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Animal Management Y1 > Bovine > Flashcards

Bovine Flashcards

1
Q

Discuss housing for calves.

A

Pros and cons to every method but tries to optimise ventilation, temperature, access to food and water, drainage and ease of cleaning.

Can be kept in groups, which is more sociable for these herd animals and so is less stressful and they will have better immunity.
Some will be isolated for more disease control and so farmers know what is happening with each individual.

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2
Q

What are the milk requirements of claves?

A

Milk is the principle food. If they were allowed constant access to mother, they would drink up to 6-8 times a day. Farmers sell dam’s milk so calves are separated and fed fresh whole discarded milk or milk replacer, which must be made to exact manufacturer’s instructions on temperature, concentration with maximum hygiene. Fed 2-2.5 litres from 3 days old and 4 litres by 6-8 weeks.

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3
Q

Describe milk replacement feeding systems.

A

All milk and water descends down the oesophagus and enters abomasum directly, as an oesophageal groove closes and restricts fluid entering other stomachs. For this to happen optimally, calves must be fed at normal height and from a teat. The abomasum secretes enzyme called rennin, which curdles milk into a solid ball called the abomasum brick, released over time.

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4
Q

What is the growth rate of dairy and beef calves?

A

Dairy calves = 0.7 kg a day

Beef calves = 1.2-1.4 kg a day, as they can feed ad lib from their mothers

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5
Q

What are the nutritional requirements of calves?

A
  • Milk
  • Water provided from birth
  • Creep feed with concentrate pellets from week 1 and can be weaned at 1.25 kg of concentrate a day at 6-8 weeks
  • Forage provided so calves can browse at a few days old, as this enters the oesophageal groove and developing rumen, adds microbes and scratches internal rumen surface to promote mixing and muscle contraction.
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6
Q

Outline legal requirements of identification and registration of cattle.

A

1 tag must be placed by the first 36 hours of life and 2 tags must be placed by 20 days old.

Cattle passports contain age, breed and date of birth, but not information about medications (horses do). Tags have herd and individual’s information.

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7
Q

Describe the process of disbudding.

A
  1. Restrain calf and feel for buds by backing into a corner and manipulating head round.
  2. Administer anti-inflammatory via simple subcutaneous injection at skin tent in the shoulder.
  3. Administer anaesthetic
  4. Wait 5 minutes to heat irons so that they burn a piece of straw instantly.
  5. Place irons on bud for 2-3 seconds and rotate 360 degrees to burn all growth tissue.
  6. Apply antibiotic spray.
  7. Monitor for 24-48 hours for any signs of infection.
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8
Q

Describe the different castration options.

A
  • Rubber ring can be placed on top of scrotum up to a week old
  • Crush spermatic chord with an instrument
  • Surgical castration. Over 2 months, must be anaesthetised and done by vet.
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9
Q

Describe UK veal production.

A
  • Prohibition of veal crates in 1990
  • Calves milk fed usually ad lib
  • Fibre roughage and iron in diet
  • Group housed on straw
  • Can be finished at 6-7 months at 300 kg on milk replacer or 10 months at 400 kg on high starch diet to promote muscle growth
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10
Q

Describe intensive rearing systems.

A
  • Finished at 12-14 months
  • More concentrate feed conversion and daily weight gain
  • Higher food cost but lower feed requirement due to finishing earliest
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11
Q

Describe semi-intensive rearing systems.

A
  • Finished at 15-20 months
  • Usually a final finishing period with concentrate feed
  • Medium feed conversion, feed cost and requirement
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12
Q

Describe extensive rearing systems.

A
  • Finished at more than 20 months
  • Fed all grass and stored forage
  • Low feed conversion and daily weight gain
  • Low feeding cost but high requirement, as finished the lowest
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13
Q

Which rearing system is used in late maturing?

A
  • Faster growing
  • Can be grown to heavier weight before laying down fat tissue
  • Intensive systems
  • Bulls of Holstein and Friesian and continental breeds
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14
Q

Which cows are reared in semi-intensive systems?

A

Bullocks and heifers of Holstein and Friesian and continental breeds.

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15
Q

What rearing system is used in early maturing?

A
  • Grow slowly and deposit fat at lower body weight
  • Extensive system
  • Typically females of tradition breeds
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16
Q

How are dairy heifers reared?

A

Weight determines when cow hits puberty, not age, so at 40% of body weight/ 0.7-0.8 kg a day without getting fat. Growth rate slowed at puberty.

Fertility increases up to 3rd oestrus cycle after puberty. Get in calf at 15/16 months and calve at 24 months.

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17
Q

Describe a year in a dairy cow’s life.

A

Calving > 85 days to get back in calf > 280-285 day gestation period > peak milk yield at 5-6 weeks > produce milk for 305 days > dry for 60 days

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18
Q

Identify key health conditions in growing cattle.

A

Pneumonia - common at birth and in housing. Well ventilate, keep bedding and feed clean and dry, avoid sharing space with older cattle.

Lungworm - regular parasite control

Scour - common at birth, casing problems with milk replacer. Viruses, bacteria or parasites.

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19
Q

What are the colostrum requirements of calves?

A

Colostrum is essential, as it has nutrients and antibodies for immunity.

3 litres or 10% of body weight at 38 degrees Celsius.

Collected as soon as possible after calving, as quality decreases as time goes on. Calves must be given colostrum legally within 6 hours of life but should be given within 2 hours.

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20
Q

Discuss how beef cattle are finished.

A

At optimum body weight and condition, well muscles and a covering of fat.

Via livestock market or abbatoir. Farmers paid on 3 principles:

  • Weight: usable parts of carcass deducted from liveweight gives the killing out percentage
  • Fat class - marketed at 15-20% fat
  • Conformation - genetically determined
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21
Q

What is the beef carcass classification scheme?

A

Fat measured on a scale of 1-5.
1 = lean
5 = very fat
4 and 5 have further low and high ratings

R4L is most common UK grade.

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22
Q

How are heifers prepared to join the milking herd?

A
  • House in cubicles during service period or pregnancy
  • Mix with adult dry cows
  • Introduce feed stuffs
  • Walk them through the parlour
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23
Q

What are the challenges of joining a dairy herd?

A

Parlour - getting used to milking, strange noises, being squished next to other cows, udder and teats being handled and clusters.

Collecting yard - packed in with unfamiliar cows, standing for a while, gates, people, can get bullied by other cows here.

Sleeping - cubicles and how to lie in them, tractors coming twice a day

Eating - how to find food, taste and metal work

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24
Q

What is the effect of challenges joining the dairy herd?

A
  • Stress impacts immune system, so risk of post-partum infections in udders and reproductive tracts.
  • Long periods of standing increase risk of lameness and ulcers
  • Trauma from bullying and poor use of cubicles
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25
Q

How are collecting yards designed and how can they affect welfare?

A
  • Can walk long distances/quickly at high risk of being lame
  • Standing for long periods of time can increase risk of being lame
  • Can keep cows away from food, water and lying areas
  • Backing gates used often, which aggressively push cows through, causing stress and so increased elimination in milking parlour
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26
Q

Describe the milking process.

A
  1. Foremilk in order to check for signs of clinical mastitis
  2. Pre-milking disinfectant teat dip
  3. Dry wipe teats
  4. Attach clusters
  5. Clusters removed by ACR (automatic cluster removal)
  6. Post-milking teat dip
  7. Leave parlour and leave teat canal to close
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27
Q

What is the composition of milk?

A 
4% butterfat
3.2% protein
4.8% lactose and other carbohydrates
Salts
Minerals
Vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, K and E
White blood cells 
Mammary gland cells and other gland cells
Bacteria 
Enzymes
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28
Q

How can collected milk be processed and sold?

A

Milk buyers and processors carry out bulk milk testing and pay farmers based on results.

Tests: somatic cell count, bactoscan, butterfat, protein, antibiotics, pesticides

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29
Q

what is milk tested for?

A 
Bovine virus diarrhoea
Brucellosis
Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis 
Johne's disease
Leptospirosis 
Liver fluke and worms
Pregnancy
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30
Q

What is mastitis?

A

Inflammation of udder. Often causes clotting in milk. Treated with intramammary antibiotics.

Can be continuous = staphylococcus aureus
Can be environmental = E.coli

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31
Q

How does milk yield change between peak lactation and drying off?

A

0.2-0.3% yield dropped per day

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32
Q

How does changing yield affect nutrition and energy demand?

A

Decreasing demands so lower energy density and dry matter intake.

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33
Q

Describe drying off period.

A

Towards end of lactation, yield decreases. Stopping milking creates a back pressure in udder and gradually secretion stops and milk is reabsorbed.

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34
Q

What are the benefits of spring calving suckler cows?

A
  • May be able to calve outside, which tends to be cleaner.
  • Peak milk production matched with grass growth for nutrition
  • Can sell calves “off the cow” at housing
  • Dry cows have lower energy demands so winter feeding adults is cheaper
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35
Q

What are the benefits of autumn calving suckler cows?

A
  • Close supervision of calving in service period in housing and can tell if bull isn’t working
  • Weaning at pasture is easier as claves can be potentially transported to grazing out of earshot
  • Claves benefit from grass growth at weaning
36
Q

How is the cluster attached?

A

Blue band = do not milk back teat on that side
Yellow band = do not milk front teat on that side
Red band = do not milk any quarter, as cow is on antibiotics

Fore milk > pre-dip > dry wipe > vacuum turned on cluster > cluster attached

37
Q

How is post-milking teat dip applied?

A

Spray with dip to keep dirt and bacteria out of teats. Cow stands and leaves parlour to allow teats to close up.

38
Q

What is the California Milk Test?

A

Tests somatic cell count. Cows with high SCC likely have mastitis.

39
Q

How is a California Milk Test carried out?

A
  1. Strip cow
  2. Pre-dip for 20 seconds contact
  3. wipe off pre-dip
  4. Put on clean gloves to reduce contamination
  5. Take cotton wool ball and quirt alcohol on it and scrub teat end
  6. Repeat until cotton wool comes back clean
  7. Hold sterile pot upside down to reduce contamination and then squirt 1 stream of milk into pot
  8. Put top on and label with cow number and quarter milked
  9. CMT paddle has 4 wells, one for each teat
  10. Discard first few milk squirts of foremilk and collect 2-3 squirts from each quarter into separate well
  11. Discard extra milk on tray and add equal volume of reagent to each
  12. Gently swirl milk and look for gel reaction = HSCC
40
Q

Demonstrate sterile teat preparation.

A
  1. Dip/spray teat with disinfectant pre-dip with 30 seconds contact time
  2. Discard 3-4 squirts of foremilk
  3. Apply surgical spirit to cotton wool swab and disinfect teat thoroughly, working from centre outwards
  4. Discard 3-4 squirts of milk in stripping it
  5. Disinfect teat and again with clean surgical spirit swab, from centre outwards
  6. Leave to dry and do not touch again to reduce contamination
41
Q

How is a sterile milk sample collected?

A
  1. Remove pot lid and place in palm of hand with lid facing outwards
  2. Strip milk into pot by holding pot as horizontally as possible to reduce contamination
  3. Replace pot lid immediately to reduce contamination
  4. Dip teat with post-milking teat solution
  5. Label sample pot with cow ID, the date and quarter milked
42
Q

How is a halter put on a calf to restrain it?

A
  1. Orientate the halter
  2. Longer loop placed over ears
  3. Short immovable section goes over nose
  4. Adjustable loop goes under chin. Halter can be tightened/loosened by sliding loop closer/further from head
  5. Tie up calf with a quick release knot
43
Q

Describe how to determine a calf’s sex.

A

Males - lift tail, only anus present. Palpate scrotum between legs. From the side, the prepuce can be seen and palpated (do not confuse with navel).

Females - lift tail, a vulva present beneath anus. No prepuce or testes present. (Navel can be confused with prepuce.)

44
Q

How can a calf be restrained (before halter)?

A

Backed into corner or edge of fence. Place one leg in front of front limbs and place other leg in front of hind limbs. Gently hold head or neck.

45
Q

Describe the process of casting a cow.

A
  1. Stand to the left and pass short end of rope over the dorsal aspect of neck and let it fall to the right side. Collect short end from under the neck.
  2. Secure loop around neck with a bowline knot.
  3. Move knot dorsally and extend rope along neck towards withers.
  4. Ask assistant to stand on right side and pass rope over the withers.
  5. Assistant passes rope under cow behind front limbs, holding rope at withers with other hand and collect rope.
  6. Pass long end under rope section at withers and tighten.
  7. Pass rope dorsally to just cranial of the tuber coxae and pass to assistant.
  8. Assistant passes rope under cow in front of udder.
  9. Collect with 1 hand and hold rope on back with other.
  10. Bring long end of rope under shorter end on back and tighten.
  11. Check knots are in correct positions. Can stand behind cow and pull rope end to cast cow.
46
Q

How is Bowline knot tied?

A

Make loop in longer end and pass shorter end through. Pass shorter end under longer end and then back round through this loop just created, then tighten.

47
Q

State intramuscular injections sites in cows.

A 
Neck muscles 
Triceps
Quadriceps 
Gluteals 
Semimembranosus/semitendinosus

Needle at 90 degrees to skin surface

48
Q

Where are buds on calves and what injection used for disbudding?

A

Found on head between ears.

Subcutaneous injection, tenting skin behind shoulder

49
Q

How are cattle body condition scored?

A

Scale of 1-5, where 1 is extremely thin and 5 is extremely fat.

1: tail head is deep cavity with no fatty underlay, rough coat, prominent spine, sharp horizontal processes, ribs sharp with no fat cover.
2: shallow cavity and tail head with some fat underlay, horizontal processes can be identified individually with rounded ends, ribs feel rounded but can be identified.
3: pelvis felt with firm pressure but has fat covering, skin smooth, horizontal processes only felt with pressure, only slight loin depression, ribs can be felt with firm pressure.
4: tail head cavity completely filled, cannot feel processes, rounded appearance, folds of fat developing over ribs.
5: no noticeable bone structure, tail head buried in fat tissue, pelvis impalpable, ribs covered in thick, fat layer.

50
Q

How is calf weight estimated?

A

Weigh tape applied around chest behind elbows. The reading is the weight estimate.

51
Q

Which factors determine which cows are chosen for breeding?

A
  • Growth rate
  • Food conversion efficiency
  • Milk protein and butterfat content
  • Udder conformation
  • Leg conformation
  • Muscle conformation
  • Aesthetics
52
Q

When do most farms aim to have heifers in calf and what does this require?

A

Most farms aim to calve their heifer at 2 years of age. This requires very good heifer management. It needs the heifer to get in calf at 14 months of age.

53
Q

When does puberty occur in heifers?

A

Weight determines puberty. Puberty occurs at 40% of adult body weight, so this needs to have happened in good time before service. To achieve this, a growth rate of 0.7-0.8 kg per day to service is required.
To tell if a heifer is well enough grown for service, measure the withers to predict body weight.

54
Q

What are the advantages of artificial insemination?

A
  • Transport of semen is easier than transporting an animal
  • Semen can be preserved for a long time period (days to weeks, depending on the preservation method
  • Enables the farmer to have more choice over the genetics
  • Fertilisation more likely than natural service
  • Decreases risk of injury
  • Better control over introduced disease
  • Less inbreeding chances
  • No risk of aggressive bull incidents
55
Q

What are the disadvantages of artificial insemination?

A
  • Not effective in all species, such as sheep
  • Sometimes will affect the speed at which the spermatozoa travel in the female reproductive tract
  • Semen needs to be stored very carefully to ensure it is still viable by the time it is used in AI. An extender needs to be used and there is opportunity for stages to go wrong or damage during transport
  • Expensive
  • More labour
  • If untested bulls are used, there may be unknown genetic problems, which may then be passed on to many in AI
  • Relies on farmer detecting heat
  • Only as good as the inseminator
56
Q

What are the advantages of natural services?

A
  • Good pregnancy rates
  • Females tend to more sexually receptive in the presence of a sexual active male
  • Less expensive
  • Optimum heat detection efficiency and will serve when cow is ready and multiple times
  • Low labour
57
Q

What are the disadvantages of natural service?

A
  • Can put the male at risk and the heifer at risk
  • Introduce disease
  • Dairy bulls can also be a danger on the farm to the farmer
  • Less choice of genetics as restricted to bulls on farm or nearby
  • Significant cost
58
Q

What are the secondary signs of oestrus?

A

Secondary signs shown when a cow is coming into heat but has not yet been served.

  • Restlessness
  • Increased activity
  • Chin rubbing
  • Mounting others
  • Vocalisation and bellowing
  • Standard to be mounted
  • “Bulling string” – clear mucus from the vagina
  • Hangs around the bull
59
Q

What are primary signs of oestrus in cows?

A

Primary signs shown when a cow is truly in oetsrus and is ready to be served.

  • The only fully reliable sign is that they will stand to be mounted – this case, serve her 12 hours later for the best chance of insemination.
  • She may call a lot
  • She may walk around appearing to be very restless
  • She may display a bulling string of mucus from the vulva
60
Q

How is heat detected with aids?

A

The bull is most reliable at picking up when a heifer is in heat from pheromone indicators.

Ideally the farmer/inseminator will watch the cows a lot to identify animals in heat. Farmer should watch his cows for at least 20 minutes, 3 times a day at regular intervals even if artificial aids are used.

61
Q

State and describe 6 heat detection aids.

A
  • Pedometers measure the movements or steps that the cow takes, as a cow in oestrous will likely show a peak in activity. Other activity monitors to detect for heat can be worn as collars.
  • KAMARs are a capsule of paint stick to tail head for a colour change when the cow is mounted.
  • Stickers/scratch cards can be attached to the heifers tailheads which, when rubbed, show a difference in colour.
  • Tail paint can be applied an dis rubbed off when the cow Is mounted.
  • Look for rub marks on the hindlimbs.
  • Can use teaser/vasectomised bulls as
62
Q

When should cows be served?

A

Ovulations occurs 12 hours after oestrus signs begin. This is the ideal time to serve by AI. Holsteins may not show oestrus for very long, possibly only 1-2 hour in some so is easily missed.

63
Q

State 4 health risks associated with calving.

A
  • Dystocia = difficult calving
  • Trauma from calving – bruising and tearing of the vulva and surrounding tissues
  • Metritis – introduction of infection into the uterus
  • Retained placenta
64
Q

What happens to the cow after calving?

A
  • Contractions continue to expel the placenta, usually in a couple of hours
  • Bonding occurs from the first licks and throughout their time together
  • Start to produce colostrum
  • Milk not for human consumption for at least 3 days
  • Foetal membranes passed in first 24 hours
  • Lochia (foetal/placental remnants) passed in first 2 weeks
  • Uterus contracts down, reduces in size
  • Full involution of the uterus and return to cycling should have occurred by 42 days
65
Q

What is the broad ligament?

A

Broad ligament is a wide fold of peritoneum that attaches the uterine horns and uterine body to the pelvis.

66
Q

What are the intercornual ligaments?

A

Intercornual ligaments are located at the point of bifurcation between the uterine horns. Dorsal intercornual ligament is smaller and thinner and ventral intercornual ligament is larger and thicker.

67
Q

What is the approximate size of a suspected inactive ovary?

A

2cm x 1.5cm x 1.5cm or less

68
Q

What is the approximate size of an ovary with follicle or corpus luteum?

A

2-4cm x 2-3cm x 2-3cm

Corpus luteum are typically larger than follicles.

69
Q

What is the approximate size of cysts?

A

Follicles over 2cm in diameter

70
Q

Describe the bovine cervix.

A

Has an irregular and cylindrical structure. (Sometimes displaced laterally by the bladder.)

In the non-pregnant cow, the cervix is freely mobile. Cervix becomes enlarged and less mobile in pregnancy. Changes with age and parity of cow. Approximately 5-12 cm length and 2-6cm diameter. Minimal change in the cervix between the stages of the oestrous cycle.

71
Q

What is the palpable description of a bovine follicle?

A
  • Increase in ovarian size, without an obvious protuberance from the ovarian surface
  • Fluid-filled compressible pockets can be felt
  • A follicle is normally 2 cm at ovulation
72
Q

What is the palpable description of a bovine corpus luteum?

A
  • Significant increase in ovarian size, normally larger than follicles, a mature corpus luteum is around 2.5-3 cm.
  • Cottage-loaf shape, protruding from the ovarian surface.
  • Protuberance is solid in structure and therefor less compressible to palpate than follicles.
73
Q

What is the palpable description of inactive/acyclic ovaries?

A
  • Small solid ovary size (should be less than 2cm wide by 1.5cm in height and depth)
  • Smooth surface with no obvious protuberance from the ovarian surface or compressible fluid-filled pockets.
74
Q

What are the 2 types of cystic ovaries?

A

Follicular and luteal

75
Q

Describe follicular cysts.

A
  • Thin walled cysts
  • A follicle that has failed to ovulate/anovulation
  • May be as the ovary fails to respond to LH or LH is not released.
  • This follicle persist while growing in size
  • The follicle may initially produce oestrogen, preventing growth of other follicles
  • It will then become inactive but can persist for weeks as the dominant ovarian structure
76
Q

What is the palpable description of a follicular cyst?

A
  • Usually 1, but occasionally both the ovaries are large in size
  • A follicle (fluid-filled compressible pocket) over 2.5 cm in diameter is a suspected follicular cyst
77
Q

Describe luteal cysts.

A
  • Thick walled cysts
  • A follicle which fails to ovulate/anovulation
  • This follicle becomes atretic to create luteal tissue
  • The luteal cyst persists to grow in size, whilst secreting high levels of progesterone.
78
Q

What is the palpable description of luteal cysts?

A
  • The ovary is large in size

- Can be confirmed using milk or blood progesterone assays, due to the persisting progesterone concentration

79
Q

Describe bovine pregnancy at 4 weeks.

A

At 4 weeks, can feel no changes in manual palpation. Normal uterus with detachable ovaries model.

80
Q

Describe bovine pregnancy at 6 and a half weeks.

A

At 6 and a half weeks, swelling may be felt in the pregnant horn and the amniotic vesicle may be palpable, but placentomes cannot be felt.

81
Q

Describe bovine pregnancy at 8 weeks.

A

At 8 weeks, pregnant horn is now the size of a half-filled water balloon. Should be able to feel a difference in the swelling of the pregnant horn compared to the non-pregnant horn. No placentomes can be felt. Foetus should be the size of a mouse but should not be felt.

82
Q

Describe bovine pregnancy at 10 weeks.

A

At 10 weeks, fluid can be felt in both horns. Bifurcation is around the level of the pelvic brim. Entire uterus should be the size of a filled water balloon. No placentomes can be felt. Golf-ball sized foetus should not be felt.

83
Q

Describe bovine pregnancy at 12 weeks.

A

At 12 weeks, uterus usually lies beyond the pelvic brim and ovaries may be out of reach. Placentomes starting to become palpable (like peas when gently sweep hand over uterus). Foetus is rat-sized.

84
Q

Describe bovine late pregnancy.

A

Uterus is fully palpable and contains large volume of fluid.
Placentomes are large. Gently pat uterus at the bifurcation to feel the foetus, which is the size of a small cat but with no obvious discernible features. Weight of foetus drags uterus down beyond the reach of the ultrasound probe so ultrasonography is limited during these later stages.

85
Q

How is the stage of pregnancy estimated by placentome size?

A

4 months = 2.8 cm, size of a small cat

5 months = 3 cm, cannot feel foetus

6 months = 5 cm, can feel head

7 months = 6 cm, can feel head and forelimbs

86
Q

How is pregnancy diagnosed using membrane slip?

A
  1. Gently grasp the uterine horns proximally towards the point of bifurcation between thumb and forefinger.
  2. Squeeze together, but allowing the horn to gradually slip through your thumb and forefinger.
  3. If you can feel a thin structure being released from grasp, before the thick uterine horn passes through thumb and forefinger, this indicates pregnancy. Structure is the fetal membrane, the allantochorion.

Animal Management Y1 (10 decks)

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