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ICC: Farm Animal > FAC3-5: Suckler, Cow, and Bull Management > Flashcards

FAC3-5: Suckler, Cow, and Bull Management Flashcards

1
Q

What is the target cow:bull ratio during breeding?

A

1: 50
1: 20 for young bull

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2
Q

What is the target length of time for a mating period?

A

9 weeks

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3
Q

What is the target percentage of cow/heifers in calf at PD?

A

at least 95%

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4
Q

What is the target calving period?

A

9-12 weeks

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5
Q

What is the target for how many calves are still alive at one week old?

A

≥98%

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6
Q

What is the target number of calves alive at weaning?

A

≥98%

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7
Q

What is the target age of sale for bull beef, steers, and heifers?

A

12 months bull beef

18 months steers and heifers

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8
Q

How does one assess the genetic merit of a bull?

A

Estimated breeding values (EBVs)

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9
Q

What are the main characteristics of EBV testing?

A
  • Breed specific
  • Presented as an average for the breed
  • Reliant on phenotypic data collected from recorded pedigree herds
  • Calculated using BLUP (Best Linear Unbiased Prediction)
  • Variable accuracy

REMEMBER: a bull only makes up half of a calf’s genetics.

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10
Q

How do you control for infectious diseases when bringing in a bull?

A
  • Isolate for 28 days and observe for signs of infectious disease
  • Screen for:
    • BVD
    • Johne’s
    • IBR
    • Leptospirosis
  • Treat for liver fluke
  • Only by virgin bulls
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11
Q

When does one conduct a Bull Breeding Soundness Exam (BBSEs)?

A
  • Prior/after sale
  • 6-8 weeks before breeding season - spermatogenesis takes two months
  • When a problem is suspected
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12
Q

What are the different levels of a BBSE?

A

Level 1 - Physical Exam

Level 2 - Physical Exam + Semen Evaluation

Level 3 - Physical Exam + Semen Evaluation + Libido/Serving Capacity

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13
Q

At what temperature do you handle semen (and its collection equipment)? Why?

A

37C to prevent cold shocking

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14
Q

What are you looking at when you assess semen quality?

A
  • Volume and density (watery, milky, creamy)
  • Gross motility (scale 1-5)
    • A minimum of 60% should be progressively motile
  • Morphology
    • Minimum of 70% should be normal
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15
Q

What is the difference between primary and secondary semen morphological abnormalities? Which is more serious?

A

Primary: occurring during early spermatogenesis - more serious

Secondary: occurring during epididymal transit

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16
Q

How does one assess libido/servicing capacity of a bull?

A

you need to observe the bull mating females to ensure good libido and normal intromission

17
Q

Is a single BBSE enough to determine a diagnosis/cull stasis of a bull?

A

No. A bull should never be culled on the basis of a single evaluation and a re-test 60 days later should always be offered.

18
Q

Why is careful management of nutrition important throughout a cow’s productive cycle?

A

It is essential to maximise fertility and productivity.

Both over- and under-conditioned cows are more likely to experience dystocia and decreased neonatal calf survival.

Sufficient energy and protein is essential for adequate colostrum milk production

19
Q

What are the most common causes of perinatal/neonatal mortality?

A
  • Dystocia
  • Failure of passive transfer from inadequate colostrum intake
  • Early infection due to a dirty calving environment and failure of passive transfer
  • Congenital anomalies
20
Q

What are the common causes of dystocia? What is their common denominator?

A
  • Poor choice of bull badly matched to cow breed and confirmation
  • Undergrown heifers
  • High twinning rate
  • Over-conditioned cows
  • Under-conditions cows
  • Metabolic problems

THEY ARE ALL MANAGEMENT ISSUES

21
Q

How do you measure the failure of passive transfer in calves?

A

GGT, serum total protein, zinc sulphate turbidity test

22
Q

At what age do you start feeding the suckled calf?

A

At 4 months old, half its requirement should be met by grass, silage, or creep feed rather than milk.

Creep feeding can be introduced at any time after calving but should be fed for at least three weeks before weaning to reduce stress and to minimise a drop in performance at weaning.

23
Q

When should the calf be weaned?

A

Once calves are around 200 days old, 75% of its nutrient requirement should be from feeds other than milk

24
Q

Are finishing rations good on rumen health? Why?

How do you combat this?

A

Finishing rations contain less forage and more supplements than growing rations. This leads to increased rumen acidity and can be challenging to animal health (bloat, CCN, abomasal ulceration, nutritional diarrhoea)

Finishing rations should be introduced gradually and forage amounts slowly reduced over a period of a week

25
Q

What is the grading system for carcase classification? What does it judge?

A

EUROP (E=best)

Judges:

Conformation (E=best)

Fat (1-5)

Sex category (A = young bull; B = bull; C = steer; D= cow; E = heifer)

26
Q

What are the five management areas in which suckler herd health and welfare management can be influenced?

A

Bull choice and management

Nutritional management of cows

Perinatal calf management

Youngstock management

Heifer management

27
Q

What do you look for in the ideal bull purchase?

A

Safe to handle

In good health

Terminal Sire traits

Maternal trais

28
Q

When conducting a BBSE, what do you look at in the physical exam?

A

Feet and leg conformation

BCS

Eyes

Nose

General health

Scrotum

29
Q

When conducting a BBSE, what do you look for when examining the scrotum?

A

Scrotal circumference - directly related to sperm output

Palpate testes and prepuce

Disease

  • Orchitis
  • Epididymitis
  • Seminal vesiculitis
30
Q

When conducting a BBSE, what are some morphological issues with sperm that you could come across?

A

Proximal droplets: either immature sperm (or bull) or insult to sperm during development

Bent tails: thought to happen in the epididymis or due to cold weather or stressors

Pyriform Head: pear-shaped head making less able to join with oocyte - heat stress or hormonal disturbance

Detached head: often a rusty load or due to testicular abnormalities or inflammation of the epididymis or seminal vesicles

Vacuoles: Sperm less able to join with oocyte - heat stress or hormonal distrubance

31
Q

Why should you monitor BCS in cows re:breeding?

A

Fat cows = dystocia

Thin cows = extended anoestrus and cant get back into calf

32
Q

What are the benefits of artificial insemination and synchro in beef herds? Any down-sides?

A

Benefits

  • Can help drive a compact calving period
  • Can allow new and more varied genetics to be bought-in
  • Can help manage infectious abortion

Down-sides

  • Lots of handlings
  • Expensive
  • Animals only respond to synchro if they are in good BCS and have recovered will from calving
33
Q

What is the difference in parasite burden in spring born v autumn born calves?

A

Spring born

  • Take on worms slowly through the season
  • May arrest over winter
  • At risk of re-emergence in spring

Autumn

  • At turn out eating lots
  • At risk of parasitic gastroenteritis

ICC: Farm Animal (54 decks)

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