Dairy cattle, dairy production system, dairy husbandry Flashcards

1
Q

ungulates

A

mammals with hooves

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2
Q

how long ago were cattle domesticated

A

10500 years ago

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3
Q

cow group is called a

A

herd

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4
Q

when do cows breed

A

year round

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5
Q

how long is cow gestation period

A

283 days (9 months)

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6
Q

how long do cows live

A

around 25 years old

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7
Q

cattle weight ranges for small, British, and larger breeds

A
  • small; 270-450 kg
  • british; 450-900 kg
  • large; 630-1130 kg
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8
Q

bull

A

male not castrated

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9
Q

steer

A

male castrated

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10
Q

cow

A

female that has had a calf

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11
Q

heifer

A

female that hasn’t had a calf

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12
Q

calf

A

heifer or bull calves

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13
Q

dry cow

A

cows are 7 months and above pregnant (don’t milk anymore and they rest them in paddock, so that food goes to growing their calf instead of making milk)

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14
Q

springer/ close up/ transition

A

dry cow on last 3 days before calving

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15
Q

fresh cow

A

30-40 days after calving

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16
Q

first calf heifer

A
  • heifer that has had first calf (so actually a cow now), try to separate as bigger cows bully them
  • first calf heifers most likely to kick, need to be gentle when handling
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17
Q

freemartin twins

A

one heifer and one bull
bull hormones affect heifer and the heifer is 90% of time not able to breed

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18
Q

cow hearing

A

more sensitive than horses but less able to localize sounds

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19
Q

cow taste

A

can taste all 4 primary tastes, prefer sweet and salty

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20
Q

cow vision

A

dominant sense,
- they get 50% of all their info visually,
- wide field on 330 degrees C, their blind spot is directly behind them so they do not walk in a straight line to watch for predators
- cows pupil is oval,

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21
Q

main aims in low stress cattle handling

A

less injuries
less hassle
improved welfare

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22
Q

your cattle handling success relies on (4 things)

A
  • patience of your approach
  • angle of your approach
  • location relative to cow
  • speed of your approach
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23
Q

where do cows always want to protect

A

head and neck

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24
Q

what are the two zones surrounding a cow

A

outer zone; pressure zone; where cow starts to move
inner zone; flight zone; cow runs away or attacks

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25
Q

in a chute, how do you make the cattle move forward

A

cross their point of balance (point behind cows head), walk in direction from head to butt

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26
Q

what are positive human behaviors during cattle handling

A

gentle hits, predictable movements, soft talking, voice commands

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27
Q

what are negative human behaviours during cattle handling

A

abrupt movements, using a cattle prod, loud shouting, hitting w a metal object, loud yelling, tail twists

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28
Q

what do negative human behaviours during cattle handling lead to

A

high fear, low production, poor welfare

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29
Q

is shouting at a cow as bad as a cattle prod

A

yes

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30
Q

cows remember faces, what does this mean

A

previous positive interactions reduce stress in cows while performing procedures

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31
Q

cattle restraint options

A

chemical and mechanical
- mechanical includes crush or chute, head halter, nose pliers/ nose grips etc

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32
Q

how to put on cow halter

A

behind ears and want the muzzle part in the MIDDLE of eyes and nose, if too high will irritate eyes and if too low will cause breathing issues
tear drop loop faces down

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33
Q

when did the first cows arrive in australia

A

in 1788 with the first fleet
2 bulls and 7 cows which escaped into bush, 6 years later was a herd of 61

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34
Q

where was the first dairy in aus

A

ultimo in 1805

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35
Q

dairy industry is ___ most important rural industry

A

fourth
- order is beef, wheat, wool, dairy

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36
Q

Australia is relatively small producer but is worlds _____ largest dairy exporter

A

third

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37
Q

approx how much of aus milk production is exported

A

36%

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38
Q

what do aus milk products include

A

cheese
drinking milk
skim milk powder or butter
whole milk power
others

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39
Q

typical dairy farm occupies how many hectares

A

200

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40
Q

whats the difference between market milk and manufactured milk

A

market milk: processed immediately for drinking, white and flavoured milks, short shelf life

manufacture milk: milk used in the manufacture of dairy products, cheese, milk powders, longer shelf life

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41
Q

what are aus milk prices based on

A

milk fat and solid proteins

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42
Q

is there legislative control over price paid to farmers by processing companies

A

no

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43
Q

what have been the trends of dairy farms over the past 50 ish years

A
  • less farms
  • increased number of cows per farm
  • increased production
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44
Q

Describe the holstein breed:
colour?
how popular?
horned or no?
large or small?
volume?
components?

A
  • typical black and white (or red and white)
  • 75% OF DAIRY COWS
  • most popular breed
  • horned
  • large breed
  • high volume
  • low components (fat and protein)
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45
Q

Describe the jersey breed:
colour?
how popular?
horned or no?
large or small?
volume?
components?

A
  • pale gold to dark tan (fawn), black tip on nose ears and feet
  • second most popular in aus
  • horned
  • small
  • lower volume
  • higher components
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46
Q

brown swiss
colour?
how popular?
horned or no?
large or small?
volume?
components?

A
  • light brown to grey and darker shades
  • second most common in the world
  • horned and polled
  • large breed
  • average volume
  • high components
    *longer pregnancy (290)
    *oldest of all dairy breeds
    *used in cross breeding programs
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47
Q

Ayrshire
colour?
how popular?
horned or no?
large or small?
volume?
components?

A
  • shade of red or brown spots, mostly white, can be all white
  • popular in VIC and NSW
  • horned (long curved)
  • medium size
  • average production
  • high components
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48
Q

Guernsey
colour?
how popular?
horned or no?
large or small?
volume?
components?

A
  • mostly fawn/red with white spots, yellow pigmented skin
  • popular in south aus and VIC
  • medium size
  • average volume
  • high components
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49
Q

illawarra
colour?
how popular?
horned or no?
large or small?
volume?
components?

A
  • red, red and white, or roan
  • mix of 3 breeds
  • horned
  • medium size
  • average volume
  • average components (high fat)
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50
Q

what are 4 dairy housing systems

A
  • pastoral
  • free stalls
  • compost barns
  • tie stalls
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51
Q

describe pastoral/ pasture based and what are some challenges

A
  • main source of food is pasture, low input low output
  • environment: tracks, paddocks, water troughs
  • feed pad: brining food to cows, flooring, space, height, less energy and time for cows to eat
  • exposed to elements
  • can be hard to maintain
  • cows spend a lot of time and energy eating
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52
Q

why do you feed cows low to the ground

A

more saliva= better for rumen function

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53
Q

describe free stalls and some challenged

A
  • indoors
  • concrete
  • beds where they can lay (sand, woodshavings, compost)
  • less walking distance
  • headlocks with feed pad
  • dealing with waste is vital
  • cows exposed to concrete for along time
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54
Q

describe compost barns

A
  • big soft area of compost bed
  • concrete alleyway away from beds where they eat so they don’t poop on beds
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55
Q

calf

A

young cow

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56
Q

bobby calf

A

young male calf usually destined for veal

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57
Q

heifer

A

young female, not yet had calf

58
Q

first calf heifer

A

after give birth to first calf

59
Q

cow

A

after second calving

60
Q

dam

A

female parent in a pedigree

61
Q

bull

A

sexually mature, uncastrated male

62
Q

sire

A

male parent in a pedigree

63
Q

colostrum

A

first milking following calving

64
Q

DIM

A

days in milk

65
Q

lactation

A

period of milk production ideally 305 days

66
Q

cluster

A

4 tubes of milking machine that goes onto udders

67
Q

bulk milk tank, temp??

A

on farm refrigeration stainless steel storage vessel in which milk cooled quickly to 2-4 degrees and constantly agitated

68
Q

SCC

A

somatic cell count; number of white blood cells per ml of milk

69
Q

mastitis

A

inflammation (infection of mammary gland)

70
Q

what is purpose of calf barn/ calf pens

A

calf poorly regulates temp and uses lots of energy to stay warm, protection from elements and prevents contact with other animals

71
Q

“3 shit meals” of calfs

A
  • on way out
  • when they hit the ground
  • suck on dirty udder
72
Q

why calves are separated from mom asap

A
  • cows don’t usually have maternal instinct
  • avoid 3 shit meals
  • calves don’t have good immune system yet
73
Q

where do cows calve

A

in a calving pen or maternity pen

74
Q

when is colostrum given

A

ASAP, 2-3L in first 6 hours, and again before 24 hours

75
Q

why is it important to give colostrum before 24 hours

A
  • intestines have pores and molecules in colostrum pass through, after 24 hours these pores close and calves unable to gain those antibodies
76
Q

when calves are weaned off milk they should:

A

double their weight

77
Q

calves milk fed what percent of body weight

A

10-15 %

78
Q

what age do you want heifers to have first calf

A

by 24 months of age so need to be bred 13-15 months of age

79
Q

why is it better to feed calves separately

A
  • they start suckling the weaker cow, nose to nose contact, spread disease, no immune system yet
80
Q

Identification methods for cattle

A

ear marking/ ear notching, ear tattooing, freeze branding, photography, ear-tagging, radio frequency ID devices RFID

81
Q

when is ear tattooing used

A

not often, only for valuable cows

82
Q

RFID tag, where, what, why

A

radio frequency ID, in right ear, national livestock ID system (NLIS) lifetime ID, traceability, can see where cow has been, good for biosecurity

83
Q

when is freeze branding good to use

A

on darker coats duh, uses liquid nitrogen, permanent

84
Q

what are other uses of NLIS (other than ID)

A
  • backup ID
  • herd recording
  • automatic drafting
  • computer controlled feeding
  • recording milk production in automated systems
85
Q

in what type of cows is photography regularly used for ID

A

stud cattle especially holstein

86
Q

difference between disbudding and dehorning

A
  • disbudding is removal of horn producing cells, done in calfs less than 2 months, buds are not attached to skull
  • dehorning is removal of horn and horn producing tissues, horn is attached to skull, sinus becomes expsoed
87
Q

true or false: many dairy farms do keep their bull calves

A

false; they don’t usually keep

88
Q

what does the 5 in 1 vaccine include

A

clostridial diseases
(tetanus, malignant oedema, blackleg, enterotaxaemia, black disease)

89
Q

what does the 7 in 1 vaccine include

A

clostridial diseases plus lepto

90
Q
A
91
Q

common vaccines

A
  • 5 in 1 or 7 in 1
  • botulinum vaccine
  • BEF vaccine (bovine ephemeral fever
  • tick fever vaccine
92
Q

when are PMR and TMR used

A

large dairy farms, high inputs and high production

93
Q

PMR

A

partial mixed ration= pasture + extra feed

94
Q

TMR

A

total mixed ration= only mixed ration, no pasture at all

95
Q

pros and cons of grass fed only

A

pros:
- cheap
- cows designed to eat
- less disease

cons
- more difficult to monitor
- water is a limiting resource
- dependent on weather
- still require supplements

96
Q

types of feeding systems

A
  • rain fed pasture
  • irrigated pasture
  • supplementary grain and concentrate feeding
  • feedlot
97
Q

what are some supplements

A
  • grain: wheat, barley, sorghum
  • hay/silage
  • by products: cotton seed, brewers grain, soybean meal, bread etc
98
Q

pros and cons of supplements

A

pros
- increase production
- less reliance on rainfall
- more control over intake/ monitoring
- byproducts cheap

cons
- fluctuating supplies
- variable prices of feeds
- increased likelihood acidosis

99
Q

pros and cons of PMR and TMR

A

pros
- better nutritional control
- higher production
- not reliant on weather
cons
- expensive
- feed costs will fluctuate with feed availability
- increased risk of some diseases (mastitis, acidosis, lameness, LDA, RDA)

100
Q

want cow to basically produce milk all year round EXCEPT what period

A

50-60 days before calving
(dry period) around 8 weeks

101
Q

what does herring bone refer to

A

milking parlour that is parallel or angled with rapid exit (as opposed to rotary)

102
Q

why is good hygiene important with milking

A

produces good quality milk and prevents infection and mastitis, avoids stress and allows cows to let milk down

103
Q

what is foremilk

A

the first bit of milk that comes out, milk initially in the teat, usually removed before cluster is attached

104
Q

what are way to disinfect teats after milking, which is better

A

dip or spray, even though spray is faster its also easier to miss so dip is better

105
Q

when milking teats should be ____ and _____

A

clean and dry

106
Q

lactation cycle

A
  • calving, fresh cow
  • day 21-100 is peak lactation
  • then mid lactation until day 200
  • then late lactation until day 305
  • then dry off period (50-60 days before calving again)
  • called close up period 21 days before calving
107
Q

21 days before calving- 21 days after calving is known as

A

transition period
close up –> calving –>fresh

108
Q

cows will produce milk for as long as ___

A

they are milked

109
Q

why do they dry off the cow 50-60 days before calving

A

cow will be around 7 months pregnant at that time and calf does most of its growing in those last 2 months

also for involution and regeneration of milk secretory tissue in the udder

110
Q

what is the ideal calving interval

A

1 cow every 13 months

111
Q

why is milk from first 6-8 milking after calving withheld

A

colostrum so it does not go into milk vat

112
Q

how often cows milked a day

A

usually twice a day, but sometime 1-3

113
Q

what is mastitis and what are the signs

A
  • inflammation of the mammary gland
  • signs include pain, swelling, redness, milk changes
114
Q

2 causes of mastitis

A

contagious from other cows
environment

115
Q

dry period is _____ days. Less than 30 results in ____ and more than 70 results in _____

A
  • 50-60
  • less milk next lactation
  • obesity
116
Q

what is dry cow therapy , why is it done

A

cows usually given intramammary antibiotics, prevents mastitis, also leads to involution and regeneration of milk secretory tissue in udder which increases production next lactation

  • completely milk cow out
  • give antibiotic
  • apply teat dip and don’t milk again

another option instead of antibiotic is a teat seal which doesn’t go in the udder

117
Q

in order to dry off need to produce less than ____ of milk, how is this done

A

12 L of milk, milk once a day or feed less

118
Q

what is VWP

A

voluntary waiting period, 40-60 days after calving, do not want to get cow pregnant in this time so cows body can focus on milk

119
Q

yearly time line for ideal dairy farms

A
  • calving
  • from here 305 days lactation until dry period
  • VWP is 40-60 days post calving, no mating
  • after VWP start mating, conceive on average by 120 days post calving
  • gestation for 9 months
  • dry period around 2 months (50-60 days) before calving again
120
Q

for artificial insemination cow must be

A

detected in heat

121
Q

how long cows pregnant for

A

283 days

122
Q

3 calving patterns

A

seasonal
split/batch
year round

123
Q

aims of seasonal calving patterns, pros and cons?

A

all cows mated at same time to match peak milk to peak pasture growth, want all cows to calve within a 60 period
most common production system

pros:
- efficient, all cows same thing at same time,
-can tailor production to feed availability

cons:
- cows that don’t get pregnant have to be culled or sold or induced,
- require large calving shed
- milk not produced all year round

124
Q

split calving pattern, what is it and pros and cons

A
  • generally 2 batches a year
  • 2 distinct calving periods to maximize production through spring and summer
  • increasing in popularity

pros
- like seasonal, can match pattern to feed availability
- if slow to get pregnant, can slip into next batch instead of culling
- less need for calving induction
cons
- larges batches of calves at once; requires large facilities

125
Q

year round calving pattern, what is it and pros and cons

A
  • non seasonal
  • cows produce milk all year round
  • aim to produce even supply
  • calving spread throughout the year

pros
- less of a problem if cow goes over 305 days lactation
- usually paid premium to supply year round
- smaller facilities required as less happening at same time

cons
- must have cows milking all year round which is hard with feed shortages in winter and in extreme heat in summer
- cows must be mated all year round and its hard to get cows pregnant in heat
- have to do everything everyday

126
Q

what is lameness

A

impairment of locomotor systems

127
Q

3 ways to prevent lameness

A

1) risk factor evaluation
2) hoof trimming
3) foot baths

128
Q

what are the 5 M’s that could be the reason for a downer cow

A

1) mastitis
2) metritis (infection of uterus)
3) musculoskeletal (lame, traumatic luxation)
4) metabolic diseases
5) massive infection

  • treatment intensive, often unrewarding
129
Q

lame on front foot means cows head goes

A

up

130
Q

lame on back foot means cows head goes

A

down

131
Q

stride length on lame foot is

A

much shorter

132
Q

locomotion scoring

A

aims to identify cows that need immediate attention vs cows that might just need functional trimming:

1 is normal
5 is severely lame

133
Q

BCS

A
  • body condition score, - common 1-5 for cattle
  • provides an indication of the amount of fat cover on cow
  • visual assessment of amount of muscle and fat covering bones of a cow
  • NOT affected by gut fill or pregnancy
134
Q

why use BSC?

A
  • affects milk production and reproductive performance
  • helps manage herd health
135
Q

thin cows effects on repro and milk production

A

repro effects:
- take longer to recommence cycling
- reduced submission rates
- lower conception rate
milk production:
- partition more feeding energy to body gain rather than milk production
- lead to reduced peak milk yield
- lower lactation persistency

136
Q

fat cows effects

A
  • more calving problems
  • lower dry matter intake
  • metabolic disease
  • other health issues
137
Q

BSC target at calving

A

3.25-3.75

138
Q

BSC at mating

A

2.75-3.25, decrease at calving no more than 0.5

139
Q

what do herd health programs focus on

A
  • repro performance
  • lameness management
  • calf rearing
  • mastitis mangement
140
Q

when do cows spend the most time ruminating

A

middle of day

141
Q

approx how long after calving do we want dairy cows to conceive

A

80 ish days
recall VWP is 40-60 days and want to conceive before 120 days

142
Q

how long after calving should milk from a dairy cow not be put into a milk vat

A

4 days, 8 milkings