Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Intro To AG > Cattle Reproduction > Flashcards

Cattle Reproduction Flashcards

(87 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

What is all livestock production based on?

A

Maximizing the reproductive ability of animals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Why is it important to understand the reproductive cycles of different animals?

A

It increases the frequency of offspring production

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

How many calves does a dairy cow need to produce to keep lactating?

A

1 calf

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What are the requirements for successful pregnancy production?

A

-Selection of superior animals for breeding
-Successful breeding
-Successful contraception
-Successful implantation
-Successful gestation
-Successful parturition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is the estrous cycle?

A

The reproductive cycle that females enter after puberty continues throughout most of their life

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is the estrous cycle controlled by?

A

Hormones from the ovary and brain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What are the 4 stages of the estrous cycle?

A

-Proestrus
-Estrus
-Metestrus
-Diestrus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What are the types of estrous cycles?

A

-Polyestrus
-Seasonally polyestrous
-Monoestrous

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is estrus?

A

-AKA heat
-Time when a female is receptive to the male and will allow breeding

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What do we need to detect that is crucial for successful breeding?

A

When the female is in heat

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

When should a heifer reach puberty/get their first estrous cycle?

A

1 year of age but can range anywhere from 4-24 months. Should be 30-40% of their mature weight when it comes.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

How lomg does the estrous cycle last in cows?

A

21 days

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Once a heifer has her first heat, she will go into heat every…

A

21 days`

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

When will a heifer not go into heat?

A

When they are pregnant or have a certain disease

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

How long does estrus last?

A

12-18 hours and ends with ovulation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is ovulation?

A

The release of an egg from the ovary due to a surge in the luteinizing hormone from the brain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is the optimum time to breed a cow for increased conception?

A

At the later part of estrus/as close as possible to ovulation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

The optimum fertility of the ova is…

A

6-12 hours after ovulation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is the maximum duration of fertilizing ability with sperm in the cow reproductive tract?

A

1.5 to 2 days

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What are the 2 ways to breed cattle?

A

-Natural Service
-Artificial Insemination (AI)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What is natural service?

A

-When a farm keeps bulls on the property to breed cows when they are in heat
-Generally stay in the pen or pasture
-Most farms don’t have many bulls on site
-More popular with beef cattle

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What are the advantages of natural service?

A

-High pregnancy rates
-No special skills are required by the farmer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What are the disadvantages of natural service?

A

-Increased cost for bull maintenance
-Risk of disease transmission and injury
-Bull libido is a factor

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What is artificial insemination?

A

-Semen is deposited into the uterus of the cow by a farmer or by a breeding service
-Preferred route by over 50% of dairies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
When should artificial insemination be done?
Within 4-16 hours of observed estrus
26
What are the advantages of AI?
-Increased genetic field: selection of semen from multiple bulls -Safer for the cow: decreased risk of disease transmission -More accurate dry off state -Lower cost
27
What are the disadvantages of AI?
-More labor-intensive -Decreased pregnancy rates
28
How are bulls selected for AI?
-Young bulls are selected based on pedigree -Receive a breeding soundness exam to determine the overall health of the bull and his semen
29
What does a breeding soundness exam look for?
-Free of genetic defects -Shape and mobility of sperm
30
The bull is a bred to a limited...
Number of cows
31
All of the bull's daughter's are...
Evaluated
32
Bull semen can also be sold by...
Mixing it with an extender and freezing it in individual straws
33
What is extender?
A fluid that contains nutrients to keep sperm alive and healthy
34
What are some of the signs that a cow is in heat?
-Increased activity -Increased vocalization -Vulva swelling, reddening, mucus discharge -Mounting other cows -Decreased feed intake -Decreased milk yeild
35
What is the #1 sign that a cow is in heat?
She is standing to be mounted
36
How can you tell a cow has standed to be mounted?
-Rubbed tailhead -Dirty flank
37
What is the best way to observe if a cow is in heat and why is it risky?
-Observe the herd for 30 mins. at least 2x a day -Time consuming -Risk of missing a cow when she is in estrus and susceptible to breeding
38
What skill is necessary to have to be effective at getting cows bred both artificially and naturally?
To detect when a cow is in heat
39
What is a heat detection aid?
Tools that help reveal when a cow is standing to be mounted or is standing in heat
40
What are some heat detection aids?
-Breeding indicator -Tail marker -Electronic mounting markers -Pedometers (increased activity)
41
What is estrus synchronization?
-Manipulating the cow's estrus cycle to make cows come in heat together over a short period of time for insemination -Can be used to bring a large group of cows into heat at the same time
42
What is timed breeding?
-Both the onset of estrous and ovulation are induced -Allows for insemination at a specific time without heat detection
43
What is the synchronization protocol?
-Utilization of hormones to control the timing of heat and ovulation
44
What are the benefits of the synchronization protocol?
-Can improve the efficacy and efficiency of the breeding program -Reduces variation in calving intervals -Reduces involuntary culling secondary to difficult breeding -Concentrate labor for breeding at specific times
45
What is involuntary culling?
The involuntary segregation of organisms based off of characteristics
46
What does GnRH stand for?
Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone
47
What does GnRH do when injected?
Causes ovulation or resets the cycle for ovulation for synchronization purposes
48
GnRH is naturally produced by...
The hypothalamus
49
GnRH is normally used in combination with...
Prostaglandin
50
What are some commercial products of GnRH?
-Cystorelin -Fertagyl
51
Progesterone is produced naturally by...
The ovary between days 5-16 of the estrous cycle
52
Progesterone prevents...
Heat and ovulation
53
Progesterone maintains...
Pregnancy
54
What are some commercial products of progesterone?
-CIDR insert device (controlled by drug release) -NGA in feed for beef cattle
55
What is Ovsynch?
A series of injections of GnRH and prostaglandin for synchronization protocol
56
How is Ovysynch done?
-Day 0: GnRH injection -Day 7: Prostaglandin injection -48-56 hours later: 2nd prostaglandin injection -A.I. 12-18 hrs. after 2nd GnRH
57
What are additional reproductive options?
-In-vitro fertilization -Cloning -Embryo transfer
58
What is embryo transfer focused on?
Increasing the number of cows produced by valuable cows
59
What is the ideal donor female for embryo transfer?
-Regular estrus cycle that begins at a young age -Routinely conceives with no more than 2 inseminations -Maintains a 14-month or less calving interval -Calves w/o difficulty -Free of reproductive abnormalities and disease -No conformational or known genetic defects
60
What is the embryo transfer procedure?
-A valuable donor cow undergoes a hormone regimen to be superovulated -Cow is AI'ed by a valuable sire -Several days later, the cow's uterus is flushed and the embryos are collected -Eggs are examined microscopically to determine which are fertilized -Embryos are implanted into recipient heifers or frozen in liquid nitrogen and sold
61
What is superovulation?
Many eggs developing at once
62
What is the in-vitro fertilization procedure?
-Sexed frozen semen or reversed sorted semen can be used for fertilization -EMbryos develop in an incubator for 7 days before being placed into a recipient -Embryos may be frozen
63
What is the pregnancy rate of in-vitro fertilization?
45-45%
64
What is in-vitro fertilization focused on?
Producing embryos by collecting eggs directly from the ovaries and fertilizing them in a petri dish
65
What is cloning?
The production of an identical copy of an individual genetically
66
How is an animal cloned?
Splitting an animal to produce 2 identical twins
67
Who is cloning available for?
Commercially available for animal production
68
What is the average gestation period in a cow?
280 days/ 9 months
69
How is pregnancy detected in a cow?
-Rectal palpitation at 35 days after breeding -Transrectal ultrasound 28 days after breeding
70
What is a herd check?
A transrectal ultrasound that allows for the diagnosis of pregnancy in dairy cows as well as checking overall reproductive health by checking the uterus and ovaries
71
What does a transrectal ultrasound detect?
-A fetus and its viability -Determining where a cow is in her estrous cycle
72
Fetal sexing can be done at...
55-70 days
73
A transrectal ultrasound gives early detection of...
-Abortion -Pyometra -Ovarian abnormalities that prevent pregnancy -Twins
74
What is pyometra?
Uterine infection
75
What is a freemartian?
Where a heifer is born as a twin to a bull, they both have a 90% chance of being sterile
76
What is freshening?
When a dairy cow gives birth
77
What are the 3 stages of labor?
-Prep stage -Expulsion of the fetus -Expulsion of the placenta
78
What happens during the prep stage?
-Increased restless behavior (kicking belly, straining, decreased interest in food) -Cow is moved into a pen by herself (calving pen) -Cervix begins to dilate, fetus moves into position -Contractions start -Ends with the fetus entering the birth canal
79
What happens during calf expulsion?
-Delivery of calf should take 30-90 mins
80
What happens when the placenta is expelled?
-May take 6-12 hours in cows -Cow should be monitored -After 24 hours, if the placenta has not been expelled then it is considered retained
81
What is dystocia?
Difficulty calving
82
Why is dystocia important in cattle parturition?
-Leading cause of calf death during or after birth\- -Can cause trauma or infection in the cow -Can increase calving intervals
83
What are the main causes of dystocia?
-Fetal-maternal size mismatch -Fetal malpresentation -Dam related issues (uterine torsion)
84
How is a fetal-maternal size mismatch treated?
C-section
85
How is a fetal malposition treated?
-Manual repositioning of the fetus -C-section
86
How is uterine torsion treated?
-Rolling the cow -Rolling the uterus
87
What are the signs of a healthy reproduction?
-A healthy calf entering the production cycle -A healthy cow entering lactation

Intro To AG (14 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions