Beef and Dairy Cattle nutrition Flashcards
How many months in the year do dairy cows lactate
10 months
What are some dietary problems for dairy cows?
acidosis, ketosis, and hypocalcemia
Bull definition
an uncastrated male bovine animal
calf definition
a young bovine animal, especially a domestic cow or bull in its first year
cow definition
a fully grown female animal of a domesticated breed of ox, kept to produce milk or beef
dry definition
a stage of their lactation cycle where milk production ceases prior to calving
heifer definition
a young female cow that has not borne a calf.
steer Definition
young neutered male cattle primarily raised for beef
Acidosis definition
A condition caused by low levels of forage in the animal’s diet. Large amount of RAC (readily available carbohydrates) stimulate bacteria that produce lactic acid, and bacteria that use lactic acid cannot keep up with it.
Ad libitum definition
Allowing animals to have access to as much feed as is desired or necessary as often as possible, also known as “free choice”
Angus definition
A breed of beef cattle originally from Scotland that is solid black or red and naturally polled (hornless)
Backgrounding definition
An intermediate stage that begins after weaning and ends when the calf is placed in a feedlot or is sold at auction. This feeding relies on a forage (grass and/or hay) and grain combination to increase the calf’s body weight and health status before they are sent to a feedlot.
What does BST stand for?
Bovine Somatotropin
What is BST OR Bovine Somatotropin
A protein (growth) hormone naturally produced by the pituitary glands of cattle. It can be manufactured in the lab using recombinant DNA and injected into cattle to supplement the required nutrients (or increase milk production). The manufactured BST is typically referred to as rBST or by the trade name Posilac.
Creep feed definition
A feed provided to calves which provides extra nutrients to promote faster growth
Dam Definition
Female parent of a calf
DIP def.
Rumen degradable intake protein. DIP helps keep the microbes alive in the rumen which assist in digestion
Dry period def.
The period during which a dairy cow does not produce milk. This usually lasts for 2 months before calving.
Feedlot def.
A feedlot farm feeds either cattle brought in from stocker operations or calves that are newly weaned. These cattle are fed to their selling weight. Usually, this feeding involves high energy feedstuffs that promote growth and weight gain. This is typically a beef cattle term.
Hereford def.
A breed of beef cattle originally from Britain characterized by red and white coats, they are often quite docile and produce good quality beef
Holstein def.
A breed of dairy cattle with the highest milk production, very recognizable by their distinctive black and white coat coloring
Hypocalcemia (Milk fever) def.
A condition of low calcium in a cow’s bloodstream occurring between the lactation and the dry periods
Jersey def.
A breed of dairy cattle typically light brown in color and known for their high milk fat content
Ketosis def.
A condition caused by reduction of grain (starch) in a dairy cow’s diet in which the animal does not produce enough glucose in her liver. Ketosis decreases milk production, and can cause rapid weight loss and eventually death
Lactation def.
For this chapter, lactation refers to the production of milk in a dairy cow. This usually lasts for 10 months per year in dairy cattle. However, lactation demands for any species are considerable and must be taken into consideration when planning animal diets.
Marble def.
Intramuscular fat in meat; a supplement can be fed to beef cattle to increase their intramuscular fat. Marbling is said to improve the palatability of the meat.
Selenium def.
A trace mineral which helps prevent metritis caused by retained placentas
Sire def.
The male parent of a calf
Stocker def.
A stocker operation feeds the weaned calf to increase its weigh before selling it to a feedlot (typically a beef cattle term)
Sucrase def.
Enzyme secreted to help in the digestion of sucrose in the starch
UIP def.
Rumen undegradable intake protein; protein used by the cow itself.
Weaning def.
The process of “taking off” a calf from the replacer milk and feeding it solid food
What Happens if the cow gives birth in the spring
higher nutritional requirements in late spring, early summer, when she lactates. The availability of grass at that time will provide for her requirements
What happens if the cow gives birth in the fall
she will have higher nutritional requirements in winter. Due to the unavailability (or less availability) of grass at that time, supplemental feed will have to be provided to her, which is high in energy and protein
How does the fetal weight change during gestation?
The longer the gestation the more the fetal weighs
What does the beef cattle body conditioning score (BCS) in the US ranges?
1 to 9
What does the Body Conditioning Score for dairy cows in the US ranges?
1 to 5
What does the dogs in the US ranges?
1-9
What does the cats in the US ranges?
1-9
What does the horses in the US ranges?
normally 1-5 but there is a 1-9 scale sometimes used
Why are heifer calf fed by hand?
since it is taken away from its mother cow immediately after birth
Why are heifer calf given replacer milk?
cows milk is reserved for human consumption
Why does a heifer have very high nutritional requirements
As it needs to to grow from calf to being able to breed in a short amount of time.
When are bull calves sent to market?
shortly after birth
Heifer calves are fed in what
individual hutches
What protein can a calf digest
casein not plant protein
what enzyme does a calf not produce and when can they start to produce this enzyme
sucrase and up to 6 weeks
what is fed to young calves to start them on solid foods
prestarter feed
what is pre-starter feed mixed with?
with milk and milk products. The pre-starter should be highly digestab;e and palatable
What does creep feeding help with
with providing the calves with extra nutrients to promote faster growth
When is a heifer calf bred
14.5 months so birth is given at 2 yrs
how big should a heifer be before breeding
at least 60% of her mature size
what are stocker cattle?
weaned calves that are fed to increase their weight and are then sold to the beef cattle feedlot
what are stocker cattle fed on
dry lot or pasture. Drylot is more common as its cheaper
When choosing stocker cattle, what type of cattle are normally chosen?
thin healthy calves as they put on weight more than fat calves do on a cheaper diet
why should stocker cattle not be fed too much starch or too much fat
lowers their fiber digestibility
What should be considered when planing to feed byproducts to cattle
digestibility
price relative to other feeds
storage life
needs for special feeders or equipment
potiential anti-nutritional or toxin content
when are feedlot cattle brought
stocker operations or as newly weaned calves
When market weight is reached how is cattle’s diet formulated
according to their frame size. Large-framed cattle are fed a higher-weight feed, while small-framed cattle are fed a lighter-weight feed
average NC dairy cow in 2021 produced how any gallons of milk per day?
8 gallons
