Beef 1 - Emily Flashcards
What is a cow-calf operation?
-Basic production unit
-Small herds
-Forage-based
What is backgrounding/stocking?
-Intermediate phase
-Feed cattle for growth before feedlot
-Short period and moderate weight gain
-Forage-based
What is a feedlot?
-Large operations
-Fed in pens
-Grain-based
What is the main goal of a cow-calf operation?
Produce 1 calf per year
What is the typical diet in a cow-calf operation?
Forage-based
-Cheap
-Enough nutrients to support reproduction
-Supplementation as needed
What is the most common time for calving?
Spring
How old are calves when they start grazing?
~3-4 months old
What are the two types of cow-calf operations?
- Purebred
- Commercial
What does a purebred cow-calf operation consist of?
-Breeding stock
-Intensive management
-More supplemental feed
-Calving season in winter
What does a commercial cow-calf operation consist of?
-Market cattle
-Less intensive
-Less supplemental feed
-Calving season in spring
Beef dams will typically produce colostrum of a _______ volume but with ________ IgG concentrations
Lower; higher
When should there be intervention for calves?
-If the calf hasn’t gotten up and nursed within 2 hours of birth
-Dystocia calves
What can you do to estimate colostrum and serum IgG?
Brix refractometry
A colostrum replacement should have a minimum of ______ IgG
100g
What should the average daily gain of a beef calf be?
0.6-1.4 kg/day
What is creep feeding?
Supplementation before weaning to increase ADG
What are some reasons we’d want to creep feed?
-Milk and pasture are not enough (droughts)
-Increased stocking density in an area
-Fall-born calves (relies more on dam’s milk because no pasture)
-Pre-weaning program
Approximately how much should a calf weigh at 7 months of age?
240 kg
Most calves are sold within _____ after weaning
60 days
What are 3 weaning methods?
- Abrupt
- Two-stage
- Fence-line
What is abrupt weaning and what are the pros and cons?
Cows are moved to a new location out of sight and sounds from calves
Pros: Calves are handled once, fewer equipment/labour
Cons: Calves eat less (pen wandering, brawling), increased treatment rates
What is two-stage weaning and what are the pros and cons?
1st calves wear nose paddles; 2nd nose paddles are removed (4-7 days) and calves are separated from dams
Pros: Improved feed intake, decreased treatment rates
Cons: Nose paddle costs, calves need to be handled twice
What is fence-line weaning and what are the pros and cons?
Cows and calves are separated for 3-4 days by a fence but can still see, hear, and smell each other
Pros: Calves are handled once, improved intake, decreased treatment rates
Cons: Extra fencing
What is pre-conditioning?
Certain treatments that facilitate transition
