Beef Cattle Flashcards
1
Q
Purpose of the industry?
A
- produce young animals for slauhter
2
Q
How are you successful in the beef cattle industry?
A
- High carcass quality = good price
- Good food conversion efficiency
- Maximum growth rates
3
Q
What is the largest cost to the beef cattle industry?
A
feed costs for both breeding and growing animals = largest cost
4
Q
How can you farm?
A
- intensively = rear quickly, lot of high energy cereal based feeds
- extensive route = cheapest food route = grass and rear slowly
5
Q
What are the governing bodies?
A
- AHDB =England = beef and lamb: Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
- QMS = quality meat Scotland
- Welsh beef
- all work to same purpose
6
Q
What defines traditional British beef breeds?
A
- Small mature size = low maintenance
- Early maturing = reach fat stage earlier
- Hardy- climate and environment
- good suckler cow
e. g. aberdeen angus, welsh balck, belted galloway, beef shorthorn, hereford ,
7
Q
Examples of continental breeds and difference vs british
A
- Large mature size (700-800kg cow)
- late maturing: fat deposition stage later = can push high concentrate diet
- More carcass
- really good terminal sire (offspring into foodchain)
continental = Limousin, charolais, belgian blue, british blue (origionates from belgum)
8
Q
what must every beef cow have?
A
- passport: (online mostly now)
- when animal born
- breed
- dam and sire
- record movement
9
Q
Suckler herd aims:
A
- low input
- mostly forage supplement with additional food in late gestation and early lactation
- aim: cow stable body condition: 2.5 (mature)/ 3 (1st/ 2nd calving)
10
Q
What is the boggest problem for autumn calvers
A
- turned out onto good grass at spring when calf 6 months old = less demand
- stop get fat in grazing period
- need: high stock density and graze tightly
11
Q
What makes a good suckler cow
A
- docile temperament = easy management
- milky dams with excellent mothering qualities
- longevity
- Grow fast and early sexual maturity
- excellent grass conversion ability
- Hardiness and adaptability
- Good modern conformation with length and width
12
Q
When are calves weaned?
A
6-8 months
13
Q
Target for efficient cow at point of weaning
A
- at point of weaning (about 200 days)
2. calf weighs half as much as she does
14
Q
When does calving occur?
A
- spring calving
- autumn calving
- some e.g. east anglia moving to winter calving as grass all dried up in June
15
Q
Pros and cons of calving in spring
A
- Cow only needs extra winter feeding in last month or 2 of pregnancy = not have to put much food into her as only maintenance requirements
- once calf born = fresh grass growth
- calf off in autumn, winter then 1 yr at spring it will utilise this for growth
- good summer grass = higher fertility when breed again
- outside when calving typically
- harsh winter can upset pattern if you can’t turn them out