Beef - Slides 4 Flashcards
The main objective in suckler beef grassland management is to
Maximise animal performance throughout the grazing season
For optimal grass quality, grazing should be managed to keep residuals at:
3.5-4cm
A common practice to avoid poaching is to:
House animals when soil conditions are wet
Stocking rates for cows and calves in an intensive spring-calving system during April-June are
approximately
0.2 ha per cow and calf
The main reasons for conserving grass as silage include
Facilitating nutrients recycling and winter feed provision
The purpose of grazing tightly in spring is to
Promote leafy regrowth and prevent stemmy growth
A target digestibility for silage for spring-calving suckler cows is
65-67%
Creep grazing helps in
reducing calf stress levels at weaning
The target weight for male calves at 7 months is
320kg
Weaning should ideally occur when the calf is at least
7 months old
Creep feeding aims to
Increase weight gain in calves before weaning
The primary cause of grass tetany in cows is
Low blood magnesium levels
The suggested magnesium intake for lactating cows to prevent grass tetany is around:
20g/day
Which of the following is NOT a typical stressor at weaning?
Increase in grass intake
To prevent stress at weaning, it is advisable to:
Use gradual weaning techniques
The ideal residual height for grazing paddocks to maintain quality is
4-5cm
The first nitrogen fertilizer application in early spring is recommended at:
50kg/ha
What is one key purpose of creep grazing?
Allow calves access to better quality grass
Ideal daily weight gain for suckler calves is around
1.1-1.2 kg/day
The protein requirement in grass silage for growing weanlings should be around:
18%
Meal feeding calves prior to weaning should start
4 week before weaning
A target body condition score for cows at weaning is
3.0
To minimize stress, weaning should ideally be done in
Gradual stages
The aim of creep feeding is to
Improve calf weight gain
The immediate response of weight gain to creep meal feeding is
0.25 kg/ha
A common consequence of stress during abrupt weaning is
220kg
Weaning in a field setup with gradual removal of cows aims to
lessen stress on calves
What is the primary objective of the DAFF Suckler Cow Welfare Scheme’s weaning procedure?
Improve immunity and reduce stress
An advantage of fence-line weaning compared to abrupt weaning is
Fewer signs of distress in calves
One advantage of using creep grazing for weaning calves is
Calves become accustomed to high-quality grass
During weaning, calves should receive meal supplementation for
4 weeks before and 2 weeks after weaning
Which weaning method is known for causing fewer stress behaviours in calves?
Gradual Seperation
A major physiological effect of stress on weaning calves is
impaired immune response
According to the Teagasc Grange trial, abrupt weaning leads to
Adverse effects of immune response
The best time to give a booster vaccine to calves before weaning is
2-3 weeks before weaning
One benefit of early creep feeding is that it
Enhances the calves digestive adaption to solids
At what point should calves be prevented from suckling during the Teagasc Grange Trial’s “sham weaning”?
By 9 months old
