ANIMAL HUSBANDRY - The Beef Cattle Industry Flashcards

1
Q

At how many days old can a female beef calf begin to digest complex carbohydrates including cellulose?

A

35 days old

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2
Q

What is the most popular breed of beef cattle in the UK?

A

Limousin

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3
Q

Outline the typical production cycle of beef cattle

A
  • Gestation: 285 days
  • Suckling for up to 6 months
    -Finishing starts after weaning
  • Slaughter at 18-20 mos (550-650 kg)
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4
Q

What are the five freedoms?

A
  1. Freedom from hunger or thirst
  2. Freedom from physical discomfort
  3. Freedom from pain, injury and disease
  4. Freedom from fear and distress
  5. Freedom to indulge in normal behaviours
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5
Q

What are the water requirements for beef cattle fed on fresh grass?

A

Approximately 10 litres/day

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6
Q

What are the water requirements for beef cattle fed on dry feed in hot conditions?

A

Approximately 100 litres/day

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7
Q

What is the dry matter feed requirement for beef cattle?

A

Between 1-2% of liveweight should be fed in dry matter

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8
Q

What is the thermoneutral zone for Taurine (B. t. taurus) cattle?

A

Between -5 and 25°C

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9
Q

At what temperature will Taurine (B. t. taurus) cattle begin to show signs of heat stress?

A

27°C

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10
Q

In tropical and subtropical areas, what kind of infectious diseases in cattle are the most prevalent?

A

Tick borne diseases

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11
Q

List six prevalent diseases seen in cattle in the UK/Europe/USA

A
  • Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV)
  • Johne’s disease
  • Bovine respiratory disease complex
  • Fasciolosis
  • Coccidiosis
  • Lameness
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12
Q

What are some of the common causes of fear and distress in beef cattle?

A
  • Handling of animals if not accustomed to it
  • Inappropriate management strategies
  • Misuse of working dogs
  • Transportation
  • Sale/market environments
  • Lairage (a place where cattle are rested before slaughter)
  • Slaughter
  • Predation
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13
Q

Behaviour limiting management occurs particularly in intensive farming systems. List four examples of practices that prevent cattle from indulging in normal behaviour

A
  • Calf rearing
  • Isolation
  • Individual pens
  • Artificial breeding
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14
Q

Define a ‘business model’

A

An operations business model is how a business makes money

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15
Q

What are the four main cattle business models?

A
  1. Breeding: most income from sale of calves
  2. Store cattle: cattle bought post weaning and grown out to pre-finishing
  3. Finishing: most income from sale of fat cattle to abattoir
  4. Trading: most income from margin on cattle bought and sold- need to buy cheap and either improve condition or move to a stronger market for re-sale
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16
Q

What are some of the less common cattle business models?

A
  • Tourism
  • Environmental management
  • Education, training, research and industry development
  • Subsidy farming
17
Q

In the beef cattle industry, businesses tend to divide the cost of production into fixed and variable costs? Define ‘fixed costs’

A

Fixed costs are costs more or less independent of the level of production output

18
Q

In the beef cattle industry, businesses tend to divide the cost of production into fixed and variable costs? Define ‘variable costs’

A

Variable costs are costs that increase proportionally as the level of production increases

19
Q

What are some fixed costs in the beef cattle industry?

A
  • Rent
  • Rates
  • Electricity
  • Finance charges
20
Q

What are some of the variable costs in the beef cattle industry?

A
  • Concentrates
  • Forage
  • Bedding
  • Haulage
  • Commissions
21
Q

(T/F) Labour costs in a production system can be a fixed or variable cost

A

TRUE. Labour costs can be fixed or variable depending on the business relationship with production

22
Q

Why are cattle usually sold on a deadweight basis?

A

Cattle are usually sold on a deadweight basis (usually about 50% of liveweight) because a business will usually be paid less selling their cattle on a liveweight basis

23
Q

Which factors affect the deadweight of cattle?

A
  • Breed
  • Amount of fat (paid less if lots of fat present)
24
Q

What is ‘technical performance’?

A

Technical performance is the quantitative assessment of the non-financial measure of performance. This can be considered as an assessment of biological performance

25
Q

What is the ideal daily liveweight gain (kg) for cattle?

A

Approximately 1kg of daily liveweight gain (even 1.5kg per day for cattle in feedlots)

26
Q

What is the average cow mortality rate within a business?

A

Approximately 2.5% mortality rate

27
Q

Why have standard management procedures been implemented into the cattle industry?

A
  • To synchronise breeding
  • To prevent breeding
  • To improve animal health
28
Q

List four breeding related standard management procedures

A
  • Weaning before puberty
  • Castration
  • Spaying
  • Segregation of bulls and females outside of breeding season
29
Q

What is the benefit of weaning calves before puberty?

A

Weaning earlier allows the female cow to recover her body condition before having her next calf

30
Q

In extensive and intensive systems, when are male cattle castrated?

A
  • Within a few days in extensive systems
  • Within six months in intensive systems
31
Q

List five non-breeding standard management procedures in the cattle industry

A
  • Vaccinations
  • Drenching/dosing
  • Dipping/spraying
  • Dehorning
  • Identification methods
32
Q

List five methods of identification used in the cattle industry

A
  • Hot branding
  • Tattoos in the ears
  • Ear tags
  • Digital identification (within ear tags, subcutaneous or intraruminal)
  • Tail tags
33
Q

Define a ‘production system’ in the beef industry

A

Production systems are broadly grouped, highly variable approaches to producing beef

34
Q

Describe the main beef production systems

A
  • Extensive grazing: maximised use of mostly unimproved pasture with limited use of fertiliser, irrigation and crops
  • Intensive grazing: High stocking density on improved pasture with the use of fertiliser and high water inputs
  • Feedlot: outdoor, predominately concentrate-fed operations
  • Intensive housed: indoor, predominately concentrate-fed operations
35
Q

List some constraints beef production systems face

A
  • Length of grazing season
  • Cereals/concentrates availability or reliable pasture for fattening
36
Q

What is the role of the dairy industry in beef production systems in the UK?

A

An increasing proportion of beef in the UK is produced from crossbred Holstein-Friesian cattle

37
Q

What is the function of a ‘suckler herd’ in the beef industry?

A

Suckler herds are herds of cattle bred to produce calves

38
Q

List the five main cattle finishing production systems

A
  • Cereal (bull) beef
  • Maize silage beef
  • Grass silage beef
  • Mixed grass and concentrate
  • Forage base finishing
39
Q

Which cattle finishing production system can produce cattle ready for slaughter at 12 months of age?

A

Cereal (bull) beef