beef cattle all lectures Flashcards
family and genus
bovidae, bos
evolution
2-3 separated events
- descended from aurochs (bos primigenius) now extinct
bovid
any animal of bos genus
bovine
adjective of animal of bos genus
ox
generic term for individual bovid
cattle
group of animals of bos genus
bull
male bovid
cow
adult female who has had at least one calf
heifer
female has not had calf yet
steer
desexed/ castrated male
calf
young bovid under one year old
weaner
6-12 months old animal (deciduous teeth retained)
weaning
separating suckling calves from mother permanently
yearling
12 month old animal
bullock
castrated male over 2 years old
free martin
female twin in mixed sex twins, usually sterile
store
animal before fattening, usually older than a weaner
dam
animals female parent
sire
animals male parent
first calf heifer
breeder cow having had her first calf
breeder
cow used for breeding purposes
spay
female whose ovaries have been removed
webbing
severing the fallopian tubes w ovaries intact in the female
mickey
young intact male, usually undesirable for breeding purposes
maiden
unmated heifer
slink
aborted calf or found in utero at slaughter
springer
heifer or cow about the calve
mob/herd
group of animals
1 acre = how many hectare
0.4
clean skin
unbranded or tagged
stag
bull castrated late in life; showing male characteristics
fat
an animal fat enough for slaughter
cracker
old cow, often low fat depths, yielding low quality meat
boner
animal yielding low quality meat
cull
an animal culled from the herd because of age/ infertility etc
bogan/ mallee/ cocky’s/ rails
gates made from barbed wire w usually a lever latch
drop the bogan= open the gate
thurl
hip joint
ruminants have
3 fore stomachs before the true stomach
1) rumen (paunch; left side of a cow)
2) reticulum (honeycomb)
3) omasum (bible)
4) abomasum (true stomach)
how many L of fluid in rumen in adult
100 L
paunch
lining in rumen likened to shag pile carpeting
rumen
- storage vat for fermentation
- microbial population digests or ferments feed by the animal
- absorbs most of the VFA produced from fermentation
microbe pop in rumen
protozoa, bacteria, fungi
primary vs secondary rumen contractions
- primary; originate in reticulum, moving caudally around the rumen and mixing contents
- secondary; cranial reticulorumen involvement for rumination (chewing cud)
reticulum
- pouch- like structure, w the inner lining resembling a honeycomb
- collect small particles and move to omasum
- larger particles move to rumen
- location for bolus formation to be chewed again
- fold of tissues between reticulorumen, but not strictly separate
- heavy or dense feed and metal objects drop into this compartment
rumination
bringing up bolus of feed to chew
where is location where heavy or dense feed/ metal objects go
reticulum
omasum
- butchers bible
- globe-shaped structure contains leaves of tissue
- absorbs water and other substances from digestive contents
- ingesta drier here than other areas
abomasum
- true stomach
- has glandular lining
- hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes, needed for breakdown of feed, are secreted into the abomasum
- comparable to the stomach of non- ruminant
- pH 3.5-4.0
ruminant small intestine
similar to other species; aids in digestion and absorption
ruminant large intestine
- similar to other species; major water absorption
- spiral colon
ruminants dental conformation
- hard dental pad
- diastema between incisors and molars
how many bites a day do cattle do
25 000 to 40 000 bites a day
wrap their tongue around forage to bring toward mouth
in calves; oesophageal groove so
milk bypasses rumen and reticulum, use abomasum more
saliva has high concentrations of
bicarbonate and phosphorus
- nitrogen recycling
- lipase and amylase
ruminant teeth movement
crush and grind forage, lateral movement
cattle can be aged by eruption of their permanent incisors:
- 0: less than 18 months
- 1-2: 18-30 months (1-2 years)
- 3-4; 24-36 months (2-3yrs)
- 5-6: 30-42 months (3 ish)
- 7; 36-48 months (4 yr ish)
- 8: 42+ months, 4 yrs
around 1 pair per year
bos taurus
- chunky, shorter, teddy bears around face, ears pointing up
- european
- adapted to cooler climates
- heavier muscling
- higher marbling and increased tenderness
- better flavour
- early maturity and faster growth rates early
bos indicus
- tall, lanky, ears lower
- originated from indian zebu or brahman
- adapted to hot and arid climates
- typically have larger ears and a shorter coat
- parasite resistance
- lower fertility
angus; black and red
- bos taurus british breed
- developed mainly in south-eastern regions
-excellent carcass quality; marbling and tenderness - great mothering and milking
- red angus increased in popularity; red gives comparative heat tolerance advantage
beef shorthorns
- bos taurus british breed
- first registered breed in aus
- red, white or roan
- high reproductive performance, thrive in many harsh climatic conditions
- basis of the northern beef herd
- good marbling
poll and horned herefords
- bos taurus; british breed
- dominant breed throughout southern aus
- expansion of this breed was dueto opening of UK market
- docile
- good feed efficiency
- mostly red w white face and chest and socks
other bos taurus; british breeds
- murray grey
- red poll
- south devon/ devon
- galloway
- lincoln red
- briitsh white
charolais
- bos taurus; european breed
- good growth rate
- heavy muscle, large frame
- good carcass yields
- in pic white and BUFF
simmental
- bos taurus; european
- good growth rate
- good carcass yield
- deep reddy brown
gelbvieh
- bos taurus; european
- good growth rates
- improved tick reisstance
- good carcass characteristics
- pixie colour
brown swiss
- dual purpose
- bos taurus; european
- good growth rates
- large frame
- good milkers
- brown/ grey
other bos taurus europeans
- limousin
- chianina
- blonde d’aquitaine
- romanogla
- maine anjou
- belgian blue
waygu
- bos taurus
- japan
- derived from native asian cattle
- noted for their marbling
- 4 breeds in japan
- japanese black
- japanese brown (red)
- nihon tankaku (japanese shorthorn) - lean
- japanese polled (mukaku) - lean
bos indicus; brahmans
- adaptability of bos indicus cattle to Northern aus
- particularly genetic resistance to ticks, heat and humid climate tolerance
- tropically adapted
- good foraging
- dominate pastoral regions of northern aus
droughtmaster
- bos indicus
- australian
- heat tolerance
- parasite resistance
- high fertility
- ease of calving
- digestive efficiency
- docile
bos indicus; cross breeds
- crossbreeding is mating of 2 or more breeds to take advantages of heterosis or hybrid vigour
- new breeds are stabilized over time
- vary in % of brahman
- heat tolerance and parasite resistance w a level of meat quality as a critical issue
- all australian except santa gertrudis (texan)
types of bos indicus crossbreeds
- santa gertrudis (texan)
- charbrae (aus)
- brangus (aus)
- greyman (aus)
- braford (aus)
tropically adapted breeds
- attributes of bos taurus plus tropically adapted
- tuli
- belmont red
- senepol
specialist breeds
- aus low line
- dexter
- square meater
cattle are prey so
- herding and comfort and strength in numbers
- easily startled resulting is a physiological response
- rest periods important
how much do they graze per day
- graze and browse 8-9 hours a day
- during active grazing, continual tearing and minimal chewing
- non discriminatory eaters
vision
- monocular panoramic
- limited binocular
- wide set eyes, slit pupils
- wide monocular vision 330 degrees
- 25-55 degrees of binocular vision
- blind spot directly behind
- designed for scanning distance
- limited ability to focus close up
- can see colour
- poor depth perception
what does them being non discriminatory eaters mean
- lead to ingestion of string, plastic- impaction
- result in hardware disease; peritonitis
- pica; chewing bones
- BUT are selective in terms of preferred species and avoiding toxic plants
how often ruminate and when
- 4-8 hours a day
- typically in middle/ heat of day
is grazing a learned behaviour
yes
for grazing how many bites per min at 8 weeks of age and at 18 weeks of age
- 8 weeks: 14 bites per min
- 18 weeks: 50 bites per min
rumination is roughly ___% of time spent grazing
75%
rumination occurs while
resting
resting is dependent on
- environmental conditions
- time spent ruminating and grazing
- breed
spend __% of day in active sleep
3
temperment
- social
- seek protection
- trainable and tractable
- require lots of fences of electric fences to contain
- affectionate and playful when conditioned to human interaction
- can be protective of young
- fight or flight
which is more excitable: bos indicus or bos taurus
bos indicus
do cows prefer going uphill or downhill and why
uphill, due to vision
some things that make cattle baulk
- light/ dark transitions (shadows)
- objects directly infront of them
cattle hearing
- more sensitive to high frequency noises
- most sensitive at 8000 hz
- unexpected or loud nosies cause stress
cattle smell
- constantly sniff pasture while grazing
- baulk and vocalize at smell of blood and offal
- secondary olfactory system can detect pheromones and volatile chemicals important for feed selection and avoidance
- flehman
flight zone
- aka the bubble
- cows personal space
- will move away
- different for every cow
- affected by genetics, environment and training
- use flight zone and point of balance to create and stop movement and put direction on movement
how to move a cow; hierarchy of options
- movement and positioning
- exaggerated/ assertive movement
- noise
- waddy, stick, stock mover
- paddle
- tail twist
- electric jigger (last resort)
4 key instincts
1) herd animals
2) want to move in direction they are facing
3) prey; want to see what is pressuring them
4) want a release of pressure; move away from danger
new stimuli and situations
- curious but cautious
- want to investigate new objects
- lower their heads to investigate; better vision and engages smell
reproductive behaviours in wild herds
- breeding is tied to nutrition
- matriarchal herds
- bulls join herd for mating but otherwise run in bachelor groups or alone
- dominance hierarchy amongst bulls
- largest are generally most dominant
reproductive behaviours: mounting
- indicator of reproductive stage
- mounted cow is approaching standing estrus
- mounting cow can be approaching this as well
- in bulls and steers for establishing dominance
calves as young as a ____ can display mounting
week
as a play behaviour
mimicry of adult behaviour
hierarchy establishment
______ dominant females often initiate
_____ females may not participate
- bos taurus
- bos indicus
_____ show more mounting behaviours than _____
dairy breeds, beef
females estrus
- polyoestrus
- polygynous and promiscuous
- estrous cycle is hormonally driven
- expression and signalling is behavioural
- influenced by stress, extreme weather, nutrition
bulls libido
- hereditary
- not part of breeding soundness exam, assessed by observation
- active all year round
- triggered by new stimuli; Coolidge effect
bull courtship
- elicit or detect standing heat
- most dominant bull (often the largest has greatest female access)
pitfalls of dominance-based selection
- dominant bull may be infertile
- bulls injured or distracted by establishing dominance
successful moutning
- both innate and learned behavior
- young bulls require practice before achieving successful mating
- copulation rapidly follows mounting
- ejaculation 1-2 seconds from intromission
- cow will stand for repeated joinings
- bulls often repeat the joining process multiple times over short window to ensure conception
maternal behaviours before parturition
- separation 1-2 before caving
- shelter seeking
- nest building
maternal behaviours immediately after parturition
- cleaning of calf
- stimulate to stand
- allow to nurse
- defensive
- all genetically linked and hereditary
- risk of mis-mothering or not joining up
maternal- offspring behaviours
- suckling; 2-5 hrs post parturition, mother must stand
- licking of calf to; stimulate breathing and circulation initially and the stimulate urination/ defecation
- young hidden near birth site while placenta eaten
- hiding behaviour continues over time with calves being parked in a communal nursery, w single cow guarding
- never stand between mother and calf
- claves follow mother and learn grazing patterns
fostering can occur
naturally and by intervention
calves which have been parked, particularly w out a nursey, can startle
3 outcomes;
- bolt and vocalize excessively
- bolt silently
- charge
startling a calf can result in
- mis mothering and startler being run down by mother
aus is the ____ largest beef exporter
fourth
after bazil, india, USA
is beef consumption increasing
yes
aus beef and veal production by state
qld; 47%
nsw; 22%
vic; 20%
what percent of all aus farms carry beef cattle
50%
most common and widely dispersed agricultural activity in aus
nlis, pic, nvd, lpa
- national livestock id system, connected to pic
- property id code
- national vendor declaration forms (NVD if sale, waybill if just movement, in order to do this need to do LPA welfare module)
- livestock production assurance (welfare module)
first and second gestation nutrition
first; maintenance+ growth+ pregnancy
second: maintenance + lactation + pregnancy
AACo
- australian agricultural company
- corporate
- vertically integrated supply chain
- strategic balance of properties, feedlots and farms
- 7 million hectares of land in qld and northern territory
- australias largest cattle herd w around 400 000 head
large family owned and operated farms
- commonly multi-generational
- can be traced back to first settlement of the country in one family
- can be large holding, often more than one station/ farm
- often vertically integrated
- can be diversified
- additional properties purchased in strategic locations
- can be first generational investment of lifestyle change
medium size holdings
- can be multi-generational w a rich local history
- can be v profitable, in fertile country
- not usually corporately owned
- can be privately owned or managed
- may still be vertically integrated
- nation wide, but more common is coastal areas
- may be supported by off-farm employment
small holdings, peri-urban, prickle farmers
- smaller acreage
- full time, part-time or weekenders
- can be profitibale if well managed
- still feed into mainstream production channels
- may focus on stud/ seed stock to increase income
- can still be diversified
- lots of clients for vets
- profitability not as important as lifestyle
- still must work to industry requirements
what shapes the industry
climate
rangelands, what percent of aus, what does it include
- over 75% of aus
- tropical savannas
- woodlands
- shrublands
- grasslands
- low annual rainfall and variable climates
- arid, semi-arid and seasonally high rainfall areas
north is ___ rainfall
summer
south is _____ rainfall
winter
northern beef, summer rainfall, qld example
- 1.5 million hectares
- lots of land
- tropical, sub tropical
- stocking rate 1 cow per 60 Ha
- need a lot more cows per farm to make money
winter rainfall southern beef, vic example
- average size 400 Ha
- temperate pastures
- 2 cows/ Ha
types of pastures
- arid
- introduced buffel grass
- sub-tropical good groundcover
- using legumes for pasture improvement
- native kangaroo grass
- lush temperate
c3 grass and c4 grass quality and production
c3; higher feed quality lower production
c4; low feed quality, higher production
refers to carbon pathways during photosynthesis
summer rainfall pastures
- tropical and subtropical pastures predominantly (C4)
- fast growing
- responsive to rain X warm temps X long day length
extensive vs intensive
extensive; lots of land
intensive; not a lot of land, lots of animals
most common farm types in aus
- extensive grazing native pasture
- extensive grazing pasture improved
nutrient deficiencies in soils lead to
nutrient deficiencies in plants and limit plant growth
which both lead to decreased production
what is low in tropical areas
(north)
phosphorus leads to phosphorus deficiency and prevalence of botulism
what is low in temperate grasses
(south)
magnesium, leads to grass tetany
foot rot may occur in ___ areas due to
(south)
temperate areas with wet ground
what increases with increased stocking densities (south)
- parasites and disease transmission routes
most costly disease
cattle tick
cattle tick
- tick worry and blood loss, leads to loss of condition and sometimes death
- they can also carry and transmit tick fever
where is cattle tick found in aus
north
BTEC
- brucellosis and tuberculosis eradication scheme;
- 1970s, successful but caused major disruption to cattle producers in norther aus
- as a result the northern aus cattle industry was well positioned to take advantage of the live cattle trade to south east asia, emerged in 90s
beef industry limitations
- high frequency of drought, flood and bushfire across the landscape
- large geographic diversity of beef enterprises
- declining availability of skilled labor
- older industry age structure
- variations in the global beef market
- increasing land value
- disease/ parasites
extensive pastoral properties
(north)
- cattle run extensively on native pastures
- 1 cow per 200-300 acres
- must be able to forage efficiently
- indicus
intensive beef, south
- smaller in area
- higher stocking rates
- cattle handled more often
- taurus
- high rainfall areas
- more temperate regions
feedlots
- feeding period 60-300 days
- can be over a million head
- both north and south
- increasing in number
- use variety of grains and forages
- needs to be near concentrate production
feedlot characteristics
- hard, free draining pad
- excellent hygiene
- rigorous biosecurity
- individual health monitoring
- low stress handling
- backgrounding before entry
- access to feed and water
- expert nutritionist
- access to markets and processing
how many on a ship for live export, what is required
5-10 000
on ship vet required
where does live export go
indonesia, egypt, israel, turkey, russia, lebanon, jordan, juwait, iran, Bahrain, qatar, pakistan, china etc
why live export
- don’t have access to many refrigerators in some countries
- cultural and religious reasons
- improving herd genetics in the importing country
mating age, why
- 14-15 months to calve at 2 years of age
- increase number of calves in a lifetime
- usually requires supplemental feeding post weaning to enhance growth rates
factors for choosing age to join heifers
breeds and genetics, age, body weight and nutrition
growth rates influenced by
genetics, pasture quantity and quality, supplementation
how many calves do bulls have in a lifetime
100-200+
how many calves do cows produce in a lifetime
5-8
colostrum
- calves born w no immunity
- immunoglobulins to prevent disease
- 2-4 L within 6 hours
- ability to absorb declines by 50% at 12 hours and 0% at 24 hrs
when does weaning occur
- around 5-6 months old
- focused on maintenance of breeder BCS
- earlier age, increased need for crude protein and energy
- training to eat from racks and troughs
- challenges of immune system
why might cows be culled
- empty at preg diagnosis (must reconceive within 82 days of calving)
- difficulties calving at last calving
- unsound feet or legs
- damaged or lost teeth
- over 10 yrs old
- inability to get a calf to weaning
major limiting nutrients of supplementary feeding
- dry matter (fiber)
- protein
- energy
- P, S
- vitamins and minerals
- water
must ID cows with a triangular ear punch that have been treated with
hormone growth promotants (HGP)
when is branding compulsory
when they are offered for sale in QLD
exemptions from branding
- approved stud cattle sales
- claves under 100kg
- taken directly to slaughter
- temporary in 2020/2021 w a live weight over 100kg??? covid measure
hot iron branding
- best way to prove ownership
- permanent
- restraint essential
- never on wet, weak or emaciated cattle
- 2-6 months of age
- max 2-3 seconds
freeze branding
- dark coats
- liquid nitrogen- expensive
- painless
dehorning under 2 months
hot iron, disbudding knife
dehorning 2-6 months
scoop dehorners or cup dehorners
dehorning over 6 months
guillotine, tippers or foetotomy wire
reasons for castration
- prevent undesirable bulls from breeding
- behavioural control
when should castration occur
- as young as possible
- change antiseptic solution and replace scalpel blades every 15-20 calves
do not castrate an animal unless
- 2 normal testes
- free moving testicles palpated
most effective castration
- surgical
- under 6 months of age
- scalpel + emasculator
- knife/ scalpel
- henderson tool
non surgical castration
- burdizzo; crush; bloodless, confirmation of success difficult
- elastrator; UNDER 2 weeks old, painful, risk of tetatnus
vaccines start when
- start at weaning/ branding
- then yearling
- then 2 yrs old
- annually
internal and external parasites
- internal; intestinal worms, liver fluke
- external; cattle tick, paralysis tick, lice, buffalo fly
vaccines
5 in 1; clostridium
7 in 1; clostridium + lepto
genetic technology
- AI
- super ovulation and embryo transfer
- in vitro fertilization
- cloning
thermoneutral zone
-30 to +27 degree C
above; panting, reduced food, reduced lying
below: huddling, orientate towards sun, shivering
rangelands welfare issues
- feed availability
- ectoparasites
- disease
- transport
- routine operations
- predation
- drought
- flood
- fire
(extensive)
feedlot welfare issues
- heat stress/ shade
- mud/ feces drainage
- dust
- flies
- buller steer syndrome
- penis damage
- bovine resp disease
