Agri 22 Lecture Ideal Parameters and Pastures

305 days

Lactation period

Milking cows in entire herd

40-48%

Milking cows in adult herd

60-74%

Dry period

50-60 days

Age at 1st breeding

14-15 months

Weight at 1st breeding

250-300 kg

Age at 1st calving

24 months

Calving interval

12-13 months

Average days open (animal is not pregnant)

85-110 days

Average days open to 1st breeding (VWP) - for uterine involution

45-60 days

<10%

number of wows open more than 120 days

<10%

Culling rate due to reproductive problems

<1.7

Number of services per conception

>50%

Ideal conception rate

<5%

Abortion rate 

<5%

Calf mortality

<2%

Cow mortality

<5%

Incidence of clinical mastitis

Pasture

• used by dairy farmers with native grasses and improved grass species
  - i.e. cogon, talahib

Pasture Establishment

• sequences of seed germination and seedling development that normally permit the persistence of the introduced species in the longer-term 

Improved grasses

• napier grass

• guinea grass

• para grass

• star grass

• pangola grass

• signal grass

• mulato

• mulato II

Legumes

• centrosema

• kudzu

• ipil-ipil

• kakawate

• dapdap

• katuray

• stylo

• flemingia

Systems of farm operation (production systems)

• extensive - grazing

• intensive - cut and carry

• semi-intensive - combination

Cut and carry

• Animals rely on feed to be cut and carried to them daily

• Less wastage of grasses due to trampling

• grasses are cut at constant level resulting to efficient use of all available feed

• as the grass matures, yield increases while quality decreases

Grazing

• animals are in the pastures day and night

• loss in pasture yield due to trampling

• animals have the opportunity to select the more nutritious parts of the forage

Continuous grazing

Rotational grazing

Strip grazing

Leader-follower grazing system

Night grazing

• animal can eat more at night because of cooler temperature

Tethering

Individual animals tied with a rope

Life Cycle of a Dairy Cow