Dairy Youngstock Husbandry Flashcards
Dizygotic?
male + female –> Freemartins
twins in cow?
usually from separate embryos - they are not identical
Protocols at birth?
Navel iodine
Weight at birth
ID tags
Colostrum?
vital for healthy calves and to avoid neonatal disease
Born agammaglobulinemic
Contains high conc of immuno-globulins
These can only be absorbed by the intestine in the first 0-24 hours (especially first 6 hours) ability for absorption drops after this
agammaglobulinemic
no antibodies
colostrum quality?
use a colostrometer - readings in the green zone indicates good quality, this colostrum can be used or stored
readings in the red zone - indicates poor quality - less than 20mg/ml of immunoglobulin –> this colostrum should be discarded
readings in the amber zone indicate marginal quality
13,14 (lect 3)
The 3 Q’s of feeding colustrum?
Quantity
Quality
Quickly
Different ways to feed calves?
teats vs buckets
computerised milk feeding
ad-lib milk
milk replacer feeding?
ideally feed transition milk for 3 days - increased antibody levels
2 types of protein source:
skim and weigh
skim?
by product of butter and cream manufacture –> more expensive
whey?
by-product of cheese manufacture
Doesn’t form a milk clot
% of protein we aim for?
24-26% protein
milk replacer powder?
generally cheaper than whole milk
reduced risk of disease transmission
more consistent than whole milk
why do we avoid plant-based proteins?
e.g. soya and wheat as contains anti-nutrional factors and may not be fully soluble
vegetable fats added to replace?
butterfat
ash content should be?
<8%
18,19,20,21,23,24,29,30
Housing - environmental factors/needs?
thermal zone of comfort
cold
heat
wind-mechanical ventilation fans/polyethene ducts
humidity
atmospheric load
gases
drainage
urinary output
bedding
socialisation - avoid mizing different ages in common air space
common health problems in calves?
diarrhoea, pneumonia, joint infections, umbilical infections
minimising disease?
biosecurity
disinfection
hospital pens
all in all out principle
pneumonia and diarrhoea risk factors
Average culling rates of adult dairy cows?
20-25%
main reasons for culling?
infertility
mastitis
lameness
once moved onto feeding milk replacer?
mix at 42-45 degrees and then feed at 40 degrees
Replacements can be?
home bred - in control
bought in - biosecurity
Contract rearing?
paid by week
paid by weight gain
heifer development?
puberty - 3-10 months (>30% mature BW)
mating - 14-15 months (60-70% MATURE BW)
calving - 24 months (90-95% mature BW)
Heifer growth: 31
growth targets
target condition scores: 31,32
heifer milk yields?
maximise heifer milk yields by optimising pre-weaning growth rates
calves gaining 1kg a day produce:
about 1,000kg more milk during their first lactation than calves reared on a traditional system gaining about 500g a day
Quantity of colostrum?
a minimum of 3L (for an average sized calf) at the first feed and 6L in total within 12 hours
Quality of colostrum?
contains at least 50g/L of lgG and is of good hygienic quality
Quickly (feeding) Colostrum?
the first 3L within 2 hours of birth, then the second feed before 12 hours
What may colostrum contain that is considered as a caution?
an infectious agent such as Myobacterium paratuberculosis
What does Pasteurisation do?
it reduces Ig concentration and is not recommended
what does Ig stand for in terms of colostrum?
stands for immunoglobulin
what will destroy immunoglobulins?
micro-wave at a high level
what temperature should colostrum be fed at?
at body temperature of 38 degrees celcius
how can frozen colostrum be thawed?
in the refrigerator overnight or can also thaw in water bath
how can colostrum be warmed?
in a water bath, maximum temperature of 50 degrees so the colostrum itself reaches 40-42 degrees
when warming the colostrum, why do we warm it to 40-42 degree and not the core body temp of 38 degrees?
this allows for slight cooling before it reaches the calf
once the colostrum is warmed, when do you have to use it?
use within 30 mins
Why do we not use a microwave to reheat/thaw the colostrum nor overheat the colostrum?
this will destroy the antibodies
How long can you store the colostrum in the refrigerator?
24 hours
How long can you store the colostrum in the freezer?
up to 1 year
storage method of colostrum in fridge?
1-2litre containers
storage method of colostrum in the freezer?
1-2 litre zip bags/purpose made flat storage bags
storage temp of colostrum in fridge?
4 degrees
storage temp of colostrum in freezer?
-18 to -20 degrees
when onto feeding milk replacer, what is the quantity and the concentration?
minimum 3L twice daily
Concentration 150g/L
minimum feed 900g/day
why can you not feed calves with their head and neck going downwards?
does not correctly mimic the natural way a calf feeds
some of the food will end up in the rumen when it is not supposed to
what are the advantages of the milk replacer powder?
generally cheaper than whole milk
reduced risk of disease transmission
more consistent than whole milk
when is cudding initiated in a calf?
initiated from two weeks onwards
when do calves have a functional rumen?
6-8 weeks
when do calves have a fully developed rumen?
12 weeks
what does the development of the rumen papillae need?
straw and concentrate
what does the straw and the concentrate provide for rumen development of a calf?
straw provides fibre and the concentrate provides volatile fatty acids
Difference between milk fed veal calves and ones that are fed milk+hay/milk+grain?
milk only results in no rumen or papillae development
how do we take calves off of milk?
they need to be step-weaned off milk
how do you step-wean a calf off of milk?
gradually decrease the amount of milk fed per day to encourage intakes of solid feeds (e.g. concentrates and fibre)
how old is a calf at weaning (no milk feeds)?
8-10 weeks
how much does a calf need to be consuming before fully withdrawing milk?
consuming 2kg/day consistently for a minimum of three days
weaning weight compared to birth weight?
at least double the birth weight
e.g. 40kg birth weight and weaning weight ideally >100kg
noisy calves =
hungry calves
which is the best way to monitor preweaning calf performance?
growth rate
where should the air inlets and outlets be for housing cattle?
air outlet at the top/peak BECAUSE warm air rises
air inlets can be coming in at the sides - just at where the roof meets the walls
SINGLE PENNING: of calves
Reduces risk of infection
max. individ attention
early disease identification
assists preventing navel sucking
no bullying
individ recording
UNABLE TO HUDDLE
higher critical temp
unable to avoid draughts
calf size unimportant
poss. unable to groom
quicker routine procedure
individ identification easier
more expensive per calf
fewer calves in given area
labour input greater due to regular inspection
higher costs
GROUP PENNING: of calves
higher chance of infection
improved stockmanship
hard to identify early signs of disease
allows navel sucking
allows bullying
recording = less accurate
able to huddle
lower critical temp
can avoid draughts
calves need to be same size in group
can groom
more time required to catch calves
must be able to identify calves
less spenny per calf place
more calves in a given area
less labour except in early stages
tendency to neglect regular inspection
lower costs
BETTER FOR ANIMAL WELFARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
stockmanship?
the art and science of properly handling cattle or other farm animals
what is the target age to calve compared to the UK average?
target age - 24 months
UK average - 28 months
primiparous cows?
the animals that are experiencing the transition period for the first time
multiparous cows?
having had more than one calf
what percentage more are heifers likely to get preggers than multiparous cows?
70%
what is a good indicator of when heifers commence oestrus activity?
liveweight is a much better indicator than age
Heifers which are well grown commence cycling when?
at an earlier age than their lighter herd mates
How do we measure the growth targets for heifer growth?
Live-weight
Band weight
Wither height
Condition score
Target condition scores (0-5) for Holsteins:
service –> 2.5-3
calving –> 3-3.5
daily cost of rearing per heifer?
£1.47 to £3.35
estimates of cost of rearing heifers range from?
£1,000 to £2,000
what percentage of the total costs of rearing a heifer is made up from the ‘birth to weaning’ period?
10.8%
what percentage of the total costs of rearing a heifer is made up from the ‘weaning to conception’ period?
40.4%
what percentage of the total costs of rearing a heifer is made up from the ‘conception to calving’ period?
24.5%
what is the longest period of heifer development?
weaning to conception
what are the costs (associated with heifer rearing) affected by?
age at first calving
the % of time the heifer spent at grass, grass = cheaper
calving pattern - block herd cheaper
herd size - larger herds = cheaper, achieves economies of scale
breed - Holstein = most ££
AFC?
at first calving
what % of heifers do not finish their first lactation?
22%
what % of heifer calves born alive do not calve a second time?
25-40%
main reason for heifer losses?
difficult to get back in calf
low first lactation yields
poor growth rates post calving
health problems
lameness
how do we maximise heifer milk yields?
by optimising pre-weaning growth rates
