Dairy

Question 1

What are some common dairy breeds in Canada?

Answer 1

• Holstein (>90%)
• Jersey
• Ayrshire
• Brown Swiss
• Guernsey

Question 2

Describe the life of a dairy calf.

Answer 2

1. baby calf
2. weaned calf (2 months)
3. open heifer (6 months)
4. bred at 12-15 months
5. calving at 24 months

Question 3

What are 2 types of housing for pre-weaned calves?

Answer 3

• individual housing (individually fed)

- group housing (automatic feeder)

Question 4

What is an advantage of each type of housing for pre-weaned calves?

Answer 4

• individual: less disease transmission

- group: they can control how much they drink and it can be monitored

Question 5

Describe the yearly life of a cow.

Answer 5

1. open cow (lactate for 10 months)
2. breeding: 2-3 months after calving
3. gestation (9 months)
4. Dry (2 months before calving)
5. calving

Question 6

What is a far off dry cow?

Answer 6

less than 8, but greater than 4 weeks until calving

Question 7

What is a close up dry cow?

Answer 7

less than 4 weeks before calving

Question 8

What is a fresh cow?

Answer 8

until 3 weeks after calving

Question 9

What is a transition cow?

Answer 9

3 weeks before until 3 weeks after calving

Question 10

What is a parity?

Answer 10

the number of times that a cow has given birth

Question 11

What is a lactation curve?

Answer 11

• a graph in which days in milk is plotted against milk production

Question 12

When does milk production peak?

Answer 12

• peaks 6-8 weeks after calving and then drops by 7% per month until cow is dried off at end of the lactation

Question 13

Baby calf

Answer 13

• from birth to weaning (2 months)

- housed individually or in groups

Question 14

weaned calf

Answer 14

• from weaning to 6 months of age

- housed in small group pens

Question 15

open heifer

Answer 15

• from 6 months to breeding

- housed in large group pens

Question 16

bred heifer

Answer 16

• from 13-15 months of age to first calving

- housed in large group pens

Question 17

first lactation heifer

Answer 17

• calved for the first time and are milking

- housed with the lactating cow group

Question 18

lactating cows

Answer 18

• in their second or greater lactation

- housed in the lactating cow group

Question 19

How are dairy cows bred?

Answer 19

• pasture bred by bull or AI

- most dairy producers purchase semen and use SI to breed their cows

Question 20

Tie stall

Answer 20

• cows are tied in individual stalls and feed is delivered to them; cows may be milked n the stalls or in a parlour

Question 21

Free stall

Answer 21

• barn with stall area and feeding area; cows are free to use whichever stall they wan and can go to the feed bunk any time

Question 22

loose housing

Answer 22

• cows are housed on a bedding pack with no individual stalls; are free to lie down wherever they want and go to the feed bunk any time

Question 23

What is a type of enrichment for dairy cows?

Answer 23

• automatic brush things

Question 24

What are the types of milking systems?

Answer 24

• pipeline (tie stall barns)
• parlor (herringbone, parallel, tandem)
• rotary
• AMS: automatic milking system (robotic)

Question 25

What is the advantage and disadvantage of AMS?

Answer 25

• good: reduces need for labour

- bad: huge initial capital investment