Beef Final Flashcards
1
Q
Cost to maintain suckler cow and calf
A
€635
2
Q
Cost to maintain suckler cow, & feed costs out of this cost
A
€552
Feed costs - €420
3
Q
Typical feed input of feed in Ireland: grass, silage, concentrates %
A
60% grass, 30% silage, ~8% concentrates
4
Q
3 most important stages of a suckler cow
A
Breeding, calving, weaning
5
Q
Target BCS for mid-pregnancy, calving and breeding
A
Mid-pregnancy - 3
Calving - 2.5
Breeding - >2
6
Q
What % seasonal weight gain from grazed grass for cows?
A
100%
7
Q
Loss of 1 BCS score contributes how many MJ ME and UFL?
A
3,200 MJ ME
~280UFL (11.4MJ ME/UFL)
8
Q
0.7 BCS = how many UFL?
A
~200UFL
9
Q
220UFL = how many kg of silage
A
300kg DM silage (DMD 67% = 0.73 UFL/kg)
10
Q
3 BCS groups
A
Fat - BCS >3.5
Target - BCS 2.25-3.5
Lean - BCS <2
11
Q
Once a calf is 7months old (>200d), what % of its nutrient requirement should be from feeds other than milk?
A
75%
12
Q
The calf share of cow requirements at 6, 7, 8, and 9 months gestation and PDI requirements
A
6 - 0.56 - 47g
7 - 1.08 - 88g
8 - 1.86 - 148g
9 - 2.93 - 226g
13
Q
Maintenance UFL/day calculation
A
1.4 + 0.6 Wt/100
14
Q
What % of calf weight in gain in the last 3 months of pregnancy
A
90%
15
Q
For each 5 kg in calf birth weight in last trimester add/subtract how many g PDI
A
20g PDI
16
Q
Moderate quality grass silage % DMD
A
62-68% DMD
17
Q
Cows in good BCS (~3.0) can be restricted to what % of feed requirements to reduce winter feed cost
A
75%
18
Q
Sufficient protein and energy intake for cow
A
535g PDI
6.1 UFL
19
Q
What % BW does a cow consume?
A
1.35%
20
Q
Crude protein content of grass, silage and straw
A
Grass 17-27%
Silage 13-17%
Straw 3-4%
21
Q
Restricted feeding is how much silage
A
30kg fresh weight average equality silage or 25kg of good quality silage
22
Q
Suckler cow requires how many UFL per litre of milk produced
A
0.45 UFL per litre
23
Q
Continental beef breeds produce how many litres of milk / day indoors
A
5-8 Litres
24
Q
600 kg cow needs how many UFL per day while maintaining body condition
A
7.8 to 9.1 UFL per day
25
Maximum % of kale and turnips in the diet
80%
26
What minerals are kale and turnips low in?
Copper and iodine - requires supplementation
27
Critical pre-calver trace minerals
Copper, iodine, selenium
28
Intake potential of cattle: Lactating suckler cow, Young cattle 350kg, store cattle
Lactating suckler cow - 12-13kg DM/day
Young cattle 350kg - 7-8kg DM/day
Store cattle - 8-9kg DM/day
29
Rumen cannot function without a minimum of what % roughage
40%
30
Critical time for cow nutrition is when?
6 weeks before calving through to 6 weeks after service
31
BCS <2 at calving means they will be how much slower going back in calf
2-3 weeks slower
32
PGHM requirement for cows at breeding season
1,400kg DM/ha
33
A minimum requirement of what % of dietary DM as long fibre
8-10%
34
Silage pit tonnes DM calculation
Dimensions of pit X 154 = __tonnes DM
35
Space allowance for suckler cow in slatted shed and straw bedded shed?
Slatted shed - 3m2/head
Straw bedded - 4m2/head
36
What % of EU beef carcasses now originates from progeny derived from the dairy herd
~60%
37
Milk % DM requirement per litre of water for calves
12.5%
38
Target is to get calf to grow from ___kg at birth to about ____kg at ____weeks
40-45kg
100kg
15 weeks
39
Under EU law you cannot purchase a calf under what age
10 days of age
40
Normal body temp of calf
38.6-39.3oC
41
Calf mortality should not exceed what % in the period before weaning
3%
42
Products often incorporated into the calf concentrate diet to improve palatability?
Molasses, molasine meal or yeast cultures
43
Calf concentrate composition: CP, energy, oil, fibre, texture
CP: 17-18%
High energy (0.95 UFL/kg, 11 MJ of ME/kg)
Oil: less than 4%
Fibre: 8-10%
Coarse texture
44
Each additional kg of milk results in:
Weaning weight, slaughter weight, carcass weight
Weaning weight - +6.5kg
Slaughter weight - +5.2kg
Carcass weight - +2.72kg
45
How much exceeding targets helps performance?
+€55 margin per head
46
Which immunoglobulins absorbed better than others?
IgG and IgA absorbed more efficiently than IgM (larger molecule)
47
% reduction of IgG content from colostrum to transition milk?
54-56% reduction
48
Maximum absorption of immunoglobulins how long after birth?
Within 2 hours
49
What % of calves suffer from Failure of Passive Transfer on antibodies on Irish Farms
40-50%
50
The ability of the intestines to absorb IgG starts to decline progressively after ___ hours and ceases after ___ hours from birth
4-6 hours
24 hours
51
Antibodies in colostrum decrease by what %/hour from calving
3.7%/hour
52
2 layers of the rumen wall
Musculature
Absorptive epithelium (mucosa)
53
Function of mucosa in rumen
Absorbs VFAs
54
Ensure calf is consuming at least __kg concentrates for __ consecutive days before weaning
1kg
3 days
55
% CP and % fat in milk replacer
22-25% CP
18-20% fat/oil
56
Minimum carcass fat score allowed
2+
57
% increase in Irish dairy cow numbers in 10 years
~40%
58
% of beef carcasses of dairy origin
~60%
59
Policy ambition to reduce slaughter age by...
3 - 3.5 months
60
Growth rate of 1st winter
600g ADG
230kg November to 300kg in March
61
Expected ADG at 1st summer at grass
1.25-1.3kg/day
62
Target pre-grazing cover
1200-1400kg DM/ha
63
Average grass utilisation on farm
70-75% but ideally 80% in very good conditions
64
Parasite control dosing when?
3, 8, and 13 weeks after turnout
65
Expected ADG at first winter?
0.5/0.6 kg/day
66
Weights at turnout for second grazing season for bullocks and heifers
Bullocks 300kg
Heifers 275-290kg
67
ADG for second grazing season
+0.9kg/day
68
2nd winter ADG
0.8-1kg/day
69
Feed for 2nd winter
1t silage/head/month
4-5kg concentrates
70
Output value per ha calculation
Stocking Rate x Output per LU x Price (€/kg) = Output Value per ha
71
What is the main driver of profitability on Irish suckler farms?
Striking a balance between maximizing output and controlling costs
72
What proportion of a suckler cow's annual feed budget should come from grazed grass?
60%
73
What is the main competitive advantage for Irish livestock farmers in feed management?
Abundant grazed grass
74
During late pregnancy, cows in good BCS can tolerate an energy deficit of how much per day?
1.5UFL
75
First-calf heifers require supplementation of concentrates post-calving until turnout. What is the recommended daily amount?
1.5-2.5 kg
76
Why should kale and turnips be grazed before flowering?
To prevent poisoning due to high nitrogen content
77
How much concentrate should be added to the diet of thin suckler cows?
1kg/day
78
What is an important nutritional balance during the weaning transition?
Controlled intake of chopped hay or straw (<200g/day)
79
What is the impact of early-life nutrition on carcass fat development?
Influences preadipocyte differentiation and hypertrophy
80
What is a key feature of the finishing ration to improve carcass quality?
Strategic use of concentrates
81
What is the most biologically efficient period for converting nutrients into body weight gain in calves?
First 6 months of life
82
What is the critical threshold for faecal egg counts (FEC) in calves to indicate a need for gut worm treatment?
>200epg
83
What is a recommended practice for reducing the worm challenge in young stock?
Mixing younger animals with sheep
84
What grazing management strategy minimizes under-grazing and maintains grass quality?
Grazing to 4 cm in the first rotation
85
What percentage of the worm population resides in the animal?
5%
86
Compensatory growth is more evident following which type of restriction?
Winter restriction
87
By how much should concentrate levels increase for every 5% drop in silage digestibility (DMD)?
1.25–1.5 kg
88
What is the carbon footprint reduction per kg of carcass achieved by diverse and legume swards?
15%
89
What is the gross margin reduction per head for every €10/tonne increase in concentrate price?
€18
90
What is the primary genetic cause of double muscling (DM) in cattle?
A mutation in the myostatin gene (GDF8)
91
How many disruptive variants of the myostatin gene are identified in cattle?
6
92
What is the term used for naturally occurring changes in the genetic blueprint?
Mutations
93
What is the common name for the F94L myostatin mutation?
Limousin gene
94
Which myostatin variant is known as a partially dominant mutation?
Q204X
95
What is the effect of missense mutations in the myostatin gene?
They increase muscularity without causing double muscling.
96
What is the muscle-to-bone ratio in double-muscled cattle?
9:1
97
What is a key economic advantage of double-muscled cattle?
Higher meat yield
98
Why is calving difficult for DM dams?
Narrow pelvic openings
99
What is the cost of genotyping an animal for the myostatin gene?
€22
100
What is the primary benefit of DM carriers (heterozygous for the DM gene)?
Comparable calving ease to normal cattle
101
Who first documented the double-muscling syndrome in cattle?
George Culley
102
Which gene is responsible for double-muscling in cattle?
GDF8 (Myostatin)
103
What is the consequence of homozygous animals carrying disruptive mutations like nt821?
Higher carcass yield with increased birth weight and calving difficulties
104
What is the probability of producing a double-muscled calf when two carriers (C x C) are bred?
25%
105
If a double-muscled animal (DM) is bred with a carrier (C), what percentage of the offspring will be double-muscled?
50%
106
Which breed commonly carries the C313Y myostatin mutation?
Piedmontese
107
What is the observed increase in lean meat yield in heterozygous animals compared to normal cattle?
3–10%
108
Why is meat from double-muscled cattle considered higher quality?
Increased polyunsaturated fats and tenderness
