Dairy industry/husbandry Flashcards
1
Q
how do you work out profit?
A
production x price - costs
2
Q
what is the average heifer rearing price?
A
£1300
3
Q
what do farmers get paid for in the milk?
A
- volume
- solids
- quality
4
Q
What are the best KPI’s to know?
A
- protein
- fat
- milk yield
5
Q
where is cattle balance point
A
shoulder
6
Q
what is the age of breeding in dairy cows?
A
15 months
7
Q
what is the age of calving in dairy cows?
A
24 months
8
Q
how long are they pregnant?
A
9 months
9
Q
how many days is calving to conception?
A
85-150 days
10
Q
what is the calving to calving interval?
A
365-420 days
11
Q
average life of a dairy cow?
A
6 years
12
Q
Average number of calves and lactations?
A
3
13
Q
length of lactation?
A
10 month
14
Q
how long is the dry period?
A
2 months
15
Q
yield of jersey cow?
A
5,000/year
16
Q
yield of holstein?
A
10,000/yield
17
Q
what macro-minerals are essential in dairy cows?
A
- calcium
- phosphorus
- magnesium
18
Q
what can you do to help calcium homeostasis?
A
- low calcium diet pre-calving
- reduce potassium
- adequate magnesium
19
Q
what hormone is essential for calcium production
A
PTH parathyroid hormone
20
Q
A
21
Q
what are common health problems in dairy cows
A
- poor fertility
- mastitis
- lameness
- nutritional problems
22
Q
how long is the oestrus cycle?
A
average 21 days
23
Q
how long is the voluntary waiting period?
A
45 days
24
Q
what is the heat detection rate?
A
> 70%
25
what is the conception rates to AI?
around 40%
26
what = fertility efficiency
21 day pregnancy rate
27
what are the signs of standing heat in the oestrus cycle
-stands to be mounted
- mounts other cows
- chin pressing
- swelling of the vulva and mucous discharge
- increased activity
28
what us the average length of standing heat?
9 hours
29
how long after a cow is standing to be mounted should the farmer inseminate?
12 hours
30
what are the different oestrus detection aids?
- heat mount detectors
- tail paint
- pedometers
31
what is the aim of the dairy industry?
to produce profitable milk that is safe to consume from healthy cows kept under high standards of welfare
32
describe the recent trend in the number of UK dairy farms
in the past 10 years, the number of dairy farms in the UK ha fallen by 30.2%
33
describe the trend in average uk dairy herd size and milk yield. What does this mean?
Average Uk herd size had decreased a lot up until 2014 where it began to rise slightly meanwhile the average milk yield has increased
this means farmers are managing the herds better so they reach genetic potential
34
what is the role of the vet?
- breeding managment
- milk quaity
- welfare
- biosecutiry
- nutrition and feeding managment
- stockmanship
- calf rearing
- heifer rearing
35
what are the 3 types of system?
- intensive housed system
- extensive grass-based systems
- combination systems
36
what is an advantage of an intensive dairy farm?
higher milk yield
37
what is a disadvantage of an intensive housed system?
higher input cost
38
what are some features of a rotary milking system?
- used in large herds
- quicker
- expensive to install
39
what are some features of a heringbone milking system
line of cows go in together, slightly sideways
40
what are some features of a tandem milking system
- each cow has own stall
- can leave independty of other cows
- access to side of the cow
41
what are some features of a robotic milking system
- automatic
- can milk up to 60 cows
41
what are some features of a robotic milking system
- automatic
- can milk up to 60 cows
42
what are some features of a rotary parlour?
- walk in and reverse off usually
- need more people
43
how doe a milking cluster draw milk from the udder?
uses a vacuum and releases to draw milk out of the udder
44
what are the environmental and resource issues relating to the dairy industry?
- cows produce a lot of waste
- carbon footprint:
* methane
* nitrogen
* nitrogen (fertiliser)
* phosphorous (fertiliser)
- damage to ecoystems, especially if it gets into water courses
45
effluent management, how much faeces a day
20-50kg/day
46
effluent management, how much urine a day?
30-50L/day
47
effluent management, how much water a day?
50-150L/day
48
how many litres of water do you need for 1 litre of milk?
1000 litres of water for 1 litre of milk
49
what regulation was passed in 2000?
welfare of farmed animals
50
what is in the welfare of farmed animals act 2000?
- farmers responsibilities
- 5 freedoms
* freedom from hunger and thirst
* freedom from discomfort
* freedom from injury, pain and disease
* freedom to express normal behaviour
* freedom from fear and distress
51
what act was passed in 1911 and amended in 2000? what was it about?
the protection of animals act
- preventing cruelty to animals
52
what act was passed in 1997?
the welfare of animals (transport) order
53
what did the welfare of farmed animals regulations say in 2000?
no cal shall be confined in an individual pen after the age of 8 weeks
54
what act came about in 1996? and what did it say?
the veterinary surgeons act
- only a vet can castrate a calf over 2 months old
- only a vet can remove supernumerary tears over 3 months old
55
when did the protection of animals (anaethetics) act come out? what did it say
1954
must use anesthetics to disbud calves and dehorn cattle. exception is use of caustic past under 1 week of age
56
what are the 4 key performance indicators?
1. processes- best pracise for standard operating procedures
2. outcomes- e.g claves raised
3. KPI's- e.g calf mortality
4. targets e.g under 5% calf mortality
57
what nutrition do they need?
- energy: starch and fibre
- protein
- major minerals: Ca, K and Mg
- vitamins
- trace elements
- biggest cost
58
what will an average lactating cow consume?
- concentrate: 1.0 tonne
- silage: 10 tonnes or 1-2 tonnes of hay
59
feed costs what percentage of the total cost of milk production?
33%
60
how do you work out dry matter intake ability?
2.5% of BW + 10% milk yield
61
how can you optimise fertility
- maximise lactational yield/quality
- minimise metabolic diseases
62
what is involved with reproductive management?
- servicing protocol
- synchronisation:
prostaglandin
intra-vaginal progesterone implant
- pregnancy diagnosis around 30 days
63
what is involved in bull fertility and the breeding soundness exam?
- physical examination
- semen collection
- semen evaluation
- libido and service ability evaluation
64
explain embryo tranfer?
- super ovulation (5-10 embryos)
- embryos collected day 6-8
- transfer to sunchoronised recipients and or freeze embyros
65
what is the percentage pregnancy rate in maiden heifers using embyro transfer
around 60-70%
66
what doe PLI stand for?
profitable lifetime index
67
what is profitable lifetime index?
- the £PLI is a within breed genetic index
- the £PLI value represents the additional profit a high £PLI bull is expected to return from each of its milking daughters over her lifetime compared to a average bull of £0PLI
67
what is profitable lifetime index?
- the £PLI is a within breed genetic index
- the £PLI value represents the additional profit a high £PLI bull is expected to return from each of its milking daughters over her lifetime compared to a average bull of £0PLI
68
what are the direct costs of mastitis?
- discarded milk
- drug and veterinary costs
69
what are the indirect costs of mastitis
- decreased milk yield
- penalties or reduced income from changes in milk composition
70
what are the sources of infection for mastitis?
- mammary gland/contagious organisms
- environmental
71
mastitis therapeutics
- antibiotics (intra-mammary/muscular)
- withdrawal periods where milk must be discarded and meat withheld
72
what is dry cow therapy?
- cure of existing intra-mammary nfection present at drying off
- prevention of new infections during the dry period include an internal sealant
- physical barrier in teats to stop infection
73
how is hygiene managed in the milking parlour?
- udder/teat preparation
* wash teats only if necessary with warm sanitised water
* ensure teats are dried off after washing with a new paper towel for each cow
- hand washing
- disposable clean gloves
74
how can clinical/ subclinical mastitis be promptly identified?
- clinical signs
- foremilk all quarters
- in line filters
- rapid milk test
- conductivity
- milk recording every 5 weeks
- somatic cell count, bactoscan, protein, fat, volume
75
explain the ways you can teat dip
- manual dipping using a cup
- manual spraying
- automated systems
76
around how many cows can go into a robotic milking machine at a time?
60
77
why do cows go into the robotic milking machine?
food
78
what are the causes of lameness?
- environmental ( infectious or nutritional)
- genetic
- management
