Dairy Cow Week 1 Study Questions Flashcards
What percentage of the calories in the American diet comes from dairy products?
10%
What are the trends in fluid milk, cheese, and butter consumption in the USA since 1970?
Decline in fluid consumption
Where does the USA rank in the world for total milk production?
3rd
What percentage of US dairy products are exported?
15%
What countries do we export to? (top three)
Canada, Mexico, China
How many dairy cows are in the USA?
9.4 million
What are the three largest dairy states for number of cows?
California, Idaho, Wisconsin
How many dairy cows are in Missouri? Where do we rank with respect to other states?
71,000 dairy cows, MO ranks 25th
What is the average dairy herd size in the USA?
317 cows per herd
Where are most of the large dairies located in the USA?
Down south (Texas, Arizona, New Mexico)
What is the average herd size for Missouri?
109 cows per herd, ranked 45th out of 50
What is the average milk production per lactation per cow in the USA?
23, 984 lbs cow per year
Approximately how many gallons of milk per day does the typical cow produce?
7.6 gallons of milk per day
What three states have the highest milk production per cow?
Michigan, Colorado, Wyoming
What is Missouri’s average milk production per cow and where do we rank for milk production per cow?
14,225 lbs per cow per year. MO 45th/50
What is a major reason that Missouri has low milk production per cow?
grass based diet
Does low milk production per cow = low profitability per cow? Why or why not (use grass-based dairying
in Missouri as an example)?
No, grass based diaries are inexpensive because food costs are low. So the profits of the milk are higher.
How does the Zeal Grass Milk Creamery increase the profitability of their dairies?
Advertise as grass based because consumers like this
What are the two major dairy breeds in the USA?
Holstein and Jersey
What is a Hojo cow?
A crossbreed of a Holstein and Jersey
How many gallons of milk per day did Selz-Pralle Aftershock 3918 make during peak lactation?
30 gallons of milk per day
Why was the cow “Old Jo” important to Dairy Science at Mizzou?
She held the record for milk production and put MO on the map for dairy production
What is the “stress” that we put on a dairy cow?
milk production
How is the “strain” different from the stress?
strain is when the cow is sick, unable to produce milk
How do we reduce the strain on a dairy cow?
improved genetics and good management
What are the two most genetically tested species?
Cows and Humans
How have the number of dairy farms and number of cows per farm changed in the USA in the past 50
years?
Traditional dairies are dying
–> small dairies are going out of business and cows are moving to larger farms
The “Life Cycle of a Dairy Cow”.
Cow has calf –> lactate for 1 year –> dry (60 days) –> repeat
the calf is a replacement heifer –> 8-10 months (then hits puberty) –> cycles (4 months) –> (AI) then pregnant(9 months)
What happens to bull calves on dairies?
get sold
What is “Dairy beef” and why do you breed dairy cows to beef bulls?
breed a heifer that has unwanted genes with a beef cow so you can see it into beef
What do we mean when we say “replacement rate” for a dairy? What is a typical replacement rate?
replace 30% of cows each year
When should first breeding occur in a dairy heifer?
12-14 months
When should first calving occur in a dairy heifer?
22-24 months
What is colostrum?
first secretion from the mammary gland and is full of antibodies
Why are the antibodies found in colostrum so critical to calf health?
Calves are born without antibodies – colostrum cues time for the calves immune system to develop
What is the difference between “active” and “passive” immunity?
active –> own body develops antibodies
passive –> (colostrum) ingestion or infusion
Is the disease protection that colostrum provides long- or short-lived?
short lived
What are the three Q’s for colostrum feeding?
Quantity – Quality – Quickly
Quantity: how much colostrum a calf gets (calves over 100 lbs get 4 lbs at birth and 2 its at 12 hours)
Quality: amount of antibody in colostrum
Quickly: capacity of absorption of antibodies declines after 24 hours
What should you do to ensure that the heifers get adequate colostrum after birth?
Get the cow up and milk, bottle feed calf
–> tube feed if won’t take a bottle
What do calves eat after the colostrum feeding period (before weaning)?
grain and water and milk
What are conventional versus accelerated growth programs for calves before weaning? How do they
differ with respect to what is fed and how much is fed?
Conventional: max starter grain intake
Accelerated (norm): max milk/milk replacer intake
What is a “calf hutch”?
individual living
What is a “calf ranch”?
someone raises the calf for you
What is one advantage of housing calves in hutches compared with group housing?
less likely to transfer disease
What is one advantage of housing calves in groups compared with hutch housing?
they are more social and have improved behavior
What are automatic calf feeders?
a computerized feeder that tracks the weight of the calf and how much they have eaten
How can the unique features of an automatic feeder be used to determine if a calf is growing and eating
enough?
it tracks their weight and how much they have eaten
What would you do if the automatic feeder tells you the calf is not eating or not growing?
check the calf for illness, separate, feed
What are mob feeders?
a milk barrel with nipples
What is one distinct disadvantage of a mob feeder for group housed calves?
easily spreads disease
What are some advantages of housing calves in pairs?
improved behavior, more social, improve feed intake, faster weight gain
How many days do calves stay in hutches before they are weaned?
60 days
How much should a calf growth from birth to weaning (body weight change)
double in weight
How do you house and feed calves after weaning?
put them in bigger groups, feed hay and grain
What are the approximate growth rates (lbs/day) for heifers before 2 years of age?
2 lbs a day until first calf
What are growth targets for heifers at first breeding and first calving (% mature body weight)?
first breeding –> 55%
first calving –> 85%
