Cow-Calf Production

Question 1

Production medicine places an emphasis on disease and production problems that impair _____, rather than clinical disease.

Answer 1

Productivity

Question 2

As a food animal production vet, one of the most important things to do to achieve optimum health and production is to ____

Answer 2

have regularly scheduled visits and provide records with production levels, costs and costs and returns of managmenet recommendations

Question 3

Four steps in appraoch to production medicine

Answer 3

1. Identify problems/set goals
2. Develop approach/identify measurable parameters
3. Implement, observe, and measure
4. Analyze and amend approach
5. Back to #1

*the more times you go around this circle, the mroe difficult it is to make smaller gains, but will provide great long-term benefits.

Question 4

A vet should visit a feedlot or backgrounder how often?

Answer 4

Weekly to monthly

Question 5

A vet should visit cow/calf productions how often?

Answer 5

Qaurterly, or at least semi-annually

Question 6

What to monitor and keep records of:

Answer 6

• Reproductive performance - days open, preg. rate by 21 day periods
• Production performance
  
  • Weaning weight (day 205)
  • Average daily gain (ADG)
• Nutritional status - BCS, weight gain, ration analysis
• Disease occurence - morbidity, mortality, tx response
• Discuss - production levels (actual and target), intervention strategies

Question 7

You cannot manage what you do not ____. And you cannot measure what your client does not _____ about.

Answer 7

Measure; care

Question 8

Philosphy - what is the most important thing at the bottom of the pyramid that a farmer needs to focus on before he can move on to other goals

Answer 8

Animal health, followed by production, then genetics

Question 9

This type of cow/calf production cycle provides seedstock to others (bulls and heifers) and usually develop cows until breeding age.

Answer 9

Purebred

Question 10

This type of cow/calf production cycle raises calves for beef production and usually sells calves after weaning.

Answer 10

Commercial

Question 11

Two important vet visits during the year are:

Answer 11

Pre-breeding visit and pregnancy exam visit

Question 12

What is done and recorded during hte pre-breeding vet visit:

Answer 12

Vaccines, breeding soudness, heifer pre-breeding exam

Record weights, BCS, RTS, pelvic measurements

Overall, prebreeding visit addresses the general herd health.

Question 13

Things that are done during the pregnancy exam visit:

Answer 13

• Records -
  
  • # of cows pregnant, and open
  • State of pregnancy
  • Reason for cull (i.e. open, lame, old)
• Sometimes wean calves during this time
  
  • Record - total # weaned, weaning weights - individual and average

Question 14

Besides pre-breeding and pregnancy exam visits, what are two other times a vet can visit during the year that will be benficial for the producer?

Answer 14

• December-January
  
  • Winter feeding - monitor weight and BCS
  • BCS is important during this time becuase we can easilry do something about the problem at this time of the year
• February-March - for spring calving herd
  
  • Calving
  • Records: calving dates, required assitance (i.e. normal, pull, c-section)
  • Calf mortality

Question 15

If you can convince your client of nothing else, try to do a _____ exam during the prebreeding vet visit (30-60 days before turnout).

Answer 15

Breeding soundness exam

Question 16

During the prebreeding exam visit, what is the best vaccine type that we can give to cows?

Answer 16

MLV - b/c cows are not pregnant - gives the best immunity

Question 17

What to examine on a heifer prebreeding exam

Answer 17

Reproductive tract score

Pelvimetry (eliminate cows with pelvises below a certain level, do not necessarily select for cows with the biggets pelvises)

Vaccinate and deworm

Question 18

The best time to castrate and dehorn calves is during _____.

Answer 18

At birth; or at least pre-weaning

Question 19

If you do not castrate and dehorn calves at birth, when is the next best time?

Answer 19

Pre-breeding vet visit - calves have not been weaned yet (1-3 months old)

Question 20

What to do during prebreeding exam of calves:

Answer 20

Castrate and dehorn if not done at birth

Vaccinate -as early as 1 week of age

Apply fly tages if season and condition exist

Question 21

Fly tags in calves helps to decreases the transmission of _____.

Answer 21

Pink eye

Question 22

Heifers are bred at ____ months of age.

Answer 22

13-15

Question 23

T/F: post-calving anestrus of a heifer is much longer than a mature cow.

Answer 23

True

Question 24

We want to concieve heifers early - why?

Answer 24

• Wean a heavier first calf
• Greater chance of breeding back
• Greater chance of concieving early next year
  
  • Heavier calf at weaning

Question 25

What should the range of bull to female ratio be (BFR)

Answer 25

1:10 to 1:60 (1:40 average)

Question 26

Heifers should be bred ahead of cows becuase they have smaller calves, and they need more time to cycle back and rebreed. Takes them ____ days vs the normal 45-60 days.

Answer 26

100 days

Question 27

Allowing the breeding season to be between 45-60 days for all cows allows for a more uniform \_\_\_\_\_, and is easier to control nutrition, losses at calving, and calfhood diseases.

Answer 27

Weaning weight

Question 28

Four methods to improve repro performance:

Answer 28

* Increase % of females in estrus during the first 21 days of breeding season * Increase conception at first service * Shorten breeding season * Decrease calf losses due to dystocia

Question 29

Shortening the breeding season produces a short term production loss. So why do we do it?

Answer 29

In the long term, we will have more animals that can get pregnant sooner

Question 30

Pregnancy diagnosis is done ___ days to __ months after breeding season.

Answer 30

30 days - 4 months

Question 31

We shoot for a \_\_\_% pregnancy rate during the first cycle, and a total of over \_\_\_% after a season.

Answer 31

65%; over 90%

Question 32

Equation of pregnancy rate

Answer 32

Pregnancy rate = (# pregnant/# exposed) x 100

Question 33

Calves are usually weaned at \_\_\_-\_\_\_\_ months old, and weight between \_\_\_\_a and _____ lbs.

Answer 33

6-8 months old 400-600 lbs

Question 34

Advantages of early weaning (at 3-4 months of age)

Answer 34

* Saves forage during periods of drought (mother will consume less becuase won't be lactating for as long) * Increased reproductive performance (opportunity for mom to eat for herself, and not to produce milk) * High maternal antibodies at weaning

Question 35

Disadvantages of early weaning (3-4 months of age)

Answer 35

Feed costs - need to feed calves which can get expensive

Question 36

Four marketing options for beef calves

Answer 36

* Sold at weaning (sale barn, or direct to backgrounder, stocker, or feedlot) * Sold after preconditioning period on the farms (sale barn or direct marketing) * Retain ownership (will often send to feedlot, but make the profit on the calve minus the food expense) * Develop replacements

Question 37

Nutrition during this time within the year is very important and dictates rate of dystocia, weakness of calves, colostrum quality, and prolonged postpartum estrus.

Answer 37

Winter feeding! Highest risk due to feeding hay!

Question 38

What is the ideal BCS of cows going through calving?

Answer 38

BCS of 5

Question 39

Dormant pastures during winter feeding are supplemented with ___ and \_\_\_.

Answer 39

Energy and protein

Question 40

Two main goals of calving:

Answer 40

Getting a live calf and keeping it alive

Question 41

It is important to schedule a vet visit _____ prior to calving season to asses nutritional status of a herd and plan calving grounds, facilities, and nursery pastures.

Answer 41

1 month

Question 42

Timing of calving can be altered by time of feeding. If you want your cows to calve during the daytime hours, when should you feed your cows?

Answer 42

Feed in the evening/night to calve during daytime hours. Feed in the morning, more likely to calve during the night.

Question 43

T/F: It is important ot keep first calf heifers separate form the rest of the herd

Answer 43

True

Question 44

T/F: it is improtant to keep calving grounds separate form winter feeding grounds.

Answer 44

True

Question 45

Four biggest causes of calf diarrhea:

Answer 45

Enteric E. coli Rotavirus Coronavirus Crypto

Question 46

How do you prevent calf-diarrhea?

Answer 46

Calves are big amplifiers and shedders of the infectious agents causing calf diarrhea. Therefore, it is improtant to keep them away from calves being born later. To do this leave a pasture for calving, then another pasture for 1 week old pairs, and another pasture for 2 week old pairs, etc. In this way, every calf is only ever exposed to the baseline shedding that cows are putting off.

Question 47

When introducing new cattle, it is important to isolate them from the rest of the herd until they are tested negative for what three infectious agents, ontop of anything else of concern to that herd?

Answer 47

Brucellosis, TB, and BLV

Question 48

T/F: You can never have too much data in assessing performance of beef and cow/calf herds.

Answer 48

False - too much data is uneconomical - only collect cricital data for that herd

Question 49

Three areas of concern during assessment of performance in beef cow/calf herds:

Answer 49

Breeding season record Weaned calf record Calving record

Question 50

Pregnancy rate goals for heifers and cows:

Answer 50

95% in heifers; 99% in cows

Question 51

Goal for # of heifers and cows culled at pregnancy check and reason

Answer 51

\< 5% heifers and \<15% cows culled for infertility

Question 52

Net calf crop equation and goal

Answer 52

Net calf crop = # of calves weaned/# of females exposed x 100 goal: 85%

Question 53

Abortion rate and goal

Answer 53

Abortion rate = # of abortions/# females exposed x 100 Goal: \<2%

Question 54

Calving percentage and goal

Answer 54

Calving percentage = # of females delivering live calves/ # of females pregnant at pregnancy check Goal = 96%

Question 55

Distribution of calving goal within the first 21 days:

Answer 55

60-70%

Question 56

Dystocia rate and goal

Answer 56

of assisted calvings/# of calvings x 100 Goal: \<15% heifers, \<5% cows

Question 57

Stillbirth rate

Answer 57

born dead at term/# of calvings x 100 Goal: \<2%

Question 58

Postnatal calf mortality goals: Birth to 10 days 10-30 days 30 days to weaning

Answer 58

Birth to 10 days: \<5% 10 - 30 days: \<2% 30 days to weaning: \<1%