ANS 151 Beef breeds & tools

What breed

Angus Bull

What breed

Angus Cow

What breed

Brahman Bull

What breed

Brahman Cows and Calves

What breed

Brangus Bull

What breed

Charolais Bull

What breed

Charolais Cow and Calf

What breed

Chianini Cow and Calf

What breed

Chianini Bull

What breed

Hereford Bull

What breed

Limousin Bull

What breed

Polled Hereford Bull

What breed

Simmental Cow and Calf (solid color pattern)

What breed

Simmental Cow (Piebald color pattern)

What tool

Hoof Trimmer

Use: trimming hooves

What tool

Artificial Vagina (black tube) & sleeve (denim)

Use: collecting semen from bulls for A.I.

What tool

Horn Tube

Use: Removing small horns or “scurs” (tips of small horns attached to hide but not to the skull)

What tool

Electric dehorner

Use: removing horns (burns them off)

What tool

Hoof knife

Use: trimming hooves

What tool

CIDR (white “y”) & CIDR inserter (orange tool)

Use: synchronization of estrus (Controlled Intravaginal Drug Release)

what tool

KAMAR heat detection patch

Use: detection of estrus (white- not in estrus; red- in estrus; was mounted by another cow)

What tool

Obstetrical chains & handle

Use: pulling calves

What tool

A.I. rod or gun

Use: deposition of semen (A.I.)

What tool

Marking crayon

Use: temporary identification

What tool

Vacutainer (tube) & holder

Use: blood sampling

What tool

Balling gun

Use: oral administration of medications

What tool

Emasculator (bloodless)

Use: castration (crushes spermatic cord)

What tool

Esophageal feeder

Use: feeding baby calves

What tool

Magnet (stripped) & magnet tube

Use: treat hardware’s disease (cattle often eat metal bits when grazing; magnet binds it in the rumen so it will not poke through stomach)

What tool

Pelvimeter

Use: measuring pelvic area in heifers (used as a genetic tool)

What tool

Implant gun

Use: administer medications under the skin or in the ear

What tool

Scrotal knife

Use: castration

What tool

Scrotal tape

Use: measuring scrotal circumference of bulls

What tool

Stomach pump or oiler

Use: oral administration of medication (a tube is attached to the nozzle under the pump and threaded down the animal esophagus; the end opposite the pump is attached to the container with the medicine- for large volumes)

What tool

Trocar (sharp end) & cannula (hollow tube)

Use: treat bloat (the sharp end is placed in the tube and jabbed through the side of the animal into the rumen which lets the excess gas out

What tool

Tatooer & tattoo ink

Use: permanent identification (tattoo is on inside of ear)

What tool

Dehorner (Barnes)

Use: removing horns on adult cattle

What tool

Curry comb

Use: grooming cattle

What tool

Emasculator (White’s Improved)

Use: castration

What tool

Ear tagger

Use: temporary identification

What tool

Bander or Elastrator

Use: castration (bloodless- the rubber band is placed above the testicles and prevents blood flow to the testicles; testicles shrivel up)

What tool

Paint brands

Use: temporary identification

What tool

Palpation sleeve

Use: assisting with calving; artificial insemination; and pregnancy diagnosis

What tool

Neck chain

Use: temporary identification

What tool

Nose lead or twitch

Use: leading/controlling bulls

What tool

Chin Ball marker

Use: identification of cows in estrus (positioned under the chin of bull; filled with paint; bull mounts to breed; and paints cow’s tail head when slides off). Also identifies which bull breeds which cow; often each bull has a different color paint.

What tool

Milk claw

Use: milking dairy cattle

What 2 breeds were seen at the NCSU Beef unit?

Angus & Polled Hereford

How many calving seasons do most beef cattle producers have? and How many does NCSU have?

Normally only 1 calving season, but NCSU has 2

When does the Angus herd calve?

August, September, and October

About how many Angus cows are there?

40

When does the hereford herd calve?

January & February

How many hereford cows are there?

40

What does the universal numbering system of cattle do?

Uses numbers to provide a unique way to identify animals on a farm followed by a letter which indicates the year they were born.

If there were less than 100 cows in a herd, what would be the first calves number?

01

If there were over 100 cows in the herd, what would be the first calves number?

001

What letter indicates that a calf was born in 2013?

A

What letter would indicate a calf born in 2023?

L

What letter is skipped in the numbering system and why?

I, it looks too much like the letter 1.

If a calf is lettered 1-40, what breed is it likely to be and why?

Hereford, they calve earlier in the year

How many of each breed of cow would be born every year?

40 Hereford and 40 Angus

If a Hereford calf was born late in the season (February) what is the likely means of breeding?

Natural

What is a black baldie?

A crossbred between Angus and Hereford

What is the purpose of the head catch in a working chute?

To hold the cow’s head to prevent them from moving around while they are being treated