Beef Cattle Flashcards
Intact male cattle
Bull
Castrated male cattle
Steer
Female cattle who’s had a calf
Cow
Female cattle who’s not had a calf
Heifer
What is calving?
The act of a cow giving birth
What is the offspring of a cow called?
Calves/Calf
How many times do cows come into heat?
Multiple times throughout the year. They are polyestrous
What is the gestation period of a cow?
283 days
What is the length of a cows estrous cycle?
21 days
What is the range of body temperature of beef cattle?
98.0 - 102.4
What is the phylum of beef cattle?
Chordata
What is the Subphylum of beef cattle?
Vertebrata
What is the class of beef cattle?
Mammalia
What is the order of beef cattle?
Artiodactyla
What is the suborder of beef cattle?
Ruminata
What is the family of beef cattle?
Bovidae
What is the genus of beef cattle?
Bos
What is the species of beef cattle?
Taurus or Indicus
What are the top breeds of beef cattle?
Angus (Black Coat), Red Angus, Hereford, Simmental
Benefits of rearing cattle?
- Using grass that would not be used for anything
- By products
- Utilize excess grain produced by the cereal grain industry
Where is much of crop residue is found?
In the Corn Belt (Iowa and Missouri)
What region of the US has an abundance of grazing lang and good weather conditions year round?
The southeastern region
Which states does majority of cattle feeding done and what percentage does it account for?
Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado accounting for 80% of finished cattle
What happens at a Seed Stock Production?
Goal: Produce breeding stock
- Breeding bulls
- Embryos
Animals are not used for meat consumption directly
What happens at a Commercial Cow-Calf Production?
Goals: Produce the heaviest calves possible with the least cost. Produce calves that will be marketed
- Calves are sold to a stocker or feedlot at weaning
Age: 6-10 months old
Weight: 300 to 700 lbs
What happens at a Yearling or Stocker Operators?
Goal: Grow calves to heavier weights on low-priced forage before the calves enter the feedlot.
- Purchase calves from cow-calf producers and grow them during a specific season and then ship them to feedlots.
What happens at a Feedlots Operators?
Goal: This is the finishing phase of the industry (slaughter)
Enter at weight: 600 to 850 lbs
Slaughter at weight: 900 to 1400 lbs
What does Heterosis?
The tendency of a crossbred individual to show qualities superior to those of both parents.
What other name can we call Heterosis?
Hybrid Vigor
What tools are used for sire selection in beef cattle?
Performance testing, sire summaries, and expected progeny difference (EPDs)
What are the 2 factors that affect all economic traits in cattle?
Environment to which the animal is exposed
&
Genetics of the animal
What is heritability?
How important genetics is to a given trait
What is the heritability of reproductive traits?
Low heritability (<0.20)
What is the heritability of growth traits?
Moderate heritability (0.20-0.40)
What is the heritability of carcass traits?
Fairly high heritability (>0.40)
What is performance testing?
Determining if potential of your bulls as a sire
Group bulls and feed a free choice 13% ration for 112 days
Collect body weight and growth measurements every 28 days
Conclusion: Breeding soundness exam and ultrasound (back fat and loin eye area)
What age should heifers be managed to calve, be mated, at what weight and what do farmers opt for?
At 2 years
15 months and at least 65% of adult weight
Opt for calving heifers first at 30-36 months
What diseases affect reproductive efficiency directly?
Brucellosis (Bang’s disease)
Vibriosis
Leptospirosis
IBR/BVD Complex
Trichomoniasis
How can you maintain a healthy herd?
Adequate nutrition
Good sanitation
Vaccination
Parasite control
What happens with Calf Diarrhea?
Diarrhea in newborn calves
Caused: Bacteria, Viruses, and Protozoa. Calves that don’t receive adequate colostrum from their dams are more susceptible to developing diarrhea that is often severe enough to be fatal.
What happens with Bovine Viral Diarrhea?
Caused by: Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus
Symptoms: Fever, mouth ulcers, pneumonia and diarrhea. Can cause abortions. Some animals can be persistent carriers.
Prevention: Vaccinate and cull persistent carriers
What happens with Bovine Respiratory Disease?
Respiratory disease resulting in pneumonia and is one of the most economically important diseases affecting the cattle industry
Cause: Viruses and Bacteria as well as environmental factors like weaning, transport or crowding
