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Basis of Animal Production > Dairy Cattle > Flashcards

Dairy Cattle Flashcards

1
Q

What are the advantages of Dairy production?

A

• Cattle use roughages that would otherwise be wasted
• Dairying provides a steady income throughout the year
• May have high degree of mechanization but uses labour throughout
the year
• With good management, losses and mortality are usually low

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2
Q

What are the disadvantages of dairy production?

A

High Capital investment needed
• High Labour requirements
• Regular scheduling in milking
• Needs high availability from owner and workers (heat detection, milking, IA, calving, etc)
• Requires training and experience
• Takes time to develop a high-producing dairy herd

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3
Q

What percentage of dairy farms are family owned?

A

97%

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4
Q

What is the average size of a dairy herd?

A

179 cows

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5
Q

On average, how much milk will one dairy cow produce a day?

A

24-25L or 6.5 gallons

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6
Q

True or false? Milk production is increasing but the number of dairy cows is decreasing.

A

True

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7
Q

True or false? Larger dairy farms have higher profits and higher costs.

A

False - they have higher profits and lower costs

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8
Q

What breeds of cattle have been bred to specialize in milk production?

A
  • Ayrshire
  • Brown Swiss
  • Guernsey
  • Holstein-Friesland (HF)
  • Jersey
  • Milking Shorthorn
  • Red and white
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9
Q

What are other breeds of interest in the dairy industry?

A
  • Simmentaller
  • Normande
  • Montbéliarde
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10
Q

Where does the Ayrshire originate?

A

• Origin County Ayr (SW
Scotland) 19th Century
• Imported to the US 1820’s
from Scotland and Canada

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11
Q

What are the characteristics of ayrshire?

A 
• Have good grazing ability
• Cow: 1200lbs; Bull: 1800lbs
• Average production:
17,230 pounds/year
• 4% milk fat
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12
Q

Where does the Brown Swiss originate?

A

• Developed in the Alps
(Switzerland)
• Imported to the US in 1869 (25
bulls and 130 cows)

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13
Q

Where does the Guernsey originate?

A

• Isle of Guernsey (Channel Islands, UK)
• Developed by monks over 1000 years ago
from French breeds from Normandy
• Imported to the USA started in 1831

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14
Q

Where does the Jersey originate?

A

• Isle of Jersey (Channel Islands, UK)
• No known origin in other breeds but
suspected French origin
• Imports to the US started in 1815

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15
Q

Where does the Milking Shorthorn originate?

A
  • Origin in NE England

* Brought to the US first in 1753

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16
Q

Where does the Holstein-Friesland originate?

A

• Origin in the Netherlands (Friesland),
neighbouring German state of SchleswigHolstein
• Holstein (US & Canada), Friesland (rest of
the world)
• Imported to the US by Dutch settlers 1620s
and more recently 1850s

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17
Q

Where does the Red and White originate?

A 
• Recessive gene: red colour
instead of black
• Very similar to HF
• Recent breed – established
(US) in 1960s
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18
Q

What are the characteristics of Brown Swiss?

A 
• Cows: 1,500lbs; Bulls: 2,000lbs
• Good grazers very docile
• Heat tolerance
• Average production:
22,252pounds/year
• 4% milk fat
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19
Q

What are the characteristics of Guernsey?

A 
• Early maturing breed, adaptable, gentle
behaviour
• Cows: 1,100lbs, Bulls: 1,800lbs
• Average production: 16,000pounds/year
• 4.5% milk fat
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20
Q

What are the characteristics of Jersey?

A
  • Characteristic light fawn to almost black
  • Smallest dairy breed
  • Cows: 1,000 lbs and Bulls: 1,600 lbs
  • Good grazing ability
  • Cows can be nervous and bulls aggressive
  • Average production: 16,431 pounds/year
  • 4.9% milk fat (#1)
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21
Q

What are the characteristics of Milking Shorthorn?

A 
• Red, red-white, Roan
• Dual purpose breed
• Average production:
15,000pounds/year
• 3.8% milk fat
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22
Q

What are the characteristics of Holstein-Friesland?

A 
• 90% of dairy cows, 1,500,000 registered
herdbook
• Cows: 1,500lbs, Bulls: 2,200lbs
• Average production: 23,151pounds/year
• 2.5-3.5% milk fat
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23
Q

What are the characteristics of Red and White?

A

• Similar productive
performance as HF
(Average production: 23,151pounds/year,
2.5-3.5% milk fat)

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24
Q

Which breed produces the most milk per year?

A

Holstein-Friesland (23,151 pounds/year)

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25
What cow produces milk with the highest fat content?
Jersey (4.9%)
26
What is the smallest dairy breed?
Jersey (1,000lbs cows)
27
Which dairy breed produces milk with the lowest fat content?
Holstein-Friesland
28
What other cattle breeds are found on IA catalogues and where were they developed?
``` • Simmentaller – dual purpose breed (Austria) • Normande – Normandy and Brittany (France) • Montbeliarde - France ```
29
What are the ideal characteristics of a dairy cow?
``` • Triangular shaped body • Well developed and placed udder • Able to walk and stand normally • Calve without assistance • Good production records • Volume • Fat % • Dairy Cow Unified score card • Frame • Dairy strength • Rear Feet and legs • Udder characteristics ```
30
What is the gestation period of dairy cows?
~ 280days
31
How long do dairy cows lactate for?
~305 days
32
How long is the dry period?
~60days
33
How long after parturition are cows inseminated?
~85 days
34
When are female calves weaned?
35-45 days
35
How long are female dairy calves reared for?
35-45 days until weaned + 420 days = 455-465 days
36
What is the dairy cow production cycle?
``` • Heifers/cows inseminated (AI) • Gestation period: 280 days • At calving, milking begins • Lactation takes 305 days • Followed by 60 days of dry period • Animals are inseminated again 85 days after parturition and will calve at the end of the dry period • Female calves are kept on artificial milk, weaned at 35-45 days and reared for another 420 days ```
37
True or false? Dairy farms have births year round and have cows in different stages of the production cycle.
True
38
When does lactation peak?
about 4-10 weeks
39
Fat and protein content decreases until what week?
10 and then stabilizes
40
Does the Dry matter intake (DMI) increase or decrease with lactation?
increase
41
When does body weight and BCS increase and when does it decrease?
• Body weight and BCS decreases during peak lactation, increases afterwards (less milk but gestation)
42
What is the lifespan of dairy cows?
20 years
43
How many lactations will a dairy cow be profitable for and why?
3-5 lactations • Lameness • Mastitis • Infertility
44
When are dairy cows culled?
after 3-5 lactations (when they are no longer profitable)
45
What are the signs of heat in dairy cows?
• Mounting other cows • Red swollen vulva & clear mucous discharge • Increased activity and vocalization • Dirty flanks and sides from being mounted by other cows • Standing to be mounted
46
What are the advantages of artificial insemination?
• No need for bull maintenance • Disease control • The semen of a sire can be used even after death of that particular sire. • It makes possible the mating of animals with great differences in size without injury • It is helpful to inseminate the animals that are refuse to stands or accept the male at the time of oestrum. • It helps in maintaining accurate breeding records. • It increases the rate of conception. • Old, heavy and injured sires can be used • Genetic Improvement
47
What are the disadvantages of artificial insemination?
* Trained personnel and expensive equipment | * If not done correctly – fertility problems and productivity problems
48
How often is artificial insemination used?
in 90-95% of pregnancies
49
What happens to male calves?
they are usually culled and used for meat production
50
Why might a dairy farmer inseminate a % of the dairy herd with beef breeds semen?
``` • Male calves are usually culled and used for meat production • Not all females are used as replacement heifers • Improve carcass and meat characteristics of the animals • Increase profitability ```
51
What are the characteristics of stall barns?
Small scale • Cow is fastened by a neck chain • More labour required
52
What are the characteristics of free stall barns?
``` • Most common housing • Cows are not fasted to the stalls • Cows may enter/leave the stalls • Typically has resting and feeding area • Cows stay cleaner • Easier to use with milking parlour, automatic feeding ```
53
How are calves and heifers (replacement cows) housed?
* Calves up to 2 months: individual portable hutches or confined calf barns * Heifers – group in pens/free stall and if weather allows, on pasture
54
What are calves fed for their first 1-2 months?
replacement milk
55
What are cows fed after being weaned?
• Animals are later weaned and grown on pasture • Sometimes with supplementation
56
True or false? Dairy cows have frequence negative energy balances during lactation.
True
57
What are important feedstuffs for dairy cows?
* Corn silage * Hay * Food industry by products
58
When are the diets of dairy cows supplemented and by what?
during lactation with commercial pellets
59
How often are cows milked?
twice a day (11-13hr interval)
60
What is the milking routine?
* Prewash with hose * Wash udder: warm water with sanitizing agent * Dry with towel (one per animal) * Milk 2-3 squirts (high bacterial count) * Attach milking machine * Remove milking machine gently (all teats at once) * Dip teats – reduce mastitis
61
In what order are cows milked?
heifers, cows early lactation and normal cows first; | w/udder infections last (different tank)
62
What are the three main types of milking parlours?
* Parallel * Herringbone * Rotary
63
What causes variation in milk prices?
• Milk price varies with % | Fat and % Protein, SCC
64
What is the ideal temperature for dairy cows?
5-15 C
65
Why is temperature a concern with dairy cows?
``` • Dairy cows are very susceptible to heat stress • High temperatures and humidity lowers milk production and conception rates ```
66
What are some methods of keeping cows cool?
* Shade * Provide fresh water ad libitum * Fly control * Water sprinkling
67
What cattle breeds are adapted to heat stress?
``` Gir (India/Brazil) Guzerat (India/Brazil) Sahiwal (India) Girolando (Brazil) Slick hair gene (US) ```
68
What are the characteristics /pros and cons of pasture based dairy systems?
``` • Cows produce less milk • Does not use selected breeds • Animals are fed on pasture exclusively • Less inputs (animals, feed) • Births are concentrated in one time of the year • Most of the milk produced is turned into powdered milk and exported • Welfare friendly ```

Basis of Animal Production (6 decks)

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