Dairy Cows Flashcards
Where is dairy farming most common and not? Explain
Dairy farming is common down the west side of the UK, Clyde to Cornwall. In the NE of Scotland, there has been a massive collapse in dairy herds, due to the sole dairy processor pulling out of Aberdeen.
What is the typical composition of milk and how does it vary?
Milk proedominantly water (87%) and 3.55% butter fat, and the remaining protein. Cows produce approximately 8500 litres of milk in a lactation, but often go up to 12000 litres.
Specialist cows e.g. jersey produce higher fat content, exceeding 5%
Describe the general trend for calving dairy cows?
Typically first calve between 24-30 months of age.
Cows should calve every year, so a pregnancy duration of 9 months, then 3 months rest.
Milk production peaks in the cow beteeen 42-60 days. where it drops significantly in a straight line. This is the lactation curve.
What can affect the lactation curve?
The feeding up until the lactation peak, will determine how high they peak and for how long. The higher they peak the bigger the yield from the cow for the remainder of the lactation.
How do we express Energy in terms of feeding cattle?
Energy is expressed as units per weight of dry matter and the units are MJ per Kg. This is also known as the ME (metabolise energy).
Using the example of barley and silage, how can different types of feed have an effect on Energy?
DRY Barley produces an ME of approx 13.3 MJ per Kg. Whereas a Kg of DRY silage would supply less, 11 MJper Kg.
The issue is; barley has a dry matter of 87% whereas silage has a dry matter of 25% so it takes much longer to dry Silage.
If you were not to dry the silage and barley, they would produce 2.7MJ Kg(silage) and 11.6MJ Kg (Barley). So cows would have to eat 4x as much wet silage as they would wet barely to get the same nutrient.
What are concentrate feeds?
They are feeds which are bought in, and produce a high energy level and protein level per Kg.
They are usually made up of cereal grains, and byproducts, sugar and fat. They can be made up into a specific mix.
What is bulk feed?
They have a low or bulky level of energy per kg of fresh weight, and have a low dry matter.
Main bulk feed is GRASS; fed either by grazing in the field or silage.
Wholecrop also a bulk feed; cows like this and is composed of a mix of crops, but has to be sown.
What is an important general rule in dairy feeding?
Cows can eat 3% of her bodyweight in dry matter per day. Dry matter is the most important factor in a cows diet.
SO a 750kg cow might eat 22.5kg of dry matter.
What is TMR?
Total Mixed Ration; this term is used when concentrates and dry matter feeds are mixed together.
What are the common reasons for cows to be culled?
If they are infertile
They have foot problems
persistent infections
male bull calf
What is a Heifer?
This is a female cow which has not had any offspring of her own.
Why are dairy cows usually kept indoors?
It is easier to manage the herd. It is also easier to regulate their intake and ensure that all cows are getting an even amount of feed. Whereas outdoors, some cows can get bullied.
Beef cattle are kept outside, as they don’t require constant attention to improve their yield.
How often are cows milked?
2x a day and more productive cows often 3x a day.
How long does an average dairy cow last?
They generally last around 4 lactations/years before being culled but this varies, and can often be as high as 6 lactations. It depends on infertility and vet bills.
