Beef Cattle Flashcards
Calving
the act of giving birth itself
Beef Cattle by Numbers
- India has 4 million metric tons cause cows are considered, “holy”
World Beef Consumption
17.6 lbs. per year/per capita
US Beef Consumption
67 lbs. per capita
Top 5 Beef Producing States
Texas, Nebraska, Kansas, California, Oklahoma
Gestation Period of Beef Cattle
9 months or 283 days
Estrous period of beef cattle
every 17-24 days but normally 21
Estrus period of beef cattle, standing heat
12-18 hours
Goal for calving
2 years of age
What age are beef heifers bred?
15 months
Natural Mating Breeding Method
3 chucks; each are 21 days; 60% of heifers should be bred the first chunck, and they want around 60-70% of the cows/heifers to birth because they make their estimates around this percentage
Calving Percentage
Saying 60-70% of female cows should give birth in the herd, because farmers make their estimates of food around this
Artificial Insemination
putting semen in the cow
Embryo Transfer
growing a good embryo in a lab, then inserting in a cow when fertilized to grow
Ruminant
4 Stomach compartment that eats and regurgitates food
Rumen
where microorganisms break down the feed, eructate the food a few times until it gets smaller
Reticulum
few things pass through here like inedible things like metal, known as the “hardware stomach”
Omasum
“Butcher’s Bible”; after the food is broekn down in the rumen it comes here, it grabs the nutrients and puts it in the bloodstream for the cow
Abomasum
“Secretory Stomach”: anything that wasn’t broken down in the other areas breaks down here, and it absorbs water
Cattle Feed Conversion
6 lbs of feed per one lbs of cow; but it does depend on diet, stage of production, and genetics
When are beef calves weaned
7 months
Beef Cattle market weight
1,100-1,500 lbs.
Market age of beef cattle
12-22 months
Cow-Calf Stage
0-8 months where they eat mostly grass
Stocker Calf Stage
8-12 months where they eat mostly grass and hay