Dairy cattle, dairy production system, dairy husbandry Flashcards
ungulates
mammals with hooves
how long ago were cattle domesticated
10500 years ago
cow group is called a
herd
when do cows breed
year round
how long is cow gestation period
283 days (9 months)
how long do cows live
around 25 years old
cattle weight ranges for small, British, and larger breeds
- small; 270-450 kg
- british; 450-900 kg
- large; 630-1130 kg
bull
male not castrated
steer
male castrated
cow
female that has had a calf
heifer
female that hasn’t had a calf
calf
heifer or bull calves
dry cow
cows are 7 months and above pregnant (don’t milk anymore and they rest them in paddock, so that food goes to growing their calf instead of making milk)
springer/ close up/ transition
dry cow on last 3 days before calving
fresh cow
30-40 days after calving
first calf heifer
- heifer that has had first calf (so actually a cow now), try to separate as bigger cows bully them
- first calf heifers most likely to kick, need to be gentle when handling
freemartin twins
one heifer and one bull
bull hormones affect heifer and the heifer is 90% of time not able to breed
cow hearing
more sensitive than horses but less able to localize sounds
cow taste
can taste all 4 primary tastes, prefer sweet and salty
cow vision
dominant sense,
- they get 50% of all their info visually,
- wide field on 330 degrees C, their blind spot is directly behind them so they do not walk in a straight line to watch for predators
- cows pupil is oval,
main aims in low stress cattle handling
less injuries
less hassle
improved welfare
your cattle handling success relies on (4 things)
- patience of your approach
- angle of your approach
- location relative to cow
- speed of your approach
where do cows always want to protect
head and neck
what are the two zones surrounding a cow
outer zone; pressure zone; where cow starts to move
inner zone; flight zone; cow runs away or attacks
in a chute, how do you make the cattle move forward
cross their point of balance (point behind cows head), walk in direction from head to butt
what are positive human behaviors during cattle handling
gentle hits, predictable movements, soft talking, voice commands
what are negative human behaviours during cattle handling
abrupt movements, using a cattle prod, loud shouting, hitting w a metal object, loud yelling, tail twists
what do negative human behaviours during cattle handling lead to
high fear, low production, poor welfare
is shouting at a cow as bad as a cattle prod
yes
cows remember faces, what does this mean
previous positive interactions reduce stress in cows while performing procedures
cattle restraint options
chemical and mechanical
- mechanical includes crush or chute, head halter, nose pliers/ nose grips etc
how to put on cow halter
behind ears and want the muzzle part in the MIDDLE of eyes and nose, if too high will irritate eyes and if too low will cause breathing issues
tear drop loop faces down
when did the first cows arrive in australia
in 1788 with the first fleet
2 bulls and 7 cows which escaped into bush, 6 years later was a herd of 61
where was the first dairy in aus
ultimo in 1805
dairy industry is ___ most important rural industry
fourth
- order is beef, wheat, wool, dairy
Australia is relatively small producer but is worlds _____ largest dairy exporter
third
approx how much of aus milk production is exported
36%
what do aus milk products include
cheese
drinking milk
skim milk powder or butter
whole milk power
others
typical dairy farm occupies how many hectares
200
whats the difference between market milk and manufactured milk
market milk: processed immediately for drinking, white and flavoured milks, short shelf life
manufacture milk: milk used in the manufacture of dairy products, cheese, milk powders, longer shelf life
what are aus milk prices based on
milk fat and solid proteins
is there legislative control over price paid to farmers by processing companies
no
what have been the trends of dairy farms over the past 50 ish years
- less farms
- increased number of cows per farm
- increased production
Describe the holstein breed:
colour?
how popular?
horned or no?
large or small?
volume?
components?
- typical black and white (or red and white)
- 75% OF DAIRY COWS
- most popular breed
- horned
- large breed
- high volume
- low components (fat and protein)
Describe the jersey breed:
colour?
how popular?
horned or no?
large or small?
volume?
components?
- pale gold to dark tan (fawn), black tip on nose ears and feet
- second most popular in aus
- horned
- small
- lower volume
- higher components
brown swiss
colour?
how popular?
horned or no?
large or small?
volume?
components?
- light brown to grey and darker shades
- second most common in the world
- horned and polled
- large breed
- average volume
- high components
*longer pregnancy (290)
*oldest of all dairy breeds
*used in cross breeding programs
Ayrshire
colour?
how popular?
horned or no?
large or small?
volume?
components?
- shade of red or brown spots, mostly white, can be all white
- popular in VIC and NSW
- horned (long curved)
- medium size
- average production
- high components
Guernsey
colour?
how popular?
horned or no?
large or small?
volume?
components?
- mostly fawn/red with white spots, yellow pigmented skin
- popular in south aus and VIC
- medium size
- average volume
- high components
illawarra
colour?
how popular?
horned or no?
large or small?
volume?
components?
- red, red and white, or roan
- mix of 3 breeds
- horned
- medium size
- average volume
- average components (high fat)
what are 4 dairy housing systems
- pastoral
- free stalls
- compost barns
- tie stalls
describe pastoral/ pasture based and what are some challenges
- main source of food is pasture, low input low output
- environment: tracks, paddocks, water troughs
- feed pad: brining food to cows, flooring, space, height, less energy and time for cows to eat
- exposed to elements
- can be hard to maintain
- cows spend a lot of time and energy eating
why do you feed cows low to the ground
more saliva= better for rumen function
describe free stalls and some challenged
- indoors
- concrete
- beds where they can lay (sand, woodshavings, compost)
- less walking distance
- headlocks with feed pad
- dealing with waste is vital
- cows exposed to concrete for along time
describe compost barns
- big soft area of compost bed
- concrete alleyway away from beds where they eat so they don’t poop on beds
calf
young cow
bobby calf
young male calf usually destined for veal
heifer
young female, not yet had calf
first calf heifer
after give birth to first calf
cow
after second calving
dam
female parent in a pedigree
bull
sexually mature, uncastrated male
sire
male parent in a pedigree
colostrum
first milking following calving
DIM
days in milk
lactation
period of milk production ideally 305 days
cluster
4 tubes of milking machine that goes onto udders
bulk milk tank, temp??
on farm refrigeration stainless steel storage vessel in which milk cooled quickly to 2-4 degrees and constantly agitated
SCC
somatic cell count; number of white blood cells per ml of milk
mastitis
inflammation (infection of mammary gland)
what is purpose of calf barn/ calf pens
calf poorly regulates temp and uses lots of energy to stay warm, protection from elements and prevents contact with other animals
“3 shit meals” of calfs
- on way out
- when they hit the ground
- suck on dirty udder
why calves are separated from mom asap
- cows don’t usually have maternal instinct
- avoid 3 shit meals
- calves don’t have good immune system yet
where do cows calve
in a calving pen or maternity pen
when is colostrum given
ASAP, 2-3L in first 6 hours, and again before 24 hours
why is it important to give colostrum before 24 hours
- intestines have pores and molecules in colostrum pass through, after 24 hours these pores close and calves unable to gain those antibodies
when calves are weaned off milk they should:
double their weight
calves milk fed what percent of body weight
10-15 %
what age do you want heifers to have first calf
by 24 months of age so need to be bred 13-15 months of age
why is it better to feed calves separately
- they start suckling the weaker cow, nose to nose contact, spread disease, no immune system yet
Identification methods for cattle
ear marking/ ear notching, ear tattooing, freeze branding, photography, ear-tagging, radio frequency ID devices RFID
when is ear tattooing used
not often, only for valuable cows
RFID tag, where, what, why
radio frequency ID, in right ear, national livestock ID system (NLIS) lifetime ID, traceability, can see where cow has been, good for biosecurity
when is freeze branding good to use
on darker coats duh, uses liquid nitrogen, permanent
what are other uses of NLIS (other than ID)
- backup ID
- herd recording
- automatic drafting
- computer controlled feeding
- recording milk production in automated systems
in what type of cows is photography regularly used for ID
stud cattle especially holstein
difference between disbudding and dehorning
- disbudding is removal of horn producing cells, done in calfs less than 2 months, buds are not attached to skull
- dehorning is removal of horn and horn producing tissues, horn is attached to skull, sinus becomes expsoed
true or false: many dairy farms do keep their bull calves
false; they don’t usually keep
what does the 5 in 1 vaccine include
clostridial diseases
(tetanus, malignant oedema, blackleg, enterotaxaemia, black disease)
what does the 7 in 1 vaccine include
clostridial diseases plus lepto
common vaccines
- 5 in 1 or 7 in 1
- botulinum vaccine
- BEF vaccine (bovine ephemeral fever
- tick fever vaccine
when are PMR and TMR used
large dairy farms, high inputs and high production
PMR
partial mixed ration= pasture + extra feed
TMR
total mixed ration= only mixed ration, no pasture at all
pros and cons of grass fed only
pros:
- cheap
- cows designed to eat
- less disease
cons
- more difficult to monitor
- water is a limiting resource
- dependent on weather
- still require supplements
types of feeding systems
- rain fed pasture
- irrigated pasture
- supplementary grain and concentrate feeding
- feedlot
what are some supplements
- grain: wheat, barley, sorghum
- hay/silage
- by products: cotton seed, brewers grain, soybean meal, bread etc
pros and cons of supplements
pros
- increase production
- less reliance on rainfall
- more control over intake/ monitoring
- byproducts cheap
cons
- fluctuating supplies
- variable prices of feeds
- increased likelihood acidosis
pros and cons of PMR and TMR
pros
- better nutritional control
- higher production
- not reliant on weather
cons
- expensive
- feed costs will fluctuate with feed availability
- increased risk of some diseases (mastitis, acidosis, lameness, LDA, RDA)
want cow to basically produce milk all year round EXCEPT what period
50-60 days before calving
(dry period) around 8 weeks
what does herring bone refer to
milking parlour that is parallel or angled with rapid exit (as opposed to rotary)
why is good hygiene important with milking
produces good quality milk and prevents infection and mastitis, avoids stress and allows cows to let milk down
what is foremilk
the first bit of milk that comes out, milk initially in the teat, usually removed before cluster is attached
what are way to disinfect teats after milking, which is better
dip or spray, even though spray is faster its also easier to miss so dip is better
when milking teats should be ____ and _____
clean and dry
lactation cycle
- calving, fresh cow
- day 21-100 is peak lactation
- then mid lactation until day 200
- then late lactation until day 305
- then dry off period (50-60 days before calving again)
- called close up period 21 days before calving
21 days before calving- 21 days after calving is known as
transition period
close up –> calving –>fresh
cows will produce milk for as long as ___
they are milked
why do they dry off the cow 50-60 days before calving
cow will be around 7 months pregnant at that time and calf does most of its growing in those last 2 months
also for involution and regeneration of milk secretory tissue in the udder
what is the ideal calving interval
1 cow every 13 months
why is milk from first 6-8 milking after calving withheld
colostrum so it does not go into milk vat
how often cows milked a day
usually twice a day, but sometime 1-3
what is mastitis and what are the signs
- inflammation of the mammary gland
- signs include pain, swelling, redness, milk changes
2 causes of mastitis
contagious from other cows
environment
dry period is _____ days. Less than 30 results in ____ and more than 70 results in _____
- 50-60
- less milk next lactation
- obesity
what is dry cow therapy , why is it done
cows usually given intramammary antibiotics, prevents mastitis, also leads to involution and regeneration of milk secretory tissue in udder which increases production next lactation
- completely milk cow out
- give antibiotic
- apply teat dip and don’t milk again
another option instead of antibiotic is a teat seal which doesn’t go in the udder
in order to dry off need to produce less than ____ of milk, how is this done
12 L of milk, milk once a day or feed less
what is VWP
voluntary waiting period, 40-60 days after calving, do not want to get cow pregnant in this time so cows body can focus on milk
yearly time line for ideal dairy farms
- calving
- from here 305 days lactation until dry period
- VWP is 40-60 days post calving, no mating
- after VWP start mating, conceive on average by 120 days post calving
- gestation for 9 months
- dry period around 2 months (50-60 days) before calving again
for artificial insemination cow must be
detected in heat
how long cows pregnant for
283 days
3 calving patterns
seasonal
split/batch
year round
aims of seasonal calving patterns, pros and cons?
all cows mated at same time to match peak milk to peak pasture growth, want all cows to calve within a 60 period
most common production system
pros:
- efficient, all cows same thing at same time,
-can tailor production to feed availability
cons:
- cows that don’t get pregnant have to be culled or sold or induced,
- require large calving shed
- milk not produced all year round
split calving pattern, what is it and pros and cons
- generally 2 batches a year
- 2 distinct calving periods to maximize production through spring and summer
- increasing in popularity
pros
- like seasonal, can match pattern to feed availability
- if slow to get pregnant, can slip into next batch instead of culling
- less need for calving induction
cons
- larges batches of calves at once; requires large facilities
year round calving pattern, what is it and pros and cons
- non seasonal
- cows produce milk all year round
- aim to produce even supply
- calving spread throughout the year
pros
- less of a problem if cow goes over 305 days lactation
- usually paid premium to supply year round
- smaller facilities required as less happening at same time
cons
- must have cows milking all year round which is hard with feed shortages in winter and in extreme heat in summer
- cows must be mated all year round and its hard to get cows pregnant in heat
- have to do everything everyday
what is lameness
impairment of locomotor systems
3 ways to prevent lameness
1) risk factor evaluation
2) hoof trimming
3) foot baths
what are the 5 M’s that could be the reason for a downer cow
1) mastitis
2) metritis (infection of uterus)
3) musculoskeletal (lame, traumatic luxation)
4) metabolic diseases
5) massive infection
- treatment intensive, often unrewarding
lame on front foot means cows head goes
up
lame on back foot means cows head goes
down
stride length on lame foot is
much shorter
locomotion scoring
aims to identify cows that need immediate attention vs cows that might just need functional trimming:
1 is normal
5 is severely lame
BCS
- body condition score, - common 1-5 for cattle
- provides an indication of the amount of fat cover on cow
- visual assessment of amount of muscle and fat covering bones of a cow
- NOT affected by gut fill or pregnancy
why use BSC?
- affects milk production and reproductive performance
- helps manage herd health
thin cows effects on repro and milk production
repro effects:
- take longer to recommence cycling
- reduced submission rates
- lower conception rate
milk production:
- partition more feeding energy to body gain rather than milk production
- lead to reduced peak milk yield
- lower lactation persistency
fat cows effects
- more calving problems
- lower dry matter intake
- metabolic disease
- other health issues
BSC target at calving
3.25-3.75
BSC at mating
2.75-3.25, decrease at calving no more than 0.5
what do herd health programs focus on
- repro performance
- lameness management
- calf rearing
- mastitis mangement
when do cows spend the most time ruminating
middle of day
approx how long after calving do we want dairy cows to conceive
80 ish days
recall VWP is 40-60 days and want to conceive before 120 days
how long after calving should milk from a dairy cow not be put into a milk vat
4 days, 8 milkings
