cattle Flashcards
breeds
several are found in North America
dual purpose
bread for milk and meat
pedigree
has written record of animals ancestral background
purebred
offspring of 2 purebred
breed
genetically similar in colour ans confirmation
crossbred
offspring from 2 different breeds
dairy cattle
angular body, many skeletal structures exposed through her hide, long legs, slender neck
dairy anatomy
large abdomen, udder is large, attached high and wide, 4 teats placed equally
dairy common breeds
ayreshire, brown swiss, guernsey, holstein-frisian (most popular), jersey
beef cattle
rectangular in stature, very few skeletal structures revealed, shorter legs, shorter, fleshly neck
beef anatomy
dewlap, loose skin that covers the brisket and portion of the neck. Poll is the top of the cows head between the ears
beef common breeds
angus, hereford, polled hereford
bull
mature male
cow
mature female
calf
young, under 1yr
yearling
approx 1yr
steer
male castrated at young age
stag
male castrated after maturity
heifer
female old enough to be bred, but not yet calved
dairy housing
several types, free stall (not confined), loose or pen-type (1 lrg open pen), stachion (restrained and confined)
beef housing
confinement (more costly&labour intensive-not practical), open range (hunt for food on unimproved land), pasture (graze on land)
feeding
ruminant herbivores- stomach compartments rumen, reticulum, omasum, abomasum
chewing cud- rumunation
bolus ball of regurgitated food from the stomach (rumen). Chew cud over and over until all fibrous roughage is broken down
rumen
first and largest compartment of the ruminant stomach
reticulum
surface looks like a honeycomb. Traps foreign objects such as nails, wire and stones
omasum
mixes and grinds food. lrg quantities of water absorbed.
abomasum
“true stomach” ingesta is mixed with gastric juices, and digestion takes place here
cattle eat
beef and dairy eat lrg quantities of roughage, by grazing on pasture or silage (feed from corn or plants)
beef calf eats
weaned around 6 mos, up to 1yr graze on pasture, 15 mos supplements are added
dairy cattle eat
according to the amount of milk they produce
handling a bull
with caution, cannot be trusted ever
restraint
ring (placed through septum of bulls nose, squeeze chute (so procedures can be performed, hobbles (restrains hind legs when milk is taken), handling system (corrals, pens etc)
branding
branded on their rump
ear tags
metal and plastic are used
tattoos
dairy normally identified by the use of ear tags, tattoos, and neck chains with ID tags
dehorning
almost all dairy are for animal safety and humans, should be done as early as possible
castration
usually done on bulls less than 3 mos to minimize stress
breeding dairy
want to have a calf every year
breeding
cow does not reach full milk potential until she is 6 yrs. Almost all bull dairy calves are used for veal production
estrus
every 21 days
gestation
280 days
beef breeding
natural services are used with bull
dairy breeding
almost exclusively by artificial
birth
calf should be rubbed vigorously with a burlap bag or towel to get the circulatory system functioning. position forelegs and head first.
dry
dairy cow not lactating for last 60 days of gestation
open
cow that is not pregnant
bred
cow that has been mated and is pregant
fertile
able to produce at regular intervals
how often a cow is milked
purpose is for milk, 305 days/yr twice a day
cow mammary glands are called
quarters
before the cow is milked
udder is washed, each teat is tested by squirting a few squirts into a cup
squirts of milk are examined for
flaked, sloughed cells and blood… if present most likely is mastitis
how long the cow is milked
milking machine is placed on the animal and is milked for about 5 minutes
pasteurizing milk
the process of heating to kill the pathogenic organisms
milk solids
component of milk after all the water is removed
whole milk
milk secreted from the cow without anything removed
skim milk
whole milk that has had butterfat removed
important factors for preventive care
appropriate deworming, adhere to milk withdraw times and preslaughter times. feed additives, tuberculosis testing, mastitis testing done regularly, vaccinations and immunizations
common diseases and conditions
bloat, ketosis, pink eye, ringworm, warts, lymphosarcoma, abomasal ulcers, hardware disease, muscle disease