Dairy Production Flashcards
5 points about Creamery Milk Production
Spring calving in Feb
Break in milk supply - no milk in Dec Jan
Dairies pay for quality - amount of butterfat and protein
Crossbreeds used - Crossbred Jersey
Bull calves used for beef farmers
5 points about Liquid Milk Production
Year round calving - both spring and autumn calving
Constant milk supply
Dairies pay for quantity
Pure bred e.g Holstein and Friesian
Bull calves for veal export
Name three good pure dairy breeds
Holstein
Jersey
Ayreshire
Name 2 good Dual purpose breeds
Friesian
Dairy Shorthorn
Name 3 good beef breeds
Aberdeen angus
Charolais
Hereford
Give 5 points about the Friesian cow
Large animal - distinctive black and white coat - 700kg
Average milk yield is 5200 L with 3.75% fat content
Good breed for high milk yields and high butterfat
Fast growing beefy animal - beef used in continent
Dual purpose breed
5 points about the Jersey
Small animals, not dual purpose
Weigh average 390kg
Jersey milk is very high quality with high protein and butterfat
Lower yield than friesian
Breed used for beef breeding as they are easy calvers and fertile , can be used as mother to charolais calves
Bodily characteristics of Dairy Animals
Wedge shaped
Narrow shoulders
Wide hindquarters
Long thin neck
Strong but not well fleshed
Improving production in the dairy herd. 5 points
Use suitable breeds with high quality/quantity milk
Liquid - holstein and friesian
Cream - jersey
Replace old cows with good heifers with hood characteristics
Carry out stripping milk and milk recording
Stripping - checking for mastitis
Recording - checking yield
Cull poor performing animals
Use performance testing - keeping records of growth, efficiency of converting feed and comparing with records of other animals kept under similar conditions
Progency testing - same but with offspring
Factors to consider when selecting female breeding stock
Teeth Mouth and Feet - healthy full set of adult teeth - no lameness of feet and no discharge from mouth and nose
Age - at least 15 months before breeding to ensure female reproductive organs are fully developed
Between 300-350 kgs
Udder - not swollen or any lumps with right colour and no discharge
Breed - quantity with holstein quality with jersey
Visual signs of health - alert active no coughs no discharge no scour clean coat
BCS and Conformation - asses BCD by hand and should be a 3. Conformation should have strong legs with narrow shoulders and wide hindquarters to ensure easy calving
Weight of female calve at birth
40 kg
Weight of 1 year old calf reaching puberty
250 kg
Length of oestrous cycle in days and how long does standing heat last for?
21 days - standing heat is 18 hours when the egg is in the fallopian tube and the animal is highly fertile
Length of gestation period in months and then days
9.5 months
283 days
Target weight at service and calving
350 kg
550 kg for calving
When does a cow dry off and stop producing milk
2 months before calving
What is the aim for commercial milk production when it comes to cows calving to produce the most milk each year
Cows are aimed to calf once a year around the same time every year
This means they will produce milk for 10 months / 305 days lactation per year
Name the two highest yielding dairy breeds and their yields in kgs
Holstein is 5800 Kg per lactation
Friesian is 5000 Kg per lactation
What lactation number and age to cows reach their maximum yield?
The 5th lactation at 6 years old. After this the yields decrease because of age
What is the significance of frequently milking cows?
It empties the udder which stimulates milk-secreting alveoli to commence producing milk.
Why do farmers not milk cows more than 2 times a day? What is the theoretically ideal milking interval?
Because it is uneconomical and uses a lot of electricity and energy in the parlour
Leaves cows more prone to mastitis
Time consuming and leaves the farmer working very long hours
12 hours
What is the composition of milk using percentages?
Water - 88%
Fat - 3%
Protein, carbs and Vitamins (non fat solids) - 9%
