PMVPH Flashcards
what acidity should the rumen have for effective fermentation?
neutral
what is the size of the fibres needed for proper rumen health?
The diet needs to include sufficient fibre (2cm – 4cm) for proper rumen function (needs to be at least this size)
how much time should a cow rest per day and why?
Cow lie down for 14h a day, they need it. We should not move them too much otherwise they become less productive.
How to assess cow comfort?
1h before eating they should have spend 85% of their time lying down
which % of the herd should be lying down?
60% of the herd should be lying down.
what is the minimum size of the through space?
Proper trough space (=60cm at least) and access to clean water are important for cow nutrition.
we need a lot of space around the social trough because they like drinking together.
what is the calculation of the dry matter intake?
DMI = 0.025xBW + 0.1xmilk yield
what should be the dunk scoring description?
should fall flat on the ground, handclapping sound, boots do not stick to it.
what is fat cow syndrome?
it occurs when slightly before or after the cow calves ⇒ more calcium demand ⇒ the cow cannot cope with the demand and becomes weak:
impaired muscle function, uterine inertia (inability of the uterus to contract properly), and increased risk of other metabolic disorders such as ketosis.
what is the most important period in cows life?
dry cow period is the most important period to look at
→ there is a critical 6 weeks either sides of calving.
problems during the dry period can cause :
- Poor DMI after calving
- Metabolic disease- Ketosis, Fatty Liver Syndrome, Fat Cow Syndrome, LDA etc
- Poor Milk Production
- Poor Fertility§
when do we do cows metabolic profiles?
4 times a year -
- soon after spring turn out to grass
- mid to late summer when pasture quality is highly available
- soon after housing
- late in winter housing period
- could also do it after major diet change
At each sampling take normal healthy cows which represent the cows on the farm on the day of sampling.
what are common errors done when sampling cows?
- Sampling cows calved more than 20 days
- Failure to include some Lactation 1 cows in each group
- Sampling immediately after a major management change- always wait 10 days for things to settle down
- Including problem or poor cows.
when do the heifers receive their first service?
15 month of age
minimum weight and height of a calf for insemination?
minimum weight of 375 kilograms and a minimum height of 132 centimeters (measured at the hips)
what should be the birth rate of calf?
should be 97% in cows and 92% in heifers.
How to measure the quality of colostrum?
refractometer and it should be minimum 22%
How much colostrum should the calf receive in the first 12h?
6L in the first 12h after birth
6 pints in the first 6 hours.
if there is a problem => humans do it :
2L in the 1st hour
2L in the next 6h
2L in the next 6h
how much time can we keep the colostrum for
24h at 4d or you freeze it.
How to know if the calf has enough colostrum?
- take a blood sample from a 2-7 days healthy calves (red top tube for serum ⇒ no anti-coagulant)
- measure the total protein due to a refractometer. Put a drop of the serum and check the total prot measure.
→ we want 55g/L or 5.5g/dl
this needs to be linked with the age of the animal.
why do we subsidies farmers?
to keep the food affordable.
what are normal blood calcium levels/
normal calcium levels are 2.2-2.5mmol/L
why do we really need to be careful at calcium regarding calving cows?
Low blood calcium
levels in “healthy” animals within the first five days of calving have been associated
with a higher risk of
* Metritis
* Displaced abomasum
* Lower rumination rate after calving
* Higher fat mobilisation
What is milk fever and how to prevent it?
it is when a cow is hypocalcaemic around the time of calving because of of increased calcium demand. It can lead to depression coma and death.
we need to prevent it by training the Ca2+ releasing mechanisms to produce Ca2+ in the body in order to cope with the calcium demand. => prior to calving we create a slight acidosis (by reducing K+ and Na+ in diet 3 weeks before calving + add anioninc salt containing chloride and sulfate) in the body because the way to re-adjust the pH is to extract some Ca2+ from the bones. Therefore this trains the mechanisms.
if severe hypocalcaemia in your cow what should you do?
give 400ml of ca2+ solution. Give it slowly and always with Mg+ and monitor the heart at the same time.
