dairy youngstock husbandry

Question 1

what types of calves are there?

Answer 1

• replacement heifers
• dairy beef
• dairy steers

Question 2

what type of calf is most valuable?

Answer 2

replacement heifers

Question 3

what is giving birth called?

Answer 3

parturition

Question 4

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

Answer 4

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

Question 5

what are the 3 protocols of birth?

Answer 5

• naval iodine
• weight at birth
• ID tags

Question 6

what is the twinning rates in cows?

Answer 6

around 5%

Question 7

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

Answer 7

called freemartins
female with be infertile due to the males hormones

Question 8

what is colostrum?

Answer 8

first milk produced by a cow for her calf

Question 9

what does colostrum contain?

Answer 9

high concentration of immune-globulins

Question 10

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

Answer 10

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

Question 11

how are calves born with regard to immunity?

Answer 11

born agammaglobulinemic

Question 12

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

Answer 12

22%

Question 13

how can colostrum quality be measured?

Answer 13

• colostrometer
• brix refractometer

Question 14

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

Answer 14

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

Question 15

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

Answer 15

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

Question 16

how long can colostrum be stored in a fridge?

Answer 16

24 hours

Question 17

how long can colostrum be frozen for?

Answer 17

1 year

Question 18

what temperature should colostrum be fed at?

Answer 18

38

Question 19

how should colostrum be warmed?

Answer 19

water bath with max temp of 50

Question 20

why shouldnt you microwave colostrum?

Answer 20

will denature immunoglobulins

Question 21

why should you feed transition milk and for how long?

Answer 21

3 days

increaed antibodies

Question 22

what are the 3 ways to feed calves?

Answer 22

• teats vs buckets
• computerised milk feeding
• ad lib milk

Question 23

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

Answer 23

• min 3L twice daily at around 40 degrees

Question 24

what are the advantages of milk replacer powder?

Answer 24

• reduced risk of disease transmission
• more consistent than whole milk

Question 25

what are the 2 protein sources in milk replacement powder?

Answer 25

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

Question 26

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

Answer 26

24-26%

Question 27

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

Answer 27

8%

Question 28

when is cudding initiated?

Answer 28

at least 2 weeks of age

Question 29

when is the rumen functional?

Answer 29

6-8 weeks

Question 30

when is the rumen fully developed?

Answer 30

12 weeks

Question 31

what does development of the rumen papillae require?

Answer 31

- straw (fibre) - concentrate (VFA)

Question 32

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

Answer 32

2kg per day

Question 33

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

Answer 33

double birth weight, ideally over 100kg

Question 34

how can calves show they are hungry?

Answer 34

noisy

Question 35

what are the common health problems in calves?

Answer 35

Diarrhoea Pneumonia Joint infections Umbilical infections

Question 36

What are advantages of group penning calves?

Answer 36

Able to huddle Lower critical temperature Avoid draughts Can groom Less expensive Less labour

Question 37

What are disadvantages of group penning calves?

Answer 37

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

Question 38

what are advantages of single penning?

Answer 38

- reduces risk of infectious disease - prevents nasal sucking - removes bullying - routine procedures take less time - individual identity easy

Question 39

disadvantages of single penning?

Answer 39

- higher critical temp - sometimes unable to groom - higher costs - unable to huddle - unable to avoid draughts

Question 40

how can you minimise disease?

Answer 40

- biosecurity - disinfection - hospitality pens - all in all out principle

Question 41

what is the average culling rates of adult dairy cows?

Answer 41

around 20-25%

Question 42

main reasons for culling adult dairy cows?

Answer 42

- infertility - mastitis - lameness

Question 43

how can replacement heifers be brought in?

Answer 43

- home bred - bought in

Question 44

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

Answer 44

3-10 months ( over 30% mature BW)

Question 45

when does heifer mating occur and at what weight ?

Answer 45

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

Question 46

when do heifers calve and what weight?

Answer 46

24 months (90-95% mature BW)

Question 47

how much does it cost to rear a hiefer?

Answer 47

£1000-2000

Question 48

What is the cost of heifer rearing affected by?

Answer 48

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)

Question 49

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

Answer 49

Difficult to get back in calf Low 1st lactation yields Poor growth rates post calving Health problems Lameness

Question 50

what percentage of heifers do not finish 1st lactation?

Answer 50

22%

Question 51

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

Answer 51

25-40%

Question 52

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

Answer 52

by optimising pre-weaning growth rates