Underperformance in cows

Question 1

What is a KPI?

Answer 1

A Key Performance Indicator

Question 2

What age should you aim for heifers to be first serviced and calf?

Answer 2

First service 15m, calf at 24 months

Question 3

WHat weight and height should you aim to have your heiffers at by 15 months?

Answer 3

375kg

132cm

Question 4

What are the descriptors for the calving scores (0-4)

Answer 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

Question 6

What is the average milk yield of a dairy cow in the UK?

Answer 6

7-7,500 L

Question 7

What percentage of scores 3/4 should we aim for in cows and heifers?

Answer 7

<10% cow

<15% heifer

Question 8

What is the definition of live birth rate?

Answer 8

% of calves born which are alive and survive for 24 hr

Question 9

What live birth rate should we aim for in cows and heifers?

Answer 9

Cow - 97%

Heifer - 92%

Question 10

When should you dip the navel and with what?

Answer 10

Immediately after birth, Repeat after 24h

7% Iodine, totally immerse

Question 11

How much colostrum should the calf receive in the first 6 hours and 12 hours?

Answer 11

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

Question 12

If colostrum is being given by humans, how quickly should we give how much?

Answer 12

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

Question 13

When should you collect colocstrum from cows and how should it be stored?

Answer 13

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

Question 14

How can you monitor your colostral intake?

Answer 14

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

Question 15

What level of TP should you expect if you’ve been feeding good colostrum?

Answer 15

> 55g/L or 5.5g/dL

Question 16

How should calf milk replacer be prepared

Answer 16

Hygeinic preparation

According to instructions

Question 17

What is the general concentraiton of CMR?

Answer 17

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

Question 18

How much concentrates should you feed calves and when should you get them used to eating it?

Answer 18

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

Question 19

How should you approach calf diarrhoea?

Answer 19

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

Question 20

How are KPIs calculated?

Answer 20

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!

Question 21

What is the typical target and interference level for calving interval?

Answer 21

Target 365 days

Interference 380 days

Question 22

What is the typical target and interference for EARLIEST service date post calving?

Answer 22

Target 50

Intervene <42

Question 24

What is the target and interference for calving to FIRST service interval?

Answer 24

65 days

Interfere if over 75 days

Question 25

What is the target and interference for calving to conception interval?

Answer 25

target 85 days,

intervene if over 95 days

Question 26

What is the target and interference percentage for conception from 1st service?

Answer 26

Aim 60%

Interfere <55%

Question 27

WHat is the target and interference percentage for conception rate from all services?

Answer 27

Target 55%

Interference <50%

Question 28

What is the 120 day in calf rate and what should you aim for this to be?

Answer 28

The number of cows that are in calf 120 days after calving

Should be >64%

Question 29

What is the 210 day not in calf rate and what should you aim for it to be?

Answer 29

The number of cows that are not in calf 210 days after giving birth

Should be <7%

Question 30

How do we measure longevity?

Answer 30

THe number of the lactations the cow has in the herd

Low numbers can indicate significant welfare problem

Question 31

What is planned culling?

Answer 31

When older or less productive cows leave the herd to be replaced by new heiffers

Cows culled due to illness or die prevents planned culling from taking place!

Question 32

What are the main reasons for culling?

Answer 32

High cell count

Kicks in the parlour

Lameness

Infertile

Question 33

What 3 ways should you analyse culls?

Answer 33

Reason

Age/Lactation

Days in milk (i.e. is it a problem at a specific stage of the cycle)

Costs are recouped at the end of lactation hence culling in early lactation=economic problem

Question 34

What herd problem might you suspect if milk fat is low?

Answer 34

SARA.

If just individuals you won’t see this result from the bulk tank - individual tests needed

Question 35

What questions should you ask yourself when assessing feeding?

Answer 35

WHat is actually being fed? (is it the same as the specified formula)

How is it measured?

Are assumptions on silage analysis etc accurate?

Is there sufficient trough space?

Is the food palatable?

How is the silage face managed?

Food ‘heating’ when fed? aerobic fermentation?