Unit 7 - Breeding Management Flashcards
What are the key activities?
1) deployment of sire power: AI or natural service
2) management and health of natural-service sites (cow to bull ratio, service pairings, daily breeding checks)
3) Processing of the calf crop
(Identification, vaccination, castration, and dehorning)
4) Natural-resources management: soil, forage, and water
Major functions of this period
1) support health and reproductive capabilities of bulls, heifers, and cows.
2) preserve and improve natural resources
3) prepare calves to enter marketing channels
What month is the onset of the breeding season for spring calving herds?
June-July
What month is the onset of the breeding season for fall calving herds?
December-January
What does the use of AI + natural-service breeding represent to most beef producers?
The best balance of rapid genetic improvement and competitive overall pregnancy rate.
How many beef producers, nationally, use AI?
Less than 10%
(Labor and time constraints = 40%
Degree of difficulty or complication = 20%
Unsuitable facilities = 7%)
What is the relevance of a regional and scale difference in AI use?
1) defined calving season
2) product confidence
3) profit motive
Besides financial benefits, what other benefits does AI bring?
1) AI progeny are likely to be born earlier
2) and genetically more capable of growth performance than natural-service progeny
What is breeding capacity?
The time honored rule of thumb that bulls can breed a number of females equal their age in months up to 40.
Age of Bull vs. cow capacity
12 months = 10-15
18 months = 15-20
24 months = 20-30
36 months = 25-35
48-72 months = 30-40
What can underestimating breeding capacity lead to?
Service overlap which increases risk of injury
Who can you seek advice from when it comes to breeding capacity?
Seedstock supplier, extension agent, or veterinarian
How many cows are bred when comparing oldest bulls vs. youngest bulls
Oldest bulls breed 60% and youngest bulls breed 15%
What 3 things are closely related to the number of service opportunities?
1) Age
2) Size
3) social ranking
Should bulls of different ages and size be paired in a breeding pasture?
No. Bulls of similar age and size should be paired.
What prevents younger bulls from serving to their capacity?
Older larger socially dominant bulls
What should be included as part of daily breeding checks for bulls?
1) libido
2) health
3) actively seeking and breeding females
3) injuries such as conjunctivitis, penis fracture, or dermatitis/foot rot
What are 3 purposes of calf processing and who provides these?
1) preparing calves to enter market channels
2) vaccination and health maintenance
3) record keeping and permanent ID
-the ANIMAL WELFARE HUMAN HEALTH SECURITY
When does calf marketing begin?
During breeding season
How is product quality developed in calf marketing?
By eliminating calf characteristics that subsequent segments in the beef production chain find undesirable such as:
Horns: used as weapons against humans and peers
Testicles: result in reduced meat quality and in undesirable behavior
When is the least traumatic time to remove horns and testicles?
Less than 60 days of age.
The horn bud is free floating and not attached to the skull and blood supply will be limited.
What are 3 dehorning methods?
1) caustic paste
2) hot iron
3) surgical
Describe caustic paste procedure
Hair is clipped and corrosive paste is smeared on and around the horn bud, where it is active for a number of hours. May need to reapply. Scarring can be extensive.
Describe the electric dehorning method
The hot iron is applied around the base of the horn bud for 10 seconds until a brown, circular ring appears
Describe surgical dehorning
This is the standard method. The dehorning shear is clamped around the base of the horn bud, excising it from the skull (1-2 seconds); bleeding may be controlled with a coagulating agent.
What are the benefits of castration?
1) reduce aggressiveness and improved manageability
2) improved health and growth performance relative to later castration (especially with addition of growth promoting implant)
3) decrease in dark cutting beef
4) improved USDA quality grade and tenderness
5) greater live- or carcass-market price
What cause the unacceptable dark coloring in meat?
Excitability can result in depletion of muscle glycogen immediately prior to harvest resulting in a dark meat color.
What are 3 castration methods?
1) Banding
2) Emasculation
3) Surgical
Describe the banding method
An elastic band is placed above the testicles, sealing off the blood supply and spermatic cords (0.5-1 min.); tetanus vaccine should be administered concurrently
Describe the emasculation method
An emasculation is clamped on the spermatic cord in 2 staggered locations on each testicle (10 sec / location); do not crimp the center of the scrotum or excessive swelling and sloughing can result
Describe the surgical castration method
The bottom third of the scrotum is removed with a knife. Each testicle is freed from connective tissue, exposing the blood vessel and spermatic cord, testes are removed by blunt dissection (0.5- 1 min)
Which vaccine should calves first receive?
Vaccine against clostridial diseases early in the suckling phase of life. 7 or 8 way vaccine provides protection against a host of clostridial diseases include black leg and tetanus
What should you do if calfhood pneumonia is a problem?
Immunize them against IBR, PI3, BVD-type 1, BVD-type 2, and BRSV
What can respiratory diseases lead to when calf has them early in life?
It can damage growth performance and carcass merit later in life
When should you think about giving a growth promoting implant and why?
Giving them to steers during vaccination period. Will increase weaning weight by 25 lbs and is inexpensive
When do routine health challenges occur in bulls?
Mostly during summer months for spring breeding.
What conditions can lead to pink eye?
Eye irritant, corneal lesion, vector like a fly, and a pathogen
What conditions can lead to foot rot
Wet conditions, softened hoof, and a pathogen
Definition of etiology
The cause, or set of causes, or manner of causation of a disease or condition
Orderly record keeping is essential to good management and is the only way to identify what?
1) operation strengths
2) and weakness
Within record keeping, what is a Cow ID tied to?
1) age
2) body weight
3) body condition
4) udder quality
5) reproductive status
6) annual calving date
7) health history
Within record keeping, what is Calf ID tied to?
1) birth date
2) body weight
3) health history
Cow/calf ID are usually in what forms?
1) visual
2) radio-frequency format
Most visual and radio frequency ID technology are prone to what?
1) breakage
2) loss or failure with regular replacement
Why are some forms of permanent ID desirable?1
1) protect the integrity of herd records
2) protect property against theft
What supplies are needed to “freeze brand”?
- copper or bronze alloy irons
-dry ice
-denatured alcohol (95%) pure
-cooler or ice chest
-hair clippers and stiff bristle brush
-plastic squeeze bottle
Explain the method to Freeze Branding?
1) cool irons for a minimum of 20 minutes
2) restrain the animal. Clip the hair from the branding site and saturate the branding area with a denatured alcohol
3) apply the iron, press firmly, while rocking the iron gently top to bottom and side to side
4) contact time depends on animal age and hide thickness
8-18 months = 30-40 sec
Over 18 months = 45-50 sec
Mature or thick hides (Hereford) = 50-60 sec
For the purpose of ownership ID, what branding method is an issue with animal welfare and BQA? And why is it an issue?
Hot Branding. It’s painful and destructive when applied. Damages the value of the hide for leather production
If you choose to hot brand, where should you place it?
Shoulder, hip, rib, high hip ( preferred).
Describe the hot branding technique.
-symbols should be simple, open characters at least 4 inches tall
-iron should be heated until it’s the color of ashes/gray (black is too cool, glowing red is too hot)
- apply the iron to the hide for 3-5 sec, while gently rocking it top to bottom and side to side, don’t attempt to brand animals with heavy hair coats or wet hides
During breeding season ranch work is relatively light, allowing direct attention to what other tasks?
-maintaining and improving forage quality, soil health, water quality, ranch infrastructure.
Examples: noxious weed control, erosion control, fence repair, water development, rainfall monitoring, forage productivity and quality
What should be recorded during drought monitoring ?
-monthly rainfall totals
-seasonal forage availability on pastures
-should have a written drought management plan on hand
