Underperformance in cows Flashcards
What is a KPI?
A Key Performance Indicator
What age should you aim for heifers to be first serviced and calf?
First service 15m, calf at 24 months
WHat weight and height should you aim to have your heiffers at by 15 months?
375kg
132cm
What are the descriptors for the calving scores (0-4)
0-no hand touches the calf
1-Hand touches the calf but no rope
2-Rope is used, gentle pull
3-Rope is used and pulled hard
4-Caeserean Section
What is the average milk yield of a dairy cow in the UK?
7-7,500 L
What percentage of scores 3/4 should we aim for in cows and heifers?
<10% cow
<15% heifer
What is the definition of live birth rate?
% of calves born which are alive and survive for 24 hr
What live birth rate should we aim for in cows and heifers?
Cow - 97%
Heifer - 92%
When should you dip the navel and with what?
Immediately after birth, Repeat after 24h
7% Iodine, totally immerse
How much colostrum should the calf receive in the first 6 hours and 12 hours?
6 pints in the first 6 hours, 6 litres in the first 12 hours
absorption better when suckled from dam or in dam’s presence
If colostrum is being given by humans, how quickly should we give how much?
2 litres within the first 2 hours
Another 2 litres within the first 6 hours
another 2 litres within the next 6 hours
So still 6 litres in the first 12 hours
When should you collect colocstrum from cows and how should it be stored?
Collect from the first and second milkings i na stainless steel bucket
Measure quality with colostrometer
Bottle into 2 litre containers (to make easy to know how much you are giving). Refrigerate at 4 degrees for up to 24 hours, if freezing should freeze imediately. Thaw in warm water when want to use
How can you monitor your colostral intake?
Serum:
Total protein
Zinc sulphate turbidity test (vla)
Refractometer
Blood sample healthy calves 2-7 days old, red top (plain tube) to allow it to clot
Send to lab for TP or ZST
What level of TP should you expect if you’ve been feeding good colostrum?
> 55g/L or 5.5g/dL
How should calf milk replacer be prepared
Hygeinic preparation
According to instructions
What is the general concentraiton of CMR?
Around 12.5% (125g/L)
NB small variation can lead to be big variation in how much the calf gets over the course of a day/week
How much concentrates should you feed calves and when should you get them used to eating it?
Guideline - 1kg/day at weaning
Should start feeding them concentrates before weaning (fresh, don’t let old concentrates accumulate in bucket, palatable) so that they are used to eating concentrates at weaning rather than being starved into eating them
How should you approach calf diarrhoea?
Not just a bug and a drug!
Look at the environment, immune status, feeding etc to try and decrease the likely hood of pathogens taking hold
How are KPIs calculated?
usually by software eg interherd
Carefully find out from farmer how the parameters are calculated and therefore what they mean. Don’t jump to conclusions!
What is the typical target and interference level for calving interval?
Target 365 days
Interference 380 days
What is the typical target and interference for EARLIEST service date post calving?
Target 50
Intervene <42
What is the target and interference for calving to FIRST service interval?
65 days
Interfere if over 75 days
