Livestock Systems: Dairy- Tutorial Flashcards
What is the difference between calving index and calving interval?
The amount of time (days or months) between the birth of a calf and the birth of a subsequent calf, both from the same cow.
Calving Index is the average Calving Interval of all cows in a herd at any given time, expressed in days
poor calving index causes
Infectious causes of infertility Poor nutrition Poor oestrous detection Infertility of the bull Poor pregnancy detection Genetics- selection for milk not fertility Vwp AI skills Social environment of the herd Average age in herd Veterinary issues
feeding management of dairy cows differ between Spring and Winter seasons. How?
In spring, the aim is that the cow should graze a high amount of quality grass with appropriate supplementation. When less than 8kg of grass dry matter per cow is available, the deficit should be made up with a forage e.g. grass silage, as well as concentrate. This will ensure the cow is getting enough fibre. Stop feeding silage when enough fresh grass is available
winter feeding is accomplished with harvested forages, mainly hay and silage.
