dairy youngstock husbandry Flashcards

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1
Q

what types of calves are there?

A
  • replacement heifers
  • dairy beef
  • dairy steers
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2
Q

what type of calf is most valuable?

A

replacement heifers

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3
Q

what is giving birth called?

A

parturition

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4
Q

what are the stages of parturition and how long do they last?

A

1st stage- 4-24 hours, cow shows some signs of discomfort
2nd stage- 30min- 3 hours, abdominal straining, calf delivered
3rd stage- placenta expelled within 12 hours

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5
Q

what are the 3 protocols of birth?

A
  • naval iodine
  • weight at birth
  • ID tags
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6
Q

what is the twinning rates in cows?

A

around 5%

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7
Q

what happens if you get a male and female twin calves?

A

called freemartins
female with be infertile due to the males hormones

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8
Q

what is colostrum?

A

first milk produced by a cow for her calf

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9
Q

what does colostrum contain?

A

high concentration of immune-globulins

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10
Q

how long can the immune-globulins be absorbed by the calf?

A

can only be absorbed by instestine wihtin the first 24hours of life

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11
Q

how are calves born with regard to immunity?

A

born agammaglobulinemic

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12
Q

colostrum under a refractometer should have a reading no lower than what?

A

22%

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13
Q

how can colostrum quality be measured?

A
  • colostrometer
  • brix refractometer
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14
Q

on a colostrometer, if the colostrum is floating at the surface where it is green what does this mean?

A

the colostrum i good quality, more than 50mg/ml of immunoglobulin so can be used or stored

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15
Q

on a colostrometer, if the colostrum is floating at the surface where it is red what does this mean?

A

poor quality, less then 20mg/ml immunoglobulin, should be discarded

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16
Q

how long can colostrum be stored in a fridge?

A

24 hours

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17
Q

how long can colostrum be frozen for?

A

1 year

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18
Q

what temperature should colostrum be fed at?

A

38

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19
Q

how should colostrum be warmed?

A

water bath with max temp of 50

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20
Q

why shouldnt you microwave colostrum?

A

will denature immunoglobulins

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21
Q

why should you feed transition milk and for how long?

A

3 days

increaed antibodies

22
Q

what are the 3 ways to feed calves?

A
  • teats vs buckets
  • computerised milk feeding
  • ad lib milk
23
Q

how much milk replacer should calves be given and at what temperature?

A
  • min 3L twice daily at around 40 degrees
24
Q

what are the advantages of milk replacer powder?

A
  • reduced risk of disease transmission
  • more consistent than whole milk
25
Q

what are the 2 protein sources in milk replacement powder?

A

skim- by product of butter and cream manufacturer
whey- by product of cheese manufacturer

26
Q

how much protein should you aim to get in milk replacer powder?

A

24-26%

27
Q

what should the ash content be less than in milk replacement powder?

A

8%

28
Q

when is cudding initiated?

A

at least 2 weeks of age

29
Q

when is the rumen functional?

A

6-8 weeks

30
Q

when is the rumen fully developed?

A

12 weeks

31
Q

what does development of the rumen papillae require?

A
  • straw (fibre)
  • concentrate (VFA)
32
Q

how much food do calves need to be eating to be fully weaned?

A

2kg per day

33
Q

how much heavier do calves need to be than birth weight when they are weaned?

A

double birth weight, ideally over 100kg

34
Q

how can calves show they are hungry?

A

noisy

35
Q

what are the common health problems in calves?

A

Diarrhoea

Pneumonia

Joint infections

Umbilical infections

36
Q

What are advantages of group penning calves?

A

Able to huddle

Lower critical temperature

Avoid draughts

Can groom

Less expensive

Less labour

37
Q

What are disadvantages of group penning calves?

A

Higher risk of infection

Harder to identify signs of disease

Bullying

Less accurate recording

Harder to catch calves

Have to be able to identify calves

Allows navel sucking > infection

38
Q

what are advantages of single penning?

A
  • reduces risk of infectious disease
  • prevents nasal sucking
  • removes bullying
  • routine procedures take less time
  • individual identity easy
39
Q

disadvantages of single penning?

A
  • higher critical temp
  • sometimes unable to groom
  • higher costs
  • unable to huddle
  • unable to avoid draughts
40
Q

how can you minimise disease?

A
  • biosecurity
  • disinfection
  • hospitality pens
  • all in all out principle
41
Q

what is the average culling rates of adult dairy cows?

A

around 20-25%

42
Q

main reasons for culling adult dairy cows?

A
  • infertility
  • mastitis
  • lameness
43
Q

how can replacement heifers be brought in?

A
  • home bred
  • bought in
44
Q

When do calves reach/end puberty and at what weight?

A

3-10 months ( over 30% mature BW)

45
Q

when does heifer mating occur and at what weight ?

A

14-15 months (60-70% mature BW)

46
Q

when do heifers calve and what weight?

A

24 months (90-95% mature BW)

47
Q

how much does it cost to rear a hiefer?

A

£1000-2000

48
Q

What is the cost of heifer rearing affected by?

A

Age at first calving (no longer a heifer then)

% of time heifer spends at grass (grass=cheaper)

Calving pattern (block herd is cheaper)

Herd size (large herds cheaper)

Breed (holstein is most expensive)

49
Q

Why are many heifers lost during their first lactation or do not calve a second time?

A

Difficult to get back in calf

Low 1st lactation yields

Poor growth rates post calving

Health problems

Lameness

50
Q

what percentage of heifers do not finish 1st lactation?

A

22%

51
Q

what percentage of heifers have a firs calf born alive but do not calve a second time?

A

25-40%

52
Q

How can you maximise future milk yield when the future dairy cow is still a calf?

A

by optimising pre-weaning growth rates