Beef Lab

Characteristics of a cow:

• 2.5 to 3 years old

• had a calf

• female

Characteristics of a heifer:

• female

• hasn’t had a baby

Females are treated as heifers until:

they’ve had their 3rd calf

Steer =

castrated male

Bull =

uncastrated male

Bos indicus are also known as:

humped cattle

Humped cattle tend to have what kind of anscestry?

Asian anscestry

Characteristics of Bos Indicus?

hardy and heat tolerant

Which cattle breed matures early?

hereford

Which cattle breed is good for marbling?

angus

Examples of Bos Indicus cattle?

Brahman, Brangus, Beefmaster, and Braford

What color are brahman usually? Where are they found in the US?

Grey or Red, found mainly in the south

Examples of Bos Taurus cattle?

angus, hereford, charolais, simmental

Bos taurus include which types of cattle breeds?

British & Continental breeds

What are the 4 main sectors of the beef industry?

• Seed Stock

• Cow-calf

• Stocker Yearling

• Feed Lot

Seed Stock:

main goal is to have good genetics

Cow-calf:

have 1 live calf per cow per year till weaning

Stocker Yearling:

put on efficient cheap gains on pasture

Feed lot:

get them to market weight

What 2 main sectors of the beef industry are present in Mississippi?

cow-calf & stocker yearling

Where is their flight zone?

90 degrees in front of them

Where is their blind spot?

directly behind them

Where is the point of rotation?

the shoulder

What can stress cause?

• lower conception rates

• less gain

• reduced immune system

Which breed has good mothering ability & marbling?

angus

Which breed has early maturing & is docile?

hereford

Which breed has heavy muscling & good terminal breed?

charolais

Which breed has good mothering ability & dual purpose?

simmental

Which breed thrives under harsh conditions & has lean meat?

nellore

Which breed is heavily muscled w/ good milking ability?

gir

Which breed is heat & disease resistant and has good longevity?

american brahman

Ease of handling depends on:

• temperament

• size

• previous handling experience

• design of facilities

Temperament:

genetics play a big role, differs from animal to animal

Size:

diff size/age are worked differently, impacts flight zone

Previous handling experiences:

could have negative experiences (stressful)

Who helped design beef cattle facilities?

Temple Grandin

Cattle are herd animals by nature so they:

tend to move in groups

Cattle are prey animals so they:

think you are trying to hurt them

They are sensitive to:

movement & shadows

They tend to move towards:

light (mimics escaping)

The respond negatively to:

loud nouses

Cattle remember adverse experiences like:

overuse of hotshot (last ditch effort to get cow to move)

Handler movements should be:

slow & deliberate

Why are chutes cuved?

• only see animal in front of them — follow the leader

• less corners the better so they don’t get stuck & freak out

Facilities should be in a:

central location

There should be adequate space for the animals so you do not:

overcrowd working areas

Protruding object means:

possibility for injuries

Squeeze chute guidelines — What percent of animals should fall leaving the chute?

<2%

Squeeze chute guidelines — What percent of animals should vocalize in chute prior to treatment?

_<5%

Squeeze chute guidelines — What percent of animals should run or jump out of the chute?

<25%