Midterm 2: Beef 1 Flashcards
________ x ________ = nutrient intakes in absolute amounts per day to satisy requirements
nutrient concentrations in feedstuff (%DM, g/kg of DM) x dry matter intake (kg/day)
what are the 3 big priority of nutrients for beef cattle IN ORDER of biggest priority to least priority?
- 1st priority: maintenance of pregancy (both mother and fetus)
- 2nd priority: production (growth and milk)
- 3rd priority: reproduction (breeding or rebreeding)
what are the 3 major components of beef cattle production?
- cow calf
- stocker/backgrounding
- finishing
the goal of a cow calf production is
to produce one live calf per cow per year
cow calf operations utilize what kind of diet?
- high fiber diets
average cow is what weight at weaning?
520kg
what is the diet like in a cow calf production?
minaly forages like pasture, hay, crop residues, supplemental energy, protein, mineral and vitamins as needed
why are most calves born feb to april?
minimize heat stress that could happen from July to September, and to provide high quality and quantity of forages to support the momma cows in lactation
when are beef calves usually weaned? what is average weaning weight? when are most calves sold after weaning?
5 to 9 months
240kg
usually sold in 60 days following weaning
in beef cows, immunoglobulin absorption ceases after how long after birth? when is maximum colostrum ingestion?
24 hours
max colostrum ingestion in the first 3 hours of life for the calf
what are the 3 main effects when there is failure of passive transfer in beef calves?
- increased risk of getting sick in the first month by 6 times
- increased risk of dying before weaning by 5 times
- decreased weaning weight by about 15kg
if a beef calf is not suckling what should you do?
feed colostrium or colostrum replacer, ideally 10% of their body weight in the first 6 hours after birth
what is “creep feeding” in beef calves? what are the objectives of using creep feeding?
giving supplemental feed to calves before they are weaned, and the concentrate is formulated specific for the calves, basically the calf has access to a bunker to make adjustment of weaning easier (adult cows do not have access to it)
objectives:
- ease stress of weaning
- reduce burden on thin or young growing cows
- increase in average daily gain in the calves
- use supplemental feed when pasture availability or quality is low
- supplement the calves of heifers (first time moms) which have lower milk production
- to increase stocking rates
creep fed beef calves will: (4 things)
- be heavier at weaning than non creep fed calves
- consume grains in drylot background programs more readily
- regain losses from weaning and shipping faster
- often exhibit a lower incidence of post weaning morbidity and mortality
creep feeding rations for feeding calves are usually what % crude protein?
14 to 18%
what are some benefits of early weaning?
- eliminate the cows nutrient requirements for lactation
- improve cow body condition score
- dry matter intake decreases by about 25%
- decreased trampling losses (removal of calves)
- improves in 30% forage availability for the cow
- early weaned cows are highly efficient at converting feed to live weight
when is early weaning of calves recommended? when is the earliest they can be weaned, and when are they usually weaned?
- recommended when cows body condition score or forage supply is low
- calves can be weaned after 2 months or as soon as the rumen is functional, but usually done with calves around 4 months
what does “preconditioning” calves mean?
this is when they are vaccinated 2x, dewormed, castrated, dehorned, and trained to eat from a bunk and drink from a trough
after weaning, heifers and bull calves are moved to what type of diet? This diet is fed to acheive what goal?
high forage diet, fed to acheive puberty and optimize reproductive efficiency
when do young heifers and bulls reach their mature weight?
4 to 5 years of age
heifers that conceive earlier in the first breeding season….
have a greater probability of weaning more and heavier calves during their lifetime
selection for earlier puberty will do what 2 things:
- decrease feed costs for maintenance
- increased reproduction performance
breeding season for heifers should start when? and why?
30 days earlier than the cows because:
- they require a longer period of time to return to normal cycling after calving
- to give them extra time to regain body condition score and grow before the second breeding season
what are the major cause of variation in age at puberty?
pre and post wenaing nutrition (aka, the nutrition of the young cow before and after weaning will have a huge effect on how soon they reach puberty)
in what way does post weaning nutrition affect pregnancy rates?
the higher the average daily gain, the higher the pregnancy rates, and the younger the age at puberty
heifers have a mature body weight of _____. usually weight at weaning is ______ at 205 days
600kg
230kg
what is the amount of post weaning growth to acheive puberty at 13 months?
they need to gain 130 kg in 185 days which is 0.70kg per day
heifers should be kept at what body condition score?
5 to 7
what are the consequences of over conditioning heifers?
- increasing feeding cost
- increase incidence of silent heat
- decrease conception rate
- decrease embryonic and neonatal survival
- increasing calving difficulty
- decrease mammary development and milk production
what are the vitamins of particular concern in beef cattle?
A,D, and E