dairy youngstock husbandry Flashcards
what types of calves are there?
- replacement heifers
- dairy beef
- dairy steers
what type of calf is most valuable?
replacement heifers
what is giving birth called?
parturition
what are the stages of parturition and how long do they last?
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
what are the 3 protocols of birth?
- naval iodine
- weight at birth
- ID tags
what is the twinning rates in cows?
around 5%
what happens if you get a male and female twin calves?
called freemartins
female with be infertile due to the males hormones
what is colostrum?
first milk produced by a cow for her calf
what does colostrum contain?
high concentration of immune-globulins
how long can the immune-globulins be absorbed by the calf?
can only be absorbed by instestine wihtin the first 24hours of life
how are calves born with regard to immunity?
born agammaglobulinemic
colostrum under a refractometer should have a reading no lower than what?
22%
how can colostrum quality be measured?
- colostrometer
- brix refractometer
on a colostrometer, if the colostrum is floating at the surface where it is green what does this mean?
the colostrum i good quality, more than 50mg/ml of immunoglobulin so can be used or stored
on a colostrometer, if the colostrum is floating at the surface where it is red what does this mean?
poor quality, less then 20mg/ml immunoglobulin, should be discarded
how long can colostrum be stored in a fridge?
24 hours
how long can colostrum be frozen for?
1 year
what temperature should colostrum be fed at?
38
how should colostrum be warmed?
water bath with max temp of 50
why shouldnt you microwave colostrum?
will denature immunoglobulins