Husbandry Flashcards
Which areas are best suited for grass production?
Long growing season with significant rainfall with moisture-retaining soils of high fertiliser status
What is rough grazing?
Uncultivated, unimproved grassland with no fertilisers, may have poor drainage and steep slopes, good biodiversity
Which animals is rough grazing adequate for?
Sheep fine, animals for slaughter need higher quality
Definition of grassland management
Production and utilisation of grasses and other plants species such as clover and lucerne
What is permanent grazing also known as?
Pasture
Definition of permanent grassland?
Grass that is maintained without reseeding, at least five years old
What % of UK area is rough, permanent and rotational grazing?
23, 25, 5
How is permanent grassland created?
Gradual improvement of rough grazing by improving drainage and application of fertilisers
What is an alternative name for rotational grazing?
Grass leys
What happens if rotational grazing is not re-sown?
Reverts to the species mix of permanent grassland
What kind of farms is rotational grazing found on?
Mixed arable-livestock and dairy
What is the grass from young leys best suited for?
Silage and feeding to milking cows
What are the two types of grass growth?
Vegetative (tillering) and reproductive
What is vegetative production and when does it occur?
New shoots at ground level becoming new plants , occurs during the autumn
What stimulates vegetative growth?
Defoliation - grazing, mowing and cutting
What is reproductive growth and when does it occur?
Stem elongation and development of the flowering head in spring and summer
When are the most productive pastures grazed?
Spring to delay reproductive growth and autumn to stimulate tillering
What is the lowest possible and optimal temperature for grass growth?
5, 20-25
What is an example of a high yielding, low yielding and weed grass?
Italian rye grass, meadow grass, yorkshire fog
How do you classify grassland?
1 good to 5 poor, based on texture (moisture holding capacity) and rainfall between April and September
What are the principle nutrients that grasslands require?
Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur
Where is there concern over the use of nitrogen?
Nitrogen vulnerable zones
What is a sward?
Expanse of short grass
What the three factors determining the nutritional quality of grassland?
Dry matter content, digestibility and energy, protein
What is the best way to control sward quality?
Measure the height around the field and take an average
Which management decision must be made when controlling grass quality?
Setting stocking rate, putting the right stock on the best fields, extending grazing season, optimizing fertiliser use, using restricted grazing, when to give supplementary feed
Why can mixed grazing improve sward quality?
Sheep can graze closer to the ground and stimulate tillering
What are some advantages of including clover in the sward?
Increase forage intake, has complementary growth curve, fixes nitrogen to increase fertility, improves soil structure, high mineral content
Why is topping swards tightly useful?
Encourages tillering, improves density
What are advantages of topping immediately prior to grazing?
Increases dry matter content and intakes
What are grass harrows used for?
To remove invasive species and dead material
What is set stocking and where is it found?
Livestock have access to one area for the whole season, found in extensive grazing areas like uplands
What are advantages and disadvantages of set stocking?
Grass growth in spring becomes mature and wasted, less intense pressure from livestock and reduced poaching, fencing and water troughs kept to a minimum, encourages dense sward rich in clover
What are advantages and disadvantages of paddock grazing?
Intensive management, higher capital costs, can accurately match nutritional demands with forage availability, can reduce parasitic worm burden, can use small areas for conservation where grass growth exceeds requirements
Where/why is strip grazing used?
When livestock access to larger area would result in trampling and spoiling - in the dairy and beef sector and with beef and sheep where root crops are primary forage
When is silage produced and which cut is the most important?
2-3 times per year, first cut in late may is the most important
How tall is grass used for silage?
60cm
During silage production, what are the names of the lines the grass is cut into?
Swarths
Why does lactic acid production stop at pH 4?
Bacteria did
What month is hay-making done?
Late june before flowering
Why is haylage more popular over hay for horses?
Reduced dust, more palatable (lower acids and higher sugar), higher nutritional value, production less weather dependent
Why does increased bale density reduce moulding risk?
Less air trapped
What are internal parasites of livestock involved in grassland management?
Roundworms, lung worms, liver fluke
What are the intermediate hosts of liver fluke?
Snails
What are the intermediate hosts of tapeworms?
Pasture mites
What is the gestation of a sheep?
147 days
How long before second stage of parturition does ewe separate from flock?
6-12 hours
What % of lambs are born in anterior presentation?
95%
What is the drug given under the tongue in lambs not breathing?
Dopram
What should the navel be sprayed with?
Iodine or oxytetracycline
How much colostrum does the lamb need in the first 6 hours?
50ml/kg
How much colostrum does the lamb need in the first 24 hours?
200ml/kg
Within what time period is the placenta normally shed in sheep?
4 hours
What are signs of retained placenta in sheep?
Off feed, raised temperature - need antibiotic cover
What is used to dilate cervix in ringwomb?
Calcium borogluconate
How can you tell if lambs are dead?
Dry and leathery foetal membranes, foetus crackly and doesn’t move
What should you do if a lambs temperature is less than 37 for less than 6 hours?
Keep them dry, 50ml/kg colostrum, warm them back up, return to ewe and monitor
What should you do if a lambs temperature is less than 37 for over six hours and it’s unable to hold its head up?
10ml/kg 20% glucose by intra-peritoneal injection, warm and return to ewe, monitor
What should you do if a lamb’s temperature is less than 37 for more than 6 hours and it’s able to hold its head up?
Feed colostrum, warm and return to ewe?
Which part of the ewe should you check if you find a hypothermic lamb?
The udder
What are symptoms of twin lamb disease?
Off feed, star gazing, failure to get up when approached, tooth grinding, blindness
What is the treatment for suspected pregnancy toxaemia? OR hypocalcaemia?
60ml propylene glycol orally and 50ml of calcium borogluconate 20% by subcutaneous injection
From highest to lowest, what is the fat content of sow, goat, cow and ewe milk?
Sow ewe goat cow
From highest to lowest, what is the protein content of sow, goat, ewe and cow milk?
Sow, ewe, goat = cow
How many litres of colostrum do calves and lambs require in the first six hours?
2 litres, 100 mls
Is protein higher is young or mature grass?
Lower in mature, higher in young
How is fibre content related to protein content?
Inverse
What does high fibre produce in the rumen which raises milk fat?
Acetate
What happens to nitrates in the rumen?
Reduced to nitrite
Which three vitamins is grass a good source of?
A, E and B
After which month does grass quality deteriorate?
June
What is fog fever and what causes it?
Interstitial pneumonia (acute bovine pulmonary emphysema and oedema), caused by tryotophan
What can clovers and lucernes cause?
Bloat
What is alfalfa high in and what can this cause?
Potassium - hyperkalaemic periodic paralysis (impressive syndrome) associated with mutations of voltage gated sodium channels especially in american quarter horses
What can fungally spoiled clovers produce and what can this cause?
Oestrogenic compounds (coumestrol) associated with infertility
What toxins do brassicas contain?
Nitrates, photosensitisers, haemolytic anaemia factors (S-methylcysteine sulphoxide), oxalates, glucosinolates (goitrogenic factors eg thiocyanates), sulphur and molybdenum
What are oilseeds good for and what toxins can they contain?
Good for protein and energy. Cottonseed can contain gossypol causing respiratory problems, linseed blue flowers can contain hydrogen cyanide, rapeseed yellow flowers can contain goitrin
What % DM content is needed in grass used for silage?
20%
What water content of grass is needed in haymaking?
20%
What is used to encourage drying in haymaking?
Crimps, rollers, crushers, tripods, racks
What % of beta carotene can oxidation in haymaking remove?
99%
Other than beta-carotene, what vitamin level is reduced by haymaking?
Vitamin E
What pathogens can poor quality silage/hay carry and what can they cause?
Listeria (abscess, abortion, iritis), aspergillus (mycotic abortion) and actinomycetes (farmers lung)
What can be done to straw to increase digestibility?
Alkali treat
What can excess concentrates cause?
Acidosis and bloat in ruminants
Which species are oats, barley and wheat or maize given to?
Oats to horses, barley to pigs and ruminants, wheat or maize to poultry
What is a problem caused by low calcium in cereals?
Poor Ca/P ratio which upsets bone growth, causes osteomalacia and big head in horses
What substances are limiting in concentrates?
Methionine in poultry, lysine in pigs and poor in some B vitamins
In what conditions are vitamin E levels low in concentrates?
When they are stored wer
Why are brassica roots (swedes and turnips) not given at or just before milking?
Can taint milk
What problems does light exposure in potatoes cause?
Increase content of solanidines which cause gastroenteritis
What age/weight are weaner pigs?
4-8 weeks, 7-20kg
What age/weight are grower pigs?
9-14 weeks, 20-50kg
What age/weight are finisher pigs?
15-22weeks, 50-100kg
What causes post-weaning scour?
E coli causing dehydration
What is the minimum age/weight for weaning pigs?
6kg or 21 days
What time period is the “immune gap” in pigs?
2-3 weeks
What is a good water supply rate for a weaner pig?
1 litre in 180 seconds
What should creep feeds contain?
Digestible cooked cereals and milk products, high protein and energy, palatable
What is the ideal temperature for pigs?
28 degrees
What are the main diseases of weaner pigs?
Scour and meningitis
What is feed conversion efficiency?
Amount of feed needed to produce 1kg growth
What is daily weight gain in a typical grower-finisher? And what is the genetic potential?
600g per day and 900g per day
What are some key performance indicators in pigs?
Weight of pig produced, mortality, feed conversion ratio, daily liveweight gain
How much higher than the outside temperature should ventilation be able to raise the temperature by?
3 degrees
What should air speed at pig height be?
0.1m per sec
What should pig humidity be?
60-80%
What % space do pigs need when lying down?
Stretched out plus 40%
How much floor space should be visible when pigs are standing?
Half
How long should a trough be?
Long enough for all pigs to feed at the same time
What is liveweight of fresh pork?
60-75kg
What is liveweight of bacon?
100kg
What is liveweight of heavy hog?
110kg+
What % of a pigs liveweight is its carcase weight? A bacon pig?
70-80%, 75%
What is average household spend on poultry in 2010 per week?
£2
What was 2012 poultry vs meat consumption per capita?
31.5kg vs 79.3kg
What was 2013 per capita consumption of eggs?
185
If poultry consumption rate continues increasing, what % production rate increase will be required?
5-16% from current 110 million tonnes
How much poultry meat is produced per annum?
1.64 million tonnes
How many eggs are produced per annum?
9755 million
What is poultry contribution to GDP?
£3.6 billion
How many people are employed in the poultry industry?
73900
What % of total livestock production is poultry? Eggs?
23 %, 10%
Number of broiler chickens?
950 million
Number of commercial layers?
33 million
Number of turkeys?
19 million
Number of ducks?
18 million
In 2012 how much poultry was produced?
1.6 million tonnes
What is expected growth of poultry industry?
1% per year
Average weight of meat bird?
3.7-3.8kg
Average weight of egg layer?
1.7-8kg
How much feed does a meat bird need for 1kg body weight?
1.5kg
What is male:female breeding ratio for chicken breeding?
1 male breeds with 10 females
How many years does it take for traits in pedigree chickens to get into production?
5 years
How many birds in a standard broiler house?
30,000
What % of broiler houses have windows?
90%
Age at slaughter for broiler chickens?
33-38 days
Bedding in broiler house?
Woodchip or chopped straw
Temperature of broiler house when chickens enter and when they leave?
33 to 20 degrees
How much time outdoors to qualify for free-range?
50%
What age at slaughter for free range broiler chickens?
12 weeks (84 days)
What year was battery cage outlawed?
2012
Minimum number of birds in caged house?
80
What % of turkey production does QBT (quality british turkey) cover?
85%
At what age are turkey hens slaughtered and how much do they weigh?
12-14 weeks, 10kg
At what age are male turkeys slaughtered and how much do they weigh?
24 weeks, 25kg
How many turkeys slaughtered annually?
19 million
How many million ducks are slaughtered annually?
18 million
What age are ducks slaughtered at?
38-40 days
At what age can you not pluck ducks?
50-70 days
What breed of duck in the UK?
Pekin
How many geese slaughtered annually?
500,000
How many weeks is the growth period in geese?
24-30 weeks
How many game birds slaughtered per annum?
30 million
Common zoonotic diseases of poultry?
Salmonella, campylobacter
How wide a field of vision do sheep have?
300 degree
How much does a mature ewe weigh?
50-115kg
How much can a mature ram weigh?
80-150kg
At what age does a sheep get its first pair of permanent incisors?
12-15 months
At what age does a sheep get its second pair of permanent incisors?
21 months
At what age does a sheep get its third pair of permanent incisors?
27 months
At what age does a sheep gets its fourth pair of permanent incisors?
33-36 months
What is the minimum age you should castrate a lamb?
24 hours
How soon after birth must castration using a ring be done?
One week
After which age must open castration in lambs be done by a vet?
Two months
When were cats domesticated?
10,000 years ago
How many sheep are there in the UK?
32.2 million
How many breeding ewes are there in the UK?
15.2 million
How many people are employed in the sheep sector? Or allied industries?
33,000, 111,000
What is the net benefit of sheep to the UK economy?
£465.9 million
What age sheep produces lamb?
Less than 1 year
What age sheep produces mutton?
Over 1 year
What age sheep produces yearling mutton?
1-2 years
Where does the UK rank for its sheep meat production?
11th
How much of the EU’s total sheep meat production is from the UK?
1/3
How many lambs, ewes and rams are slaughtered each year in the UK?
14.7 million, 2.4 million
How many tonnes of lamb and mutton were produced each year?
333,000
How much lamb and mutton is exported and how much imported?
94,000 tonnes, 138 million tonnes
What is the fat content of sheep milk compared to cows milk?
9% compared to 4%
How many sheep breeds are there in the world and in the UK?
1,000 world, 60 UK
What are some hill breeds?
Scottish blackface, swaledale, welsh mountain, speckleface and cheviots
What are some common crossing sire breeds?
Bluefaced and border leicester
What breeds are within the upland breeds?
Longwool crossing and longwool ewe
What are some terminal sires?
Texel, charollais, suffolk
What are some shortwool ewe breeds?
Polled dorset horn, Lleyn and clun forest
What are the ram and ewe in a mule?
Blueface leicester and swaledale
What are the ram and ewe in a grey face?
Border leicester and scottish blackface
What are the ram and ewe in a scottish half breed?
Border leicester and cheviot
What are the ram and ewe in a masham?
Wensleydale/teeswater and swaledale
What are the ram and ewe in a welsh mule?
Blueface leicester and welsh mountain
What are the ram and ewe in a welsh half bred?
Border leicester and welsh mountain
What is a terminal sire?
Offspring all sold as meat
What are some tail types?
Fat tailed or fat rumped, short or rat tailed
What % of breeding ewes are in hill or upland areas?
51%
What % of slaughtered sheep come from the lowlands?
66%
What month is the ewe put to ram?
Oct
What is the definition of a hill farm?
Over 90% rough grazing, steep terrain, 300m above sea level
What is stocking rate on hills and lowlands?
Per hectare: less than 1 ewe (hill), 17 ewes (lowlands)
How many lambings can hill ewes stand before they are moved to upland flocks and crossed with longwool breeds?
3 or 4
Which sheep breeds are found in the uplands?
Hill ewes crossed with upland longwool rams (border and blueface leicester) giving mules, greyfaces and half breds
What are some upland breeds?
North country cheviots, clun forest, hill radnor, kerry hill, blueface and border leicester
Which terminal sires are used in the uplands to make fat lambs for slaughter or for draft to lowland farms?
Down rams, texel, suffolk, charollais, oxford down
What sheep breeds are found in the lowlands?
Dorset horn, kent, romney marsh or suffolk, sometimes texel
How do lowland sheep contribute to other farming enterprises?
Improving fertility of grassland and crops by promoting tillering and fertilising), using by-products such as beet tops and straw and using root break crops in a cereal rotation
What is the oestrus period of a sheep?
17 days
What is the gestation period of a sheep?
147 days (5 months)
How many ewes per ram?
40-50
