Unit 9 Flashcards
(60 cards)
Some features of working cattle are
- strong bones
- Sound constitution
- Quiet temperament
____________ is a branch of agriculture that encompasses the raising of dairy animals for the production of milk and milk products
Dairying or dairy cattle production
________ is the primary product of dairying
Milk
Before producing milk a cow must first have
A calf
Female calves of modern breeds reach sexual maturity at the age of
Seven or eight months
Female calves are called _________ before having thier first calf or after having only one calf
Heifers
Heifers are usually mated when they are
15 to 18 months ( this age is said to be the age at first service)
The gestation period typically lasts
265 to 300 days
Heifers tend to give birth to thier first calf at the age of
2 to 2.5 years
Heifers are typically bred again ______ to ________ weeks after calving
Four to eight
All domestic cattle of the world are in the scientific family
Bovidae
Compare bos indicus and bos Taurus
Bos indicus
- Tropical climate through natural selction(Africa and Asia)
- Humped
- Much narrower body
- Longer legs
- Very prominent dewlap
- Delayed maturity
- Long calving interval
- Slow growth rate
- Short lactation
- Low milk yield
- Example is Ethiopian cattle breed
Bos Taurus - temperate climate through artificial selction(Europe nd USA)
- Isn’t Humped
- Wider body
- Shorter legs
- Less prominent dewlap
- Early maturity
- Short calving interval
- Fast growth rate
- Milked up to 305 days
- High milk yield
- Example is Holstein friesian
All indigenous cattle breeds are
Multi purpose
There are around __ recognized cattle breeds of Ethiopian origin
27
True\false : there is no specialized local cattle breed considered as dairy type
True
Fogera cattle
- North western, fogera, Gondar
- White with black spots or patches
- Small sized breeds
- 915 per lactation
- Butter fat= 5.8%
Barca/begait cattles
- originated in west part of ertirea but is abundant in Tigray and Gondar
- Color= variable but Teo colors combined is common including black is common
- 683 L per lactation under extensive management
- Milk production is enhanced when managed intensively
Arsi- bale cattle
- predominately found in the highlands of the central region of Arsi and bale
- Color= variable
- Small sized
- Compact body formation
- 516 L per lactation
- Butter fat = 5.4 to 5.8%
Horro cattle
- western part of Ethiopia around horro guduru, wollegq
- Dominant coat Color is brown and sometimes lighter on the flanks and hind legs
- Medium sized animal
- 543 L per lactation
- Mainly raised for milk and draft use
The major breeds of dairy cattle in the world include
- Holstein friesian
- Jersey
- Brown Swiss
- Ayrshire
- Guernsey
All the major dairy breeds originated in
Europe
Holstein friesian
- originated in Netherlands
- Black and white or red and white
- Large and angular animal
- Require more feed that other dairy breeders
- Produce more than 6600 L of milk per lactation
- It’s low when it comes to butter fat( 3.6%) and protein (3.2%)
- Well known for their high milk yield
- Their teat size is preferred by farmers for both hand and machine milking
Jersey
- located in Island of jersey, in the United Kingdom
- Light gray to a dark fawn Color
- Small sized breed
- Require less feed than Holstein friesian breed
- They are good foragers and good pasture animals in harsh environment
- Richest when it comes to butter fat (5%) and protein (3.8%)
- Well known for thier well shaped udder , stronger udder attachment and ease of calving
- Is the most heat tolerant of the exotic breeds
Some factors you should consider when selecting dairy breeds are
- climatic condition
- Production objective
- Feeding system
- Age of maturity
- Cost