Bison Flashcards
why was elk industry decimated
CWD
2 sides of remaining cervid industry in SK
elk and white tailed deer
legislation on cervid production in sk
need licence as cervids are wild animals
bison history
native to NA
evolved to survive climate and prairie landscape
staple of aboriginal people and settlers
near extinction in the 1800s
bison top and bottom population
and now
60 million down to 1000
now around 450000
3 identities of bison
conservation (parks)
cultural (FN)
commercial (production, keeping the industry alive)
woods vs plains bison
woods has more hump, tail and head more furry
genomic tools for bison
parentage testing
plains/woods composition testing
cattle introgression measurement
current average and spread of cattle introgression in bison
0-4.5 %
avg 0.8%
provinces with most bison
alberta and sk
grading parameters of bison
maturity
muscling
fat
meat colour
___-___% of live bison are exported to USA
60-80%
bison bull live weight
1140lb
bison heifer live weight
900-1000lb
3 slaughter inspection levels
federal standard (only way to sell out of province)
provincial domestic meat inspection program
provincial sk health authority (regional) (no meat inspection
is bison under mandatory inspection in the USA
no (non amenable species)
2024 avg $/lb bison
4,612$
bison and CCIa tags
required for transportation, identification, and meat inspection
2 main reasons why bison die
infectious disease and trauma
% death to infectious disease in <1yr
66.7%
% death to infectious disease in yearlings and adults
44.2%
4 diseases of concern in bison
mycoplasma bovis
malignant catarrhal fever (from sheep)
johnes disease
parasites
drugs in bison
all off lable use
parasite control methods
invermectin or fenbendazole
bison digestive physiology type
grazer
characteristics of grazer type
large rumen
larger retention time
feed few times per day
capable of handling low quality fibrous feeds
characteristics of concentrate selectors
smaller rumen
higher feeding frequency
higher passage rate
choose higher quality of feed
factors affecting feed intake
season/daylength
age/sex/production/BCS
forage quality
summer hormone trends
long days
low melatonin
high prolactin
low GH
seasonal DMI trend for cattle and bison
bison: drop in winter
cattle: similar DMI but digestibility gets worse
high fiber forage cascade in deer
high fiber - less time in digestive tract - lower nutrient absorption level - starvation
digestibility % trend seasonality
digestibility decreases in the winter in all species
time in digestive tract of 50% TDN grass hay in bison
78hr
held longer to increase digestive capacity
cervids in summer on high and low quality feed
high: rapid complete digestion, weight gain
low: no weight gain or production
cervids in winter on high and low quality feed
high: maintain weight
low: moderate weight loss in small particles, advanced weight loss with large particles
bovine summer on low and high quality feed
high: weight gain and production
low: inhibited production
bovine winter on high and low quality feed
high: maintain weight
low: potential loss with small particles, advanced loss with larger particels
female weight change trend
low at calving
slow increase to breeding
increase for winter
decrease through winter into calving
seasonal activities
spring-calving
summer- growth and lactation
fall- breeding and preparedness for winter
winter- winter hibernation
factors affecting nutrient requirements (8)
digestive system
environment
pelage
fat deposition
age
size
stage or production
BCS
consideration for feeding mineral
need to be out in the open with sufficient room
DMI bison summer and winter
summer is 1.4-1.8%
winter is 2.2-3.5%
when does seasonal weight loss begin in bison
after puberty
spring compensatory gain
animal will gain back what they lost over the winter. not worth keeping weight up over winter unless feed cost is pretty low because of this. just let em do their thing
when do bison feel the cold
-30
bison HR and RR compared to cattle
lower HR and RR
bison fiber diameter
finer than cattle making it softer
benefits of thick hair and hide
resistant to ticks and biting flies
wallowing/ dustbathing
cattlebird interaction (scratching)
what types of forages do bison outperform cattle on digestibility
grasses and sedges
bison production cycle
breed july
calve may
acceptable female weight loss in winter
10% BW
flushing methods for bison
rotate onto new pasture
concentrates- oats
forages with high TDN
risk of breeding too young
target breeding is at 2 yrs old
if you do on 1yr they will skip yr 2
weaning time of year
jan/feb
risk factors of overfeeding grain
rumen acidosis
liver abscess
sore feet
decreased breeding lifespan
feed formulation for 18-24 months old
heavy reliance of forages
supplement energy based on BCS
how often do bison water
1x per day
mineral of concern in bison
dose
copper
maybe 15-25 mg/kg /d
3 bison advantages
reduced feed intake in winter to save costs
lower critical temperature (-31)
minimal calving assistance as long as fat is not built up in birth canal
castration of bison bulls
not done
bison feed conversion
12:1
bison ADG
1.7-1.9lb/d
ADG and FC tanks at d ____
170
dry lot size for bison
2x cattle
concentrate level for finishing ration
50-70%
bison step up program
1-3 steps
no change in protein
2 energy steps
problem with finishing bison
large variability in rumen pH leading to issues with consistent feed intake
feeding bison heifer
smaller carcass and meat cuts
66% dressing weight
finish sooner with more back fat than bulls
