Dairy Lifestyle and Husbandry Flashcards
What order is the lifecycle of a dairy cow?
-Heifer calf
-Heifer
-Bred heifer
-Calving
-Open lactating cow
-Bred lactating cow
-Dry off
-Calving
What is an open cow?
A cow that is not pregnant (normal in the 1st 2 months post-calving)
What is a dry cow?
A cow that is not being milked or has stopped lactating
What is a dry period?
The rest period that lasts 2 months prior to calving when the pregnant cow is not being milked, allowing the udder to rest and prepare for the next lactation
What is lactation?
Period of milk production post calving: optimum is 10 months
It is essential for the calf to receive what?
The first milk produced by the dam (colostrum)
What is colostrum?
The first milk produced by the dam that contains antibodies and other nutrients that builds a healthy immune system
When is colostrum collected from the cow?
1-2 hours after calving
The passive transfer of immunity can only occur…
In the first 24 hours of life
Newborn animals should ingest what % of their body weight in colostrum within the first 12-24 hours after being born?
10-15%
The umbilicus needs to be…
Dipped in a 7% iodine-based solution after birth to prevent infection
What is important about the umbilicus?
It remains an access point for bacteria to cause infection for the first week of life
At what age are calves weaned?
2 months
What is a calf feeder?
A concentrated diet for calves
What is weaning?
Taking an offspring of milk and transitioning them to their diet for growth and eventually their adult diet (using calf feeder in calves)
Where does a heifer calf end up going?
-Usually raised as replacements for farm
-Sold to be raised as a replacement
-Sent to heifer farms to be raised and returned
Lifecycle of a bull calf
-Sold for veal under 3 months
-Sold to be raised for beef
-Occasionally kept for breeding
Where does a heifer end up going?
-Separated after birth to prevent disease transmission and to monitor food intake
-Slowly combined into larger groups during the first year of life
-First breeding starts at 5 months
-First calving should be at 2 years of age
What is a calf hutch?
-Individual run-in sheds with a fenced-in area, giving access to the outside
-Can be made from different materials (typically plastic)
Pros of calf hutches
-Excellent for calf health
-Good ventilation
-Decreased disease transmission
Cons of calf hutches
-Cannot control environmental conditions
-Can be more labor-intensive for workers
What is a calf barn?
-A barn where calves are housed
-Calves are in separate stalls
Pros of calf barn
-Controlled environment
-Easier for workers to provide care
Cons of calf barn
-Increased risk of disease
-Nose-to-nose contact
-Decreased ventilation
What is done to heifer calves to transition them into heifers?
-Moved to pens of a similar sized group starting with 3-5 calves per pen to larger pens around 4-5 months
-Diet is transitioned throughout to meet dietary requirements as they age
What is the estrous cycle?
The reproductive cycle that the female enters after puberty that continues throughout most of her life
What is the estrous cycle controlled by?
Hormones from the ovary and the brain
How can a pregnancy diagnosis be made?
-Rectal palpation
-Transitional ultrasound
What is a heifer that has been bred called?
A bred heifer
How long is a cow’s gestational period?
9 months
When should a heifer have their first calf?
2 years of age
What is another name for a heifer who has had their first calf?
A first calf heifer
What is freshening?
When a cow starts producing milk after having a calf
What is the action to stop milking a cow called?
Dry off
What is an open cow?
A cow that is not pregnant (normal in the first 2 months post-calving)
What is a dry cow?
A cow that is not being milked and stops lactating
What is a dry period?
A rest period that lasts 2 months prior to calving when the pregnant cow is not being milked to have the udder rest and prepare for the next lactation
What is lactation?
The period of milk production post calving, the optimum is 10 months
What is a calving interval?
The time from one calf born to the next calf born, optimum time is 12-13 months
What is the voluntary waiting period?
The period of time after calving before rebreeding, the optimum time is 60 days
What are the 3 kinds of operating systems?
-Complete system
-Milking operation only
-Heifer farms or heifer raisers
What does the complete operating system do?
-Perform all aspects of dairy management in one location
-Calf rearing
-Growing food for cows
-Milking
What do the milking-only operations do?
-Sell all calves and buy replacements
-Do not grow food for cows on property (purchase from other farms)
-Larger with less surrounding land
-Large number of cows
What do heifer raiser operations do?
-Take in heifer calves from milking operations and raise, breed, and return/sell them prior to calving
-Accept heifers of different ages
What requirements does good housing require?
-Clean, dry, comfortable resting area
-Easy access to feed
-Easy access to water
-Fresh air movement
-Easy, safe way to get milked 2-3 times per day
-Easy means of restraint for health checks, breeding, and good care
What do farmers look for in their housing?
-Labor efficient
-Economical
-Safe for workers and cows
-Environmentally friendly
What are the 3 types of housing?
-Barn (free stall and tie stall)
-Pasture
-Dry Lot
What is a free stall barn?
-A loose housing system that allows for free movement of cows throughout the barn
-Consists of stalls or beds that the cows can stand or lay in by choice
What are the pros of a free stall barn?
-Clean, controlled environments for cattle
-Decreased bedding expense compared to indoor housing
-Ease of parlor access
-Lower space requirements
-Lower risk of teat and udder injuries
What are the cons of a free stall barn?
-High maintenance levels and costs associated with keeping environment clean and dry
-If not well maintained, increased risk for disease
What is a pasture?
Cows are kept on pasture grazing and only come in to be milked
What are the pros of a pasture?
-Decreased feed costs
-Good pasture is an adequate form of nutrition
-Cows are free to walk around outside (beneficial to overall health)
What are the cons of a pasture?
-Less changes in nutrition throughout production cycle
-Harder to monitor cattle who may be showing early signs of disease
-Less control over environment
What is a dry lot?
An open dirt lot with no vegetation
What are the pros of a dry lot?
-Cows are free to walk around outside (beneficial to overall health)
-Monitoring is easier compared to pasture
What are the cons of a dry lot?
-Feed costs are higher compared to pasture
-Less control over environment
-Cattle cooling can be a concern
What are the types of bedding for cattle?
-Compost
-Geotextile mattress
-Paper
-Sand
-Sawdust and wood shavings
-Straw
What are the aspects of compost bedding?
-Use of accumulated manure for bedding in a pack barn setting
-Starts with 12-18 inches of sawdust
-Has to be aerated 2x daily
-Dry sawdust needs to be added every 2-5 weeks
-Requires excellent ventilation and management
-Low cost
-May increase risk of infection for mammary glands if not managed well
What are the aspects of geotextile mattress bedding?
-Used in tie stall or freestall barns
-Waterproof exterior filled with rubber crumbs or foam
-Marketed as no bedding required but additional bedding increases cow comfort
-Cows stay clean and show preference towards mattresses
-May increase lameness incidence
What are the aspects of sand bedding?
-Low cost
-Improves cow cleanliness
-Low bacterial counts
-Difficult to dispose of
-Cows prefer other bedding options given the choice
What are the aspects of sawdust bedding?
-Easily broken down when disposed of (organic)
-Decreases low lameness and improved lying time
-Very absorbant
-Increased bacterial growth
What do we look for in bedding for cows?
-Comfortable for the cow
-Dry
-Nonabrasive
-Cost efficient
-Labor efficient
