850g of growth per day

Question 10

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

Answer 10

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

Question 11

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

Answer 11

Heifers are bred at 13 months old

Question 12

How often should a dairy cow produce a live calf?

Answer 12

Once a year

Question 13

How many days should dairy cows be lactating for?

Answer 13

305 days of lactation

Question 14

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

Answer 14

60 days of drying off

Question 15

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

Answer 15

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

Question 16

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

Answer 16

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)

Question 17

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

Answer 17

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

Question 18

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

Answer 18

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

Question 19

What is the main reason for culling a dairy cow?

Answer 19

Cow is no longer a productive member of the herd

Question 20

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

Answer 20

Mastitis
Lameness
Infertility

Question 21

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

Answer 21

100-120 MJ (Mega Joules)

Question 22

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

Answer 22

370-380 MJ (Mega Joules)