ANIMAL HUSBANDRY - The Beef Cattle Industry Flashcards
At how many days old can a female beef calf begin to digest complex carbohydrates including cellulose?
35 days old
What is the most popular breed of beef cattle in the UK?
Limousin
Outline the typical production cycle of beef cattle
- Gestation: 285 days
- Suckling for up to 6 months
-Finishing starts after weaning - Slaughter at 18-20 mos (550-650 kg)
What are the five freedoms?
- Freedom from hunger or thirst
- Freedom from physical discomfort
- Freedom from pain, injury and disease
- Freedom from fear and distress
- Freedom to indulge in normal behaviours
What are the water requirements for beef cattle fed on fresh grass?
Approximately 10 litres/day
What are the water requirements for beef cattle fed on dry feed in hot conditions?
Approximately 100 litres/day
What is the dry matter feed requirement for beef cattle?
Between 1-2% of liveweight should be fed in dry matter
What is the thermoneutral zone for Taurine (B. t. taurus) cattle?
Between -5 and 25°C
At what temperature will Taurine (B. t. taurus) cattle begin to show signs of heat stress?
27°C
In tropical and subtropical areas, what kind of infectious diseases in cattle are the most prevalent?
Tick borne diseases
List six prevalent diseases seen in cattle in the UK/Europe/USA
- Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV)
- Johne’s disease
- Bovine respiratory disease complex
- Fasciolosis
- Coccidiosis
- Lameness
What are some of the common causes of fear and distress in beef cattle?
- 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
Behaviour limiting management occurs particularly in intensive farming systems. List four examples of practices that prevent cattle from indulging in normal behaviour
- Calf rearing
- Isolation
- Individual pens
- Artificial breeding
Define a ‘business model’
An operations business model is how a business makes money
What are the four main cattle business models?
- Breeding: most income from sale of calves
- Store cattle: cattle bought post weaning and grown out to pre-finishing
- Finishing: most income from sale of fat cattle to abattoir
- 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
What are some of the less common cattle business models?
- Tourism
- Environmental management
- Education, training, research and industry development
- Subsidy farming
In the beef cattle industry, businesses tend to divide the cost of production into fixed and variable costs? Define ‘fixed costs’
Fixed costs are costs more or less independent of the level of production output
In the beef cattle industry, businesses tend to divide the cost of production into fixed and variable costs? Define ‘variable costs’
Variable costs are costs that increase proportionally as the level of production increases
What are some fixed costs in the beef cattle industry?
- Rent
- Rates
- Electricity
- Finance charges
What are some of the variable costs in the beef cattle industry?
- Concentrates
- Forage
- Bedding
- Haulage
- Commissions
(T/F) Labour costs in a production system can be a fixed or variable cost
TRUE. Labour costs can be fixed or variable depending on the business relationship with production
Why are cattle usually sold on a deadweight basis?
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
Which factors affect the deadweight of cattle?
- Breed
- Amount of fat (paid less if lots of fat present)
What is ‘technical performance’?
Technical performance is the quantitative assessment of the non-financial measure of performance. This can be considered as an assessment of biological performance
