Dairy Husbandry Midterm II

Why do we evaluate cattle?

To select the best genes

To advertise

To contact prospective buyers

Functional Traits

Feet, leg, and udder traits

Goals of selection

Structurally correct cow

Efficient production of large quantities of milk

How does maturity or lactation status effect show animals?

Mature animals are preferred

Peak lactation is preferred

What nutritional factors should you consider when preparing a cow for show?

Can take months to fix an issue

Thin"- Feed concentrates & check for parasites

Fat- Feed bulk forages

Don’t change diet too close to show

How should a cow walk when being shown?

Walk slowly, take short steps, keep head alert

What parts of a cow should you clip before a show?

Head, ears, neck, tail, and udder
and mammary vein for cows

Benefits of brushing?

Stimulates blood flow to help with coat gloss

Remove dust and dirt

Point value for each category on Dairy Cow Score Card

Frame- 15

Rear feet & legs- 20

Dairy Strength- 25

Udder- 40

Subcategories for each category- Frame

Rump, stature, front end, back/loin, breed characteristics

Subcategories for each category- Dairy Strength

Ribs, thighs, withers, neck, skin, barrel, chest

Subcategories for each category- Rear Feet & Legs

Movement, feet, rear legs- rear view, rear legs- side view, hocks, pasterns, thurl position, bone

Subcategories for each category- Udder

Udder depth, teat placement, rear udder, udder cleft, fore udder, teats, udder balance and texture

When giving reasons for your placement of cows, should you use descriptive terms or
comparative terms?

Comparative

What are the benefits of classifying your animals?

Help make management decisions

Make mating decisions

Find most profitable animals

Adds martketibility

What is considered an excellent score? For dairy classification

90-97 points

What does aAa stand for?

Animal Analysis Association

What is the overall function of the aAa?

Identifies qualities a cow needs in mating and the qualities a bull brings to a mating?

Are cows coded on weaknesses or strengths? aAa

Weaknesses

Are bulls coded on weaknesses or strengths? aAa

Strengths

What environment is the dairy cow providing for the microbes?

A continuous anaerobic vat

What are the functions of the rumen cycle

Inoculate new food

Distribute end products of digestion

Passage of food further down the digestive tract

What is pre gastric fermentation? Advantages?

Fermentation that happens in the rumen before reaching the stomach and being digested

Advantages:

More effective use of fiber

More effective use of fermentation end products (VFAs, microbial proteins, vits.)

Can consume some toxic plants

Decrease in handling digesta

Able to eat and run

Characteristics of a good ration

Variability, 60/40, palatability

6 nutrients

Fats, proteins, water, vitamins, carbs, minerals

4 9 4, which offers the most energy?

Psyological Fuel Values:

Carbs- 4

Lipids- 9, offers the most

Proteins- 4

TDN

Total Digestible Nutrients

Characteristics of Roughages

Higher in fiber, lower in energy

Lower digestibility

Corn silage, barley hay, bermuda hay

Cell Wall digestibility

Can’t digest lignin, can digest cellulose and hemicellulose

Concentrates

Higher in energy, lower fiber

Low to moderate protein

Beet pulp, citrus pulp

Grain byproducts protein

Lower in protein

Common byproduct concentrates

Soybean meal

Brewer’s grains

Feather meal

Alfalfa vs Corn silage- Which is higher in energy, protein?

Alf- higher in protein

Corn- higher in energy

Why are Fats and Oils are energy concentrates?

Because they yield more energy than carbs

Characteristics protein concentrates

>20% protein

Expensive

Plant & Animal protein concentrates

Animal- Fish meal, feather meal

Plant- Sunflower meal, safflower meal

Why concentrate in close up cows?

Adjust the reticulo-rumen environment

Increase rumen papillae length

Reduce chance of ketosis

Lactic Acidosis

Build up of lactic acid in the blood

Milk fever, symptoms, cows most at risk?

Too little Ca2+

Muscle contractions

Cold ears

Gi motility decrease

Jerseys and multiparous cows

DCAD

Dietary Cation Anion Difference

Fed to cows susceptible to milk fever- Ca2+ is positive, feeding more anions allows for better Ca absorption

Optimal Urine pH

5.5-6.5