Beef Industry Flashcards
what are the different sectors in the beef industry
pedegree breedng
beef suckler herd
young stock rearing units
fattening units
what is Estimated Breeding Values?
shows how much better or worst an animal is compared to the average
what is the max EBV?
what is the average?
max: 130
mean: 100
how do you calculate the EBV?
EBV of Sire + EBV of Dam
what is the diet of spring calves and autumn calves?
spring: grass
autumn: conserved forages
how much weight do spring and autumn calves loose in winter?
spring: 0.5Kg/ day
autum: 0.25Kg/day
what should growing beef animals eat most of?
grass silage - should have lots of proteins for growing bones/ muscles
what should finishing beef eat most of?
maize silage - for fattening
what is the target % baron cows?
5%
when do you aim to slaughter?
under 30 months
what are the main feeding phases in beef cattle?
35 days background - transport stress recovery
35 day transition
60 day growth
60 day finishing
what causes yellow pigment in meat?
carotenoid in green forage
what causes whiter fat
cereal diet?
which type of meat has a longer shelf life?
grass fed has more antioxidants so has a longer shelf life.
how is carcase graded?
SEUROP
superior
excellent
very good
good
fair
poor
how is fat graded?
1-5
3/4 is good
how is carcase cleanliness assessed?
clean + dry
slighlty dirty
dirty
very dirty
filthy + wet
what are visible injection sites called?
injection Knots
what is an infected injection site?
Abscess
where are subcutaneous injections given?
under neck and ribs (not prime beef)
where are intramuscular injections given?
over hip
osus
quadriceps
middle third (avoiding cervical vertebrae)
what do you vaccinate against?
Colostridial diseases (bacteria that pass through soil)
BVD
Leptospirosis
IBR
what are the benefits of castration
easier to handle
better growth rate
better feed conversion
better carcass quality
how old for rubber ring castration?
under 1 week
what is the device used for rubber ring castrator?
elastrator/ burdizzo
how would you castrate an older calf?
using an emasculator to crush the spermatic cord
how would you disbud a calf under 1 week old
chemical cauterisation (inject paste to stop horn from growing)
what is the oldest the calf can be for disbudding, and how?
2 months (use anaesthetic)
use a hot iron
what occurs in a young stock rearing unit
calves come from the dairy sector
and raise until ready to get sent to fattening
what occurs in a fattening unit?
take herds from suckler and rearing units and fatten them up for slaughter
background 35 day
transition 35 day
growing 60 day
finishing 60 day
what is the purpose of beef suckler herd
breed calves for slaughter or breeding
weaned at 5 to 9 months
