Unit 3 - Gestation Management

Question 1

What are the 6 key activities involved in gestation management?

Answer 1

1) Pregnancy Diagnosis
2) Performance Evaluation
3) Phenotype Evaluation
4) Parasite Control
5) Nutritional Evaluation
6) Preparation for the pre-calving period

Question 2

What are the 3 major functions of the Gestation Management period?

Answer 2

1) identification of breeding females for retention
2) health maintenance
3) preparation for increased nutritional demands of the pre-calving period.

Question 3

What are the 2 types of benefits that come from early pregnancy detection?

Answer 3

1) cost savings
2) forage resource conservation

Question 4

What form of preg checking can detect a pregnancy at 60 to 90 days?

Answer 4

Rectal Palpation

Question 5

What form of preg checking can detect pregnancy at 30 days?

Answer 5

Trans-rectal ultrasound

Question 6

Beef cows should be culled from breeding herds and marketed according to what performance criteria?

Answer 6

1) open (non-pregnant)
2) failed to wean a calf
3) poor calf performance (poor milk/late calving)
4) poor maternal behavior
5) previous calving difficulties (dystocia)
6) poor disposition
7) obvious lameness

Question 7

What physical (phenotypic) traits in beef cows should be considered for culling?

Answer 7

1) poor udder
2) excessively worn or missing teeth

Question 8

How often should parasite control be administered in Kansas?

Answer 8

Twice annually. Stop deworming after 2 years of age.

Question 9

Failure to control parasite infestation causes what 2 types of cases?

Answer 9

1) In clinical cases
2) In subclinical cases

Question 10

What symptoms will occur in “in clinical cases”?

Answer 10

1) unthriftiness
2) anemia
3) weight loss

Question 11

What symptoms will occur in “in subclinical cases”?

Answer 11

1) decreased feed efficiency
2) delayed pregnancy
3) milk production
4) immune response

Question 12

When should parasite control be applied?

Answer 12

Post-weaning

Question 13

What are the 5 keys to selecting the correct parasite control product?

Answer 13

1) target parasites
2) timing
3) efficacy
4) route of administration
5) value

Question 14

List the nutritional priorities from highest to lowest.

Answer 14

1) maintenance
2) growth
3) Lactation
4) Fetal growth
5) breeding
6) body reserve

Question 15

What are the impacts of inadequate nutrition during mid and late gestation?

Answer 15

-calving difficulty more likely
-reduced calf survival
-inadequate calf immunity
-reduced milk production and calf growth
-delayed estrus and delayed conception
-reduced weaning weights following year due to later calving dates

Question 16

What is the equivalent of a change of 1 body condition score?

Answer 16

It is equal to a change in body weight of 100 lbs (mature cow) or 80 lbs ( heifer)

Question 17

What’s is the scale range for body condition in beef cows?

Answer 17

1 (emaciated) - 9 (obese)

Question 18

Cow body condition measure what?

Answer 18

Relative fleshiness

Question 19

Body condition is directly proportional to what?

Answer 19

1) calving
2) reproductive performance

Question 20

What is used to allow quantitative management of cow nutrition?

Answer 20

Body condition evaluation

Question 21

What is the ideal form of assessing body condition?

Answer 21

Tactile assessment

Question 22

Why are visual assessment not ideal for body condition?

Answer 22

It can lead to erroneous score.
-all animals are structured uniquely.
-minor differences in gut fill can cause major differences in appearance.
- hide color and degree of lighting can mask true body condition.

Question 23

How many areas of anatomical reference should you always use?

Answer 23

Two

Question 24

What are Professor Olsons 3 prefered anatomical reference points to assess body condition?

Answer 24

1) palpate the spine just posterior to the withers
2) palpate ribs just posterior to the point of the shoulder
3) palpate both sides of the tail head