Animal Management Flashcards
Herbivore anatomy
Large, wide flat back teeth (ruminants, no front teeth)
How does the anatomy change based on diet (example of calf to cow)
Large abomasum for liquid diet changes to large rumen for digesting plant matter
Forage
Any plant matter
What are the 4 types of pasture?
Rough grazing, permanent pasture, ley (grass sewn for forage), and rotational grass
Maize and fodder production
- Leaves dry, whole crop chopped and grain cracked
- Common for dairy due to high DM and starch content
How does the composition of grass change?
- Early grass, high protein
- Late grass, low protein, more fibrous
Silage (forage conservation)
- Pickled and fermented
- Grass is cut and oxygen is squeezed out which allows bacteria to break down sugars producing lactic acid and preserves hay
- Exposure ot oxygen makes it go bad
Hay (forage conservation)
- Dried, nutritive losses
- Easy to transport, less contamination, small volumes
- suspect to mould and oxidation
Haylage (forage conservation)
- hay x silage
- higher water content, prone to spoilage
- fed to horses
Straw (forage conservation)
- Dried stem of wheat, barely and oats.
- Given to ruminants on high concentrate diets
Concentrates
- High in protein and energy
- Need to be fed with roughage in ruminants to avoid acidosis.
Straights (type of concentrate)
Individual grain
Mixes (type of concentrate)
Variety of grains as museli or pellets
Cow
Adult female
Heifer
Female who has had 1 or less calves
Bull
Male
Steer/ Bullock
Castrated male
Bull Calf
Male calf
Calf
Young bovine
Dairy cow common management types (3)
- Indoor year round (zero-grazing)
- Outdoors year round
- Mixed
Beef cow management types (2)
- Intensive- housed and fed concentrates (suitable for later maturing breeds who grow quickly)
- Extensive- Beef from grass (Early maturing breeds who need to be grown longer)
Calf nutritional requirements
- Colostrum
- Water (from day 1)
- Milk
- Concentrates
- Forage
Vet roles in bovine industry
Abattoir work, government, research, investigation officers
Dairy cows insemination options
- Dairy x Dairy (Bull calfs raised as meat)
- Dairy x Beef (worth more in beef industry)
Suckler Herds
Cows kept purely for beef. (sold as calves, kept on farm until slaughter, sold as stores)
Store cattle
Older cows being housed a second winter to fatten on grass and sold under 30 months.
Holstein- Friesian
Dairy, black and white, high milk, 680-770kg
Ayrshire
Dairy, dark red and white, smaller and hardy, housed mostly outdoors, 450-600kg
Jersey
Dairy, milk rich in butterfat, 400-450kg
Guernsey
Dairy, red-brown and white patches, high butterfat content, 450-500kg
Hereford
Native (slow growing), beef, red with white face and chest, fast growing with food feed conversion
Aberdeen Angus
Native (slow growing), beef, black, good calving ease and good milk for young, good feed conversion and naturally polled (no horns)
Belgium Blue
Beef, White, blue roan or black, double muscling, struggle to give birth, high feed conversion and good temperament
Limousin
Beef, Golden Red, meat has low proportion of bone and fat, high feed conversion
Simmental
Beef, Light brown and white patches, Highly efficient, minimal waste fat, docile and good mothering ability
Difference between horse and pony
- Determined by height (foot to withers. Ponies are less than 14.2 hands)
- 1 hand = 4 inches