Bovine Husbandry

Question 1

water should be available at __ times

Answer 1

ALL

Question 2

what are the major contaminants of water?

Answer 2

blue-green algae
sulfur
fecal contamination

Question 3

Hay should be stored __ the ground and __ to avoid mold

Answer 3

off, covered

Question 4

haylage has __ dry matter loss than hay and needs to be __ to allow fermentation which __ the pH and preserves the feed

Answer 4

less, wrapped, lowers

Question 5

what are two ways you can feed hay/haylage bales?

Answer 5

round bale feeders or rolling out the hay

Question 6

HAY is ___ used for _____while STRAW is a __ used for ___

Answer 6

grass, feed

stalk, bedding

Question 7

Straw contains more __ and __ than hay and is round which provides __

Answer 7

cellulose, lignin, insulation

Question 8

how much NaCl should be in mineral provided to cows? what should be avoided?

Answer 8

18-24% is a good amount of mineral, you should avoid mineral blocks as they are 95% salt and won’t have enough of the actual mineral (salt is just to get them to like it)

Question 9

the majority of lactating dairy cows are fed a __ which is = __

Answer 9

TMR, haylage, grain pellet, vitamins/minerals, soybeans

Question 10

what is the best evaluation of cows nutritional status and energy reserves?

Answer 10

BCS, ideal is 5 or 6 on 9 pt scale

Question 11

basic components of facilities

Answer 11

pens
tub or crowding pen
alley way
chute
head catch
loading chute

Question 12

how many days does the beef cow have to get pregnant?

Answer 12

82 days

Question 13

beef cattle are typically bred by __ while dairy cattle are bred by __

Answer 13

live cover, AI

Question 14

breeding is limited to __ in beef cattle and cows not conceiving in this time are culled or moved to the next breeding system

Answer 14

45-120 days

Question 15

benefits of a defined breeding season

Answer 15

• defined calving season makes a more uniform calf crop
• matching breeding and calving seasons to optimize resources
• implement more efficient and timely herd health of cow and calf (nutritional, vx, deworm, implants)

Question 16

why is the breeding season for beef cattle 65 days?

Answer 16

one breeding has a 60-70% success rate so a 65 day breeding season allows for ~ breedings with 94-97% total pregnancy

Question 17

T/F: a longer breeding season will give cows a better chance to get pregnant

Answer 17

F, more chances but does NOT improve reproductive efficiency of the herd

controlled calving season and culling open cows increases pregnancy rates and weaning weight

Question 18

what is the basic goal of the dairy cow?

Answer 18

produce 61lbs of milk a day
with a calving interval of 13.5 months

for this to happen about 10 cows need to be calving a month

Question 19

beef have __ from calving to the grocery store while dairy have __ from milking to the grocery store

Answer 19

26-34 months, 2-3 days

Question 20

whats the general life cycle flow at the dairy farm?

Answer 20

calving pack -> calf hutch -> grows up -> calving pack

calving pack -> cow to lactating barn ->