Beef Cattle

Question 1

Purpose of the industry?

Answer 1

1. produce young animals for slauhter

Question 2

How are you successful in the beef cattle industry?

Answer 2

1. High carcass quality = good price
2. Good food conversion efficiency
3. Maximum growth rates

Question 3

What is the largest cost to the beef cattle industry?

Answer 3

feed costs for both breeding and growing animals = largest cost

Question 4

How can you farm?

Answer 4

1. intensively = rear quickly, lot of high energy cereal based feeds
2. extensive route = cheapest food route = grass and rear slowly

Question 5

What are the governing bodies?

Answer 5

1. AHDB =England = beef and lamb: Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
2. QMS = quality meat Scotland
3. Welsh beef
4. all work to same purpose

Question 6

What defines traditional British beef breeds?

Answer 6

1. Small mature size = low maintenance
2. Early maturing = reach fat stage earlier
3. Hardy- climate and environment
4. good suckler cow
   e. g. aberdeen angus, welsh balck, belted galloway, beef shorthorn, hereford ,

Question 7

Examples of continental breeds and difference vs british

Answer 7

1. Large mature size (700-800kg cow)
2. late maturing: fat deposition stage later = can push high concentrate diet
3. More carcass
4. really good terminal sire (offspring into foodchain)
   continental = Limousin, charolais, belgian blue, british blue (origionates from belgum)

Question 8

what must every beef cow have?

Answer 8

1. passport: (online mostly now)
2. when animal born
3. breed
4. dam and sire
5. record movement

Question 9

Suckler herd aims:

Answer 9

1. low input
2. mostly forage supplement with additional food in late gestation and early lactation
3. aim: cow stable body condition: 2.5 (mature)/ 3 (1st/ 2nd calving)

Question 10

What is the boggest problem for autumn calvers

Answer 10

1. turned out onto good grass at spring when calf 6 months old = less demand
2. stop get fat in grazing period
3. need: high stock density and graze tightly

Question 11

What makes a good suckler cow

Answer 11

1. docile temperament = easy management
2. milky dams with excellent mothering qualities
3. longevity
4. Grow fast and early sexual maturity
5. excellent grass conversion ability
6. Hardiness and adaptability
7. Good modern conformation with length and width

Question 12

When are calves weaned?

Answer 12

6-8 months

Question 13

Target for efficient cow at point of weaning

Answer 13

1. at point of weaning (about 200 days)

2. calf weighs half as much as she does

Question 14

When does calving occur?

Answer 14

1. spring calving
2. autumn calving
3. some e.g. east anglia moving to winter calving as grass all dried up in June

Question 15

Pros and cons of calving in spring

Answer 15

1. Cow only needs extra winter feeding in last month or 2 of pregnancy = not have to put much food into her as only maintenance requirements
2. once calf born = fresh grass growth
3. calf off in autumn, winter then 1 yr at spring it will utilise this for growth
4. good summer grass = higher fertility when breed again
5. outside when calving typically
6. harsh winter can upset pattern if you can’t turn them out

Question 16

Pros and cons to autumn calving

Answer 16

1. cow good condition at point of calving as summer grass
2. could be over conditioned which could lead to dystocia
3. easy supervision as bring in typically for calving
4. lactating over winter so higher winter feeding costs
5. need to feed more over winter too to gain good fertility
6. autumn born calves usually higher price

Question 17

What is weaning good to control?

Answer 17

1. Body condition score of your cow
2. cow starting to get thin = take calf off early
3. if cow too fat = take calf off late

Question 18

Better to wean abruptly or over time?

Answer 18

1. abruptly.

2. remember to keep a few fields away not just one or 2

Question 19

Veal

Answer 19

1. small market in UK
2. Crates banned in UK, must be in groups
3. Dairy bred males
4. milk throughout, until slaughter
5. must have access to hard feed and straw to address iron deficiency
6. if not = anaemia
7. slaughter at 6-7 months, 300 kg

Question 20

cows with a white head have what breed in them?

Answer 20

Hereford

Question 21

Rose

Answer 21

1. reared as veal
2. but not milk throughout
3. wean off milk after few weeks and put onto starchy feeds (maize, silage, cereal and straw)
4. slaughter at 10 months 400 kg
5. must be group housed

Question 22

selling and transport rules

Answer 22

1. illegal to sell calf less than 7 days
2. illegal to resale within 28 days
3. illegal to transport less than 10 days
4. illegal to transport less than 14 days old if distance greater than 8 hrs
5. Navel MUST have healed

Question 23

Creep feed

Answer 23

1. start 1 month- 3 months before calf weaned
2. helps reduce stress at weaning
3. growth into calf
4. pressure off cow lactating if grass bad if calf is eating food.
5. conserved grass stores low after bad year = pressure off cow if low straw/ silage

Question 24

orphan calf, what stage do you change milk: forage ratio?

Answer 24

as a rule of thumb:
% weight gain from dam's milk
1. 1 month of life 100% milk
2. 3 month = 66%
3. 6 month = 33%

Question 25

Intensive rules

Answer 25

1. finish 12-14 months 2. not allowed bulls outside if public footpath 3. so usually insdie

Question 26

Extensive rules

Answer 26

1. slaughter at 18/24/30 months 2. more concentrates 2 ish months before slaughter 3. 30 months = niche markets = only grass fed

Question 27

clean slaughter policy

Answer 27

1. must be clean, especially on belly as this is where knife goes through. = usually reared on bedding to keep clean. otherwise can be rejected

Question 28

if feeding on barley cereal what are key facts

Answer 28

1. intorduce over 3-4 weeks to stop acidosis 2. straw crucial 3. mineral and vitamin supplements 4. barley must NEVER run out must be truly ab-libitum = could cause acidosis if runs out and gorge 5. safety = entire bulls = should never go into pen. 6. must have warning signs in case someone comes on farm 7. less popular as must invest specific safety precautions

Question 29

What is bull steer problem?

Answer 29

1. one bull bullied 2. ridden by several other bulls 3. pain, exhaustion, death, bruising 4. remove the one that gets ridden 5. keep group no larger than 20 cattle 6. 4 m square per animal

Question 30

Issues with barley ab lib

Answer 30

1. carbohydrate overload: bloat, rumen acidosis, liver abscessation 2. Hypovitaminosis A (blindness) 3. Lameness (conc too high or run out) dermatitis if wet bedding 4. Pneumonia 5. abbatoir reports helps identify any issues

Question 31

How much weight gain should you expect of a suckler calf? e.g. how heavy 6 month old calf DOSE

Answer 31

1. 40 kg birth 2. 1 kg a day 3. e.g. 6 month old: 40 kg birth, 180 kg = about 220

Question 32

what are common finishing weights for heifers and steers

Answer 32

``` 18 months: Heifer = 360 - 480Kg (autumn born = lighter weihgt Steer (bullock) = 530 kg 22-24 months steer: 560 kg ```

Question 33

what do cobwebs and rust in a shed indicate?

Answer 33

1. lack of air movement | 2. rust = condensation = poor ventilation. tiger stripes = stipes of rust = water running down

Question 34

Killing out perfect in beef animal

Answer 34

about 55% (just over half carcass weight

Question 35

What factors influence killing out percentage

Answer 35

1. Nutrition - high roughage diet = lower KO% as gut more full. close to slaughter = mroe concentrates 2. Gender bull< steer = heavier skull and skin Heifer> steer = greater fat content 3. Age older> young as more fat 4. breed: traditional> continental> dairy cross> dairy

Question 36

What section of the animal is Class A, B and C

Answer 36

1. about 1/3rd each 2. Class A = rump, loin, round 3. Class B: ribs, chuck 4. C = brisket, flank