dairy cattle Flashcards
what kinda markets are there
canada - regulated quota system
usa - open competative market
north america - cull cows are shipped through auction yards
where do the codes come from
national farm animal care council
a division of animal health canada
government umbrella organization
what id the code development process
step 1 - scientific commitee report
draft code
code released - comes into effect the follwoing year
third party auditor - implements the code
what 5 key issues do dairy cattle face
cow calf separation
facility design - indoors
pain control
lameness and injuries
end of life managment
what different types of measurements are there for audits
system based - easily measured - farm records, housing
animal based (ABM)- actually looking at stock, time consuming, subjective scoring/observer bias
what are the aniaml based measures
body condition score
hock, neck and knee injuries
lameness (mobility)n
what are the risk factor in lamness
poor comfort, abnormal laying
increased standing time
poor nutrition, low body score
head lunge impediments
what does lamness look like
head swing
arched back
leg placement - not tracking up and hind leg stop short
walking speen rhythm
how is it measured
scoring
pressure matts, measuing how much weight is bared on each foot
kinematics - kinetic balls on different body parts - camera follows that analyze each body part
why is cow confort so important
lying time is correlated with increased milk prodcution
when lying blood flow to udder inceases 28%
increased time standing is related to lamness and poor hoof health
what is important stall and bedding preferences
stall size
head lunge/neck rail height placement
bedding type mattress rubber mat and sand sawdust and straw
how to you measure bedding preferences
udder health, lying time, time standing, milk production, defication, urination, postural changes, leg health lesions
how do you keep bedding clean
hook lesions - most common on mattresses, least common on sand
udder health - sand is cleaner, less chance of mastitis
neck rail - prevents cows from stadning in the stal;, preventing defication
what are calf housing options
individual housinf - reduces disease transmission, agression, feed competition and cross sucking
small groups - allows increased movement and social interaction
large groups - social competition increases, increased risk of disease
what are housing requirements
have a bed provides comfort, warmth, dryness and traction
allows calves to stand up, lie down turn around and have visual contact with other cows
