Dairy system Flashcards
Explain the dairy cows production cycle.
First there is calving. After that, it takes 85 days before the cow will be inseminated again, takes 280 days of gestation, and then calving again. Cow is about 3 years of life in the conventional German system.
Parallel to that, the cow is milking (starting at calving) for about 305 days and has about 60 days dry period before calving again. The peak milk production is at 5 weeks after calving. First days, colostrum is given to the calf (still with mother for a few days, then separated). Goal milk production is about 10 000L milk/year. Gves about 17-20L milk/day
On the other side, after the calf is born and taken from the mother, there is 35 days of weaning, then 420 days of rearing before it becomes a mature cow.
Explain the difference between and the contents of the room planning program and the function planning program.
Room planning program gives the type, number and size of the rooms and the space required for the production system depending on the natural conditions (ex: number of animals, storage for straw, roughage, hay and other feed, for the manure and for products such as milk).
Function planning program gives the coordination and function of the parts/rooms (“functional areas”) of a housing system.
- Lying, feeding, walking/manure removing, milking
How do body dimensions and behaviour of the cow influence the design of cubicles and housing systems
The body dimensions and behaviors lead to design adapted so that the cow should have enough space. Cows nowadays are also bigger than 60 years ago (which is an issue for old barns/old designs). Ex of adaptation to animal behaviors: the cow standing up has like a “catapult effet”, needing enough space in the front (or nothing in the way directly in the front of the legs).
This is more specifically what the cow needs:
- Space-giving functional dimensions of walking, feeding and lying areas
- Clean, preferably dry and probably soft walking alleys
- Clean, dry and deformable/soft lying places
- Appropriate installations to support the comfort behaviour, feed and water intake, moving and social behaviour
What are technophathies and how can we avoid them?
«Clinical symptoms that indicate deviations from the normal, healthy status of cattle and are caused by the housing system. Such symptoms include lesions and permanent changes to the integument and hooves, swollen joint, lameness and teat and tail injuries. ‘Technopathies’ are injuries or damage resulting from any parts of the stable equipment. »
We can avoid them by providing adequate housing, in respect to body size and animal behaviors.
→ space-giving dimensions of walking/feeding/lying areas
→ dry, clean and soft laying and walking areas
→ good veterinary care
Describe the functional areas and design principles of a tie stall for dairy cows.
In a tie stall system, all the functional areas are designed so that the cow is always at the same place (lying, walking/manure removal, feeding and milking is done at the same spot/animal’s place). The cow is attached/tied at its cubicle, can move minimally, water and feeding alley in front, stands on soft mattress/natural bedding, behind cow is grid where manure falls through. Sometimes time on pasture or outside in yard. This system goes against natural behaviors patterns of the cow, stricts regulations in germany.
Describe the functional areas and design principles of a free stall for dairy cows.
Free stall housing → different locations for different acitivities
- Ex. cubicle design: each dairy cow has a cubicle for lying, but can move around feely in big part of the stall
- design questions: open or closed layout?, material and design of stall partitions?, bedding material?, cooling system necessary?, solid or slatted floor?, how to remove manure?, store manure as solid or slurry?
- each cow has separate cubicle to lay down, bedding: natural or artificial (less comfortable, easier to clean)
- sometimes cooling system is necessary (water pipes in the ground … )
- as little positioning as possible (metal or plastic bars)
- walking and demanuring in alleys between cubicles:
- slatted floor: uncomfortable, can harm caws/feet, less foot sure
- feeding and drinking: see 8.
- milking: in milking parlour 2-3 times a day
What are the advantages of soft walking for cows?
More secure and shock absorbing. Leads to better health and in the end better yields, less technopathies
Explain important design parameters for the feeding place of a cow.
- feeding table has to be elevated
- self-catching system → metal, noise
- alternative from rubber → no fixation possible
- simple barrier → cheap, easy, but fights between cows
- cows push feed away → feed pusher or automatic feeder
- feeding of concentrates: important for milk yield, too much bad for digestion
- cows drink a lot (high yield in summer 150l/d) → fast water flow, many drinking stations, technical surveillance possible
- fixed feeding times or free consuming frequency, in or out of parlour feeding
Data flow and Data flood – automatic cow management systems examples
H2O ALERT: water quality management: small sensors are placed in water throughs/other water sources
- sensors observe water level, temperature and contamination
- system dispenses correct amount of well-temperatured water through real-time feedback
accessible via Wifi, alarms
AMS: Automatic Milking System
- Cow can enter the milking cubicle when she wants, is recognized via sensor
- Fully automatic robot arm cleans udder and milks, system also checks milk flow and quality
Describe you favourite innovation and/or agrifuture consept for dairy from the “Eurotier” or other sources. https://www.eurotier.com/en/
- Chemically-based feed additive that inhibits an important enzyme in the methane synthesis pathway of the archeabacteria in the rumen of cows
- Appr. 30% less methane emissions
- No negative effects on cow or feed conversion
- How can we design a cubicle very comfortable for the cow?
- Describe/Sketch typical layouts for a milking parlour.
