Facilities and Beef on Dairy/Veal Flashcards
What are housing system goals on dairy farms?
Provide environment that protects animals from extreme weather conditions, access to feed and water, dry comfortable resting area, appropriate floor surface, good working conditions for people, and economically feasible.
Loose Confinement
Animals can move freely about. Examples include - free stalls, bedded pack/compost pack, and dry lot.
Confinement
Animals restrained to one stall. Examples include - stanchions (headlocks) and tie stalls (collar around neck and chain)
What are stall design considerations?
Body space, head space, and lunge space.
Normal resting positions of cattle?
Long - rest with head extended forward along one or both front feet extended
Short - rest with heads along side and go into active sleep
Narrow (most common) - rests more on her sternum with neck at slight crook and the rear legs closer to body
Wide - Rests more on her side with the rear legs extended
One free stall design method
Neck rail - helps position cow when she enters stall - preserves space and minimizes manure in stalls
One free stall design method
Brisket board - position cow when she is lying down - prevents cow from lying too far forward
Free stall sizing/measurements
Narrow enough so cow can not turn around
Short enough so bed is free of manure
Long enough to provide adequate lunge space
What is ideal bedding?
Soft and dry - knee drop test
Does not support bacteria growth
Economical
4 C’s of bedding
Comfort, consistency, cushion, and cost
Inorganic bedding
Organic bedding
Dairy cow time budget
No more than 4 hours per day away from feed and water
Feed bunk considerations
Bunk space per cow 24 inches per cow
Push up frequency - feed may need to be pushed up 5-10 times per day
Clean out frequently
Targeted amount of refusals
Water considerations
Number, placement, delivery rate, ease of clean out
Lactating cows drink about 35-45 gal per day
Cows consume up to 5 gal per day
Clean out frequently
