Beef Cattle Breeds and Uses

What is important to note about quality of care and production systems?

– The degree of ownership varies

– varies from the cow could be a pet all the way to just a production animal

Family tree:

Kingdom

Animalia

Family tree:

phylum

Chordata

Family tree:

Class

Mammalia

Family tree:

Order

Ariodactyla

Family tree:

Family

Bovidae

Family tree:

Subfamily

Bovinae

Family tree:

Tribe

Bovini

Family tree:

Genus

Bos

What is important to remember about phylogenetic trees?

– They are guesses

– Depending on the study or research paper, the tree could look at the whole genome or only one gene

– when observing one gene, remember the tree is looking at the evolution of the gene independent of species

What happens when you cross species?

More often than not, the offspring are infertile

What is affected when crossing species?

Fertility

What bovid cannot be crossed with them domestic cattle?

Water buffalo

What were bovines domesticated for? (8)

– meat

– Milk

– Hides

– Fuel

– Tools

–power: Transport and plowing

– Cultural kudos

– Companionship (added later)

When were bovines domesticated?

Around 10,000 - 12,000 years ago

When humans ceased nomadic existence

There are a number of separate domestication events for bovines

What breed are modern bovines descended from?

Aurochs (extinct)

(Bos primigenius)

When were Bos taurus domesticated?

10,500 y.a.

Taurus mountains of Southern Turkey

When were Bos africanus domesticated?

8500 y.a.

Capeletti, Algeria

When were Bos indicus domesticated?

7000 y.a.

Indus Valley of Pakistan

When were Bos grunniens domesticated?

7 to 10,000 y.a.

Central Asian Domesticated Yaks

Definition:

bovid

– Noun for an animal of the Bos genus

Definition:

Bovine

– Adjective for an animal of the Bos genus

Definition:

Ox

– Generic term for an individual bovid

Note: also a specific breed

Definition:

Cattle

– A group of animals of the Bos genus

Definition:

Bull

– An entire (not desexed) male bovid

Definition:

Cow

- generic term for cattle

– Adult female who has had at least one calf

Definition:

Heifer

-a female that has not yet calved or is rearing her first calf

Definition:

Steer

– dexed, castrated, ‘cut’ male

Definition:

Bullock

Castrated male over 2 years old

Definition:

Calf

– A young bovid under one year of age

Definition:

Weaner

– calf between six and 12th months old

-deciduous teeth retained

-note: based on age, not based on when the young is suckling

Definition:

Weaning

-when the suckling calf is removed from the mother permanently

Definition:

Yearling

– 12 month old animal

Definition:

Free Martin

– Female twin in mixed sex twins

– Usually sterile

Note: male is not infertile

When cows birth (male and female) twins, why is the female usually sterile?

Hormonal imbalance due to exposure to masculine hormones during gestation

Are the offspring infertile if both twins are female?

No, they are both fertile

Definition:

Store

An industry term to show that a bovine is in good condition, but they have not yet been fattened

Usually older than a weaner

Summary:

Twinning

– Very rare in cows because mother cannot usually produce enough milk to support both

– Producer has to step in; creates an extra cost

Definition:

Dam

-The animals female parent

Definition:

Sire

– The animal’s male parent

Definition:

First calf heifer

– Breeder cow having first calf

Definition:

Breeder

– A cow used for breeding purposes

Definition:

Spay

– Female who is ovaries have been removed (desexed)

Definition:

Webbing

– Severing the fallopian tubes with ovaries intact in the female

Definition:

Mickey

– Young intact male

-undesirable for breeding purposes: out of control, wild

Definition:

Maiden

– Unmatched heifer

Definition:

Slink

– Aborted calf usually found in utero at slaughter

Definition:

Springer

– Heifer or cow about to calf

– Very close, weeks

What does a cow do when springing? (3)

– Isolate

– Tail to the side

– Vulva is enlarged

Definition:

Mob/herd

– Group of cattle

Definition:

Station/property/farm/land

– Terms used to refer to the area under cattle production

Definition:

Clean skin

– Unbranded or untagged cattle

How many hectares to 1 acre?

0.404686 (round to 0.4 or 0.5)

Definition:

Stag

– bull castrated late in life and shows male characteristics

When should you castrate a bull?

– Before sexual maturity

-before neck skin and muscle is developed and showing sexual behaviors

Definition:

Fat

– Animal fat enough for slaughter

Definition:

Cracker

– Old cow

-often, low fat depths which yields low quality meat

Definition:

boner

- an animal yielding low quality meat

-can be young

-not showing good weight on bones

Definition:

Cull

-removed from the herd because of age, infertility or other undesirable traits

Definition:

Bogan/Mailee/Cocky’s/Rails

– Terms for gates made out of barbed wire

– Usually have a lever latch

Definition:

Cattle Duffing

-cow theft

-police offense

Definition:

Race

A small narrow corridor where the animals can only fit single file

– Allows for controlled movement

– Used to separate cows for handling or veterinary purposes

Why is a circular or curved race better than a square one?

– Does not mimic an enclosure

-The cattle will keep moving because they think they still have a method of escape

– Allows for constant, efficient movement

Definition:

Cow dip

– Used to control external parasites (ticks) in cattle

What is the antiquated method for cow dipping?

– A swimming pool full of insecticide

– Cows readily ran through swam through

-rarely used because too labor intensive - could take as much as a day to complete

How do we minimize ticks on cattle?

Cow dipping

Definition:

Crush (or chute)

– Large, metal, sturdy stall or cage used for more intensive veterinary handling

-8 gates to provide different access points to cow; only open one at a time

-used to only be used by vets, farms never had them until recently

When would you use a race versus a crush?

– Minimally invasive procedures like vaccines

When would you use a crush instead of a race?

– For more intense procedures like sedation, oral medication, reproduction checks

Definition:

Cradle

– calf chute/crush

-used to brand, identify, or castrate calves

Why are newer dairy producers using metal for paddocks?

-less expensive

-more durable

-last longer

Dzo

Yak x Domestic cattle hybrid

Zubron

Domestic cattle x Wiscent

Beefalo

Bison (American buffalo) x Bos indicus

Which bovine hybrid has female fertile offspring (not male)?

Yakalo

American bison x Tibetan Yak

cattle race

old cow dipping pool

cattle crush/chute

calf cradle/chute

What is the American term for cattle crush?

chute

What is the term used for a three week old female?

heifer calf

What is the term for a 10 month old castrated male?

steer

What is the consequence of a female born with a twin male calf?

free martin

Female is sterile

What is the term for a female that has had 10 calfs of her own?

Cow

Breeder

What does it mean if if someone ask you to drop the Bogan to the home paddock?

open the (home made wire) gate to the home paddock

definition:

thurl

-hip joint in cattle

-term really only used with dairy cows, not beef

Why is it important to know the general location of cuts of meat?

– Do not want to damage expensive meat with injections, etc

-avoid top line and rump (chuck, rib, short loin, sirloin, round)

Generally, where are the best cuts of meat on a cow?

-towards the back end

Where do you give injections in dairy cattle? why?

-back of leg

-more accessible

Where do you give injections in beef cattle?

-neck

what is the rump meat of cattle called?

round

where do you get the beef chuck cut from?

-upper shoulder and lower neck

Where do you get the beef rib cut from?

– Prime rib

-over the ribs

– Area below the shoulders

– Very expensive type of meat

Where do you get the beef short loin cut from?

-back

-a piece of the hind quarter right behind the ribs

Where do you get the beef sirloin cut from?

– Between the short loin and rump

What kind of short loin cut is especially popular?

steak (ribeye, tenderloin, strip)

how many stomach compartments do cattle have?

4

what are the four stomachs?

-Rumen

-Reticulum

-Omasum

-Abomasum

which part of the cow stomach is the ‘true stomach’?

-abomasum (where true digestion occurs in a similar fashion to monogastrics)

where do you find the rumen?

on the L side