Beef Suckler Cow Management and Fertility

What is a suckler cow?

lactating cow producing a calf for beef production

What is a bulling heifer?

female 1 year old until pregnant with first calf

What is a calved heifer?

female give birth to first calf → primiparous

What is a cow?

produced second calf → multiparous

What is a in calf heifer?

nulliparous

What is a bull?

entire male >1 year

What is a store animal?

sold >6 months old for finishing elsewhere

What is a forward store animal?

between store and fat

What is a pedigree animal?

pure bred animals

What is a commercial animal?

cross bred animal often with one pedigree (bull) parent

What is creep?

concentrating feeding fed in a way that only calve can access

What are some differences to a suckler cow from a dairy cow? (7)

seasonal

handled less/not so easy to handle

not milked (no bulk tank or dry cow therapy)

rarely routine vet visit

nutrition less important

less records available

calf very important to productivity

What are some differences to a suckler cow from a dairy cow in relation to diseases?

Beef cows rarely get - LDA/RDA, mastitis, ketosis and other negative energy balance problems, milk fever, digital dermatitis/ulcers, cystic ovarian disease

What generally makes a good suckler cow? (8)

gets pregnant the first time, rears a calf every year, good food conversion efficiency, produces a calf with a good carcass confirmation and DLWG, good milk production, not too wild, maternal instinct, calves herself

What are the cons with maintaining a closed herd when thinking about replacement heifers? (4)

maternal instincts of certain breeds, don’t have enough or big enough home bred heifers, problems with inbreeding, especially in smaller herds, daughters bred by fathers within a few years, only really possible for large units with multiple bulls

What are the cons with buying accredited replacement heifers? (2)

do they exist? mainly pedigree

if the farm is full of disease anyway it may not be their primary concern but it should be

What should happen within 365 days?

rearing calf and breeding, rearing calf and pregnancy, wean calf and dry off, calving

What could the vet be involved with at calving? (4)

dystocia, freshly calved cow diseases, neonatal disease, FPT sampling

What could the vet be involved with at breeding? (6)

fertility testing bull, infertility investigation, synchro program, vaccination advice (BVD, Lepto), nutritional advice

What could the vet be involved with at pregnancy? (4)

pregnancy diagnosis, nutritional planning, abortion investigation, calf scour vaccination advice

What could the vet be involved with at rearing? (8)

growing calf diseases, monitoring DLWG, castration, dehorning, BVD screen testing, pneumonia sick calves, housing/vaccine advice, nutritional advice

What could the vet be involved with at drying off/weaning?

nutritional planning

What could the vet be involved with at death/culling?

decision making based on productivity, disease, etc.

What are considerations of spring calving at grass? (5)

BCS pre calving controlled by winter ration

Grazing for lactation/calf growing period $

breeding coincides with increased grass growth

calves weaned at 6m ish to save feeding cows for milk production over housing period

grass often a cleaner place to rear calves

What are considerations of fall calving inside? (5)

BCS pre calving harder to control at summer grass

Housed for lactation/calf growing period $

breeding happens during housing = $ to feed the cows to stop BCS loss

calves weaned later to control BCS ars cows at grass $

harder to control disease when housed

What are the energy and protein and minerals requirements for a suckler cow at rearing calf and breeding?

continue to meet requirements for milk and ensure return to cyclicity (avoid BCS loss), can be hard to control if at grass

magnesium to prevent staggers, copper for fertility and calf growth, selenium/vita E for calf growth and immunity

What are the energy and protein and minerals requirements for a suckler cow at rearing calf and pregnancy?

continue to meet requirements, cows can get over conditioned at the end as calves drink less milk, get calves used to alternative feeds

nothing too specific but iodine and selenium

What are the energy and protein and minerals requirements for a suckler cow at wean calf and dry off?

manipulate BCS, cows in late preg can be underfed or overfed, calf needs to transition onto new diet

Iodine to prevent goitre and poor tolerance to cold, selenium to prevent WMD, ?mineral involvement in chondrodystrophy

What are the energy and protein and minerals requirements for a suckler cow right before calving?

requirements ramp up in last 6 weeks

Ca (keep low precalving), MG and Ph to prevent slow calving, iodine to prevent goitre and poor tolerance to cold, selenium to prevent WMD

What are the energy and protein and minerals requirements for a suckler cow at calving?

huge increase needed here for colostrum and milk production ++

Ca, Mg increased demand to to milk production

What is the energy and protein requirements for a cow in early lactation?

120-130 MJ/day and 1680-1820 g per day

What is the energy and protein requirements for a cow in late lactation?

85-95 MJ/day and 850-950 g per day

What is the energy and protein requirements for a dry cow?

75-80 MJ/day and 675-720 g per day

What is the dry matter intake and protein requirements for a cow in late pregnancy?

8-10 kg/day and 1200-1300 g per day

When should you have a beef cow lose BCS and how?

needs to be done in mid pregnancy

delay weaning of calf, dilute silage that is too good for the cow with straw or use poorer quality forage, feed what is needed not ad lib

How do you encourage BCS increases in a beef cow?

wean calves early, feed ad lib higher quality forage, check for underlying disease

When is the best time to do a metabolic profile on cows and on how many cows?

once on a stable ration for 3 weeks and ideally 3 weeks after calving, 6 cows per feeding group

What are the issues with underfeeding heifers before breeding?

not big enough to mate in first place (target = 65% of adult liveweight)

What are the issues with underfeeding heifers during 1st pregnancy/calving?

continue to grow during pregnancy, dystocia if too small

What are the issues with underfeeding heifers at/after 1st calving?

it is hard being a new mum and continuing to grow, could be bullied by older cows → poor fertility postpartum and DLWG in calf

What are some solutions to underfeeding heifers? (4)

calculate what heifers need and feed accordingly, keep as separate group, monitor weight, size and DLWG, make decisions based on above

When do we force weaning on beef calves?

6-9 months

What is the best way to force weaning?

take cows away from calves, transition calves to alternative feed with creep and offering forage before weaning

How does nutrition vary in suckler cows and diary cows?

nutrition is simpler as under less nutritional pressure and less can go wrong

less emphasis on making good quality silage

less common for farmers to take nutritional advice

Why bother making a herd health plan? (7)

requirement for farm assurance

allows discussion

can allow data recording/benchmarking

improve productivity, animal welfare, carbon foot print, farmer and vet welfare

What are some of the components of a herd health plan? (10)

Farm details, aims and objectives, data, KPI targets and review of herd performance, routine preventative treatment/procedures, disease treatment for common disease (1st and 2nd line), biosecurity/quarantine plan, breeding policy, nutrition planning, calendar

What does SMART stand for?

Specific to the herd, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time based

How frequently does dynamic health planning occur on farms?

3-4 times per year, farmer drives the process, vet is apporached for expertise.

What are the costs of beef farming per cow per year?

500 to 1000 GBP