B13: Elements of beef cattle breeding technologies

Question 1

What is veal?

Answer 1

meat of young calves

Question 2

What is bob veal?

Answer 2

calves culled a few days aftre brith

Question 3

what id formula / milk fed veal?

Answer 3

white veal production.
Animals marketed ~18-20 weeks

Question 4

what is red / grain fed veal?

Answer 4

animals marketed around 22-26 weeks @ ~ 300 kg

Question 5

what is organic beef?

Answer 5

Organic beef: Produced without hormones, pesticides & other chemicals

Question 6

At what age are cattle usually slaughtered for beef production?

Answer 6

in ireland, slaughter before 16 months just for bull beef.
suckler cows: weaning btw 6 - 8 months of spring born calves.

full carcass size: 24 - 30 months for bull or heifer - 700kg heifer.
penalties if over 30 months.

butcher heifer beef: 12 - 18 months (want smaller heifers approx. 450kg live weight).

Question 7

what is beef?

Answer 7

meat of bovines

Question 8

What facilities are vital for beef operations?

Answer 8

• Facilities for beef operations will vary from fencing to barns, sheds or shelters.

◦ Any operation should have some type of handling system that allows a producer to easily catch
and restrain an animal for routine health care procedures.

*Crush + pen needed for handling / vaccinating / tagging.

Question 9

what type of housing is used for beef production?

Answer 9

ireland: straw-based bed or slatted shed in winter (can contain portable feeders).
out on grass/pasture in summer.

America: large feedlots

Question 10

what are vaccines?

Answer 10

Used against bacterial and viral diseases is prophylactic and must be administered before the animal is exposed to the pathogen

Question 11

What vaccines are most commonly used in bovine operations?

Answer 11

Bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) -> where modified-live virus or killed/ inactivated virus vaccine can be given for the IBR.
Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1),

Question 12

Why are antibiotics used?

Answer 12

therapeutic: to treat infection.

• Sub-therapeutic use involves low-dose levels generally included in the feed or water. In this application, antibiotics are utilized to increase growth rate and improve feed efficiency
  (Elam and Preston 2004).

◦ The growth-promoting mechanism of sub-therapeutic antibiotics occurs through manipulation of the microorganism in the rumen.

growth promoting ABs are forbidden in the EU.

Question 13

What are the calving difficulty scores?

Answer 13

1) No difficulty/ no assistance required.
2) Minor difficulty - assistance of 1 eprson required.
3) major difficulty - mechanical assistance required.
4) C-section or surgery
5) abnormal presentation.

Question 14

Which beef cattle breeds experience very easy calving? (see table in notes)

Answer 14

hungarian grey
aberdeen angus

Question 15

Which beef cattle breeds experience easy calving? (see table in notes)

Answer 15

galloway
hereford
red lincoln

Question 16

Which beef cattle breeds experience medium calving? (see table in notes)

Answer 16

hungarian spotted
swiss brown
limousin

Question 17

Which beef cattle breeds experience medium (difficult in heifers) calving? (see table in notes)

Answer 17

blonde d’aquitaine
charolais

Question 18

Which beef cattle breeds experience difficult calving? (see table in notes)

Answer 18

belgian blue -> usually a section

Question 19

What is Marker Assisted Selection used for? (MAS)

Answer 19

• Genetic prediction
• Gene transfer
• Sex control – male beneficial
• Systemic crossbreeding and composites
• Animal identification (DNA and biometric methods)
• In vitro fertilization and embryo transfer
• Marker-assisted mating
• Ultrasound
• Multibreed evaluation
• Selection indexes
• Artificial insemination – it is effective and decreases the generation interval; Increase the fertilization rate.

Question 20

What is grazing and when does it begin?

Answer 20

Begins at the end of April.
Grass may require irrigation.
Grass is eaten down and then given time to recover.
Animals let out to pasture.
free grazing, discontinuous, portioned, strip grazing, zero grazing.

feedlots in America with 1000s of animals.

Question 21

where do animals live in winter?

Answer 21

around end of september animals enter barn.
Separated pens must contain drainage route, solid pavement, fixed fence, hay grid, drinkers, wind shields.
Large barn: cubicle for animal to lie, slatted floor.

Question 22

methods of reproduction techniques in beef cattle

Answer 22

AI
MOET
cloning