BAP Final Exam Study Set

what place is Missouri in for cow-calf operations?

3rd

what is the average cows per farm in Missouri?

30 cows

What is pasture and range management?

mowed, fertilized, hay, etc.

what is herd health?

good relationship with the vet

what is calf crop percentage weaned?

number of calfs weaned out of 100

what is average weight at weaning?

target weight [weaned at 7 months (average)] ½ cows weight

are cows seasonal animals?

no

what is the gestation length of cows

280 days

which style of calving is more common in the US

spring calving

what is the time frame for spring calving

feb - april

true or false: you should have heifers calf before cows

true

what are two advantages of spring calving?

increasing temps and growth of grasses

what is a disadvantage of spring calving?

rain, snow, and mud

what is the time frams for fall calving?

late august to october

what are two advantages to fall calving?

weaned calves marketed in the spring and breeding in fall

what are 3 disadvantages to fall calving?

have to get calves through the winter, manage lactating cows, and lower calf weight [less blood flow]

what are the 3 stages of parturition?

prep stage, delivery, and clean up stage

what is the preparatory stage?

where the calf gets into position and the cows repro tract is preparing

what is the delivery stage?

where the calf is born, takes about 2 - 4 hours, and dystocia could occur [difficulty giving birth]

what is the cleaning stage?

where the placenta should pass within 8 - 12 hours

what is the pre-natal calf mortality rate?

3 - 5 % [average 3.2 - .6%]

what are three reasons for calf mortality?

difficult birth, smaller calves [premature], and large calves to first-calf heifers

what percent are lost within the first 1 - 3 days?

63%

what is scours?

diarrhea

what is another illness that can cause death in a calf? (other than scours)

pneumonia

what is colostrum?

the first secretion from an udder after calving

what is a cotyledonary placenta?

a placenta with cotyledon attachments

what is an epitheliochorial placenta?

a placenta that has a greater distance of contact between fetal and mothers blood [lots of barriers]

true or false: with beef cows and calves, we don’t want them to interact after parturition.

false

what is passive transfer?

temporary protection from dam

what is active immunity?

protection acquired from exposure (infection or vaccines)

why does the rumen in a calf not work at first?

the milk would ferment in there and cause gas and scours

what are 2 ways to prevent illness in a baby calf?

clean environment and umbilical cord care

what are some ways to ID a calf?

ear tags or branding [hot or freezing]

what are some ways to process a calf?

branding, castration, and/or dehorn

when do you castrate a calf?

depends on facility - sooner rather than later due to size and blood

why do you castrate a calf?

fat deposition [tender and juicier product]

how do you castrate a calf?

surgical - knife and pull, keep timing in mind (fast)

bloodless - clamp, banding, chemicals (cuts off blood supply so that they die and fall off)

what is one consumer concern with castrating a calf?

making the best choice for you and the calf

when do you dehorn?

the earlier the better

why do you dehorn?

safety for humans and other cows

how do you dehorn?

hot knife, caustic paste, or disbudding cauterize gun

what are by-products?

products that aren’t for human consumption [utilize waste products]

why are cattle converters?

they convert low-quality foods into nutrient-dense food for us

why is marketing management important?

for the consumers who are going to buy the product

why is it beneficial for several farms to be owned by different people?

no vertical integration

what is vertical integration?

when one company controls multiple stages of the production process [ex. meatpacking and cattle feeding]

true or false: no farm uses both fall and spring calving.

false

what should you compare market price with?

break-even price

why would a farm use both fall and spring calving seasons?

larger farm size, same bull both season, gives flexibility to heifers, and spreads out marketing risk [fails]

what are 2 downsides to using both fall and spring calving seasons?

more labor required and more pasture management

What is BCS measured out of in the beef industry?

1-9

Where should the BCS be maintained around?

5

What is libido?

Sex drive

Do cows lose or gain BCS during breeding season?

lose

What does CIDR stand for?

Controlled internal drug release

What is a replacement heifer?

a heifer that you are going to keep to replace an older cow

What kind of an investment are replacement heifers?

financially and genetically

what is the longterm goal of a replacement heifer?

stayability

what is stayabaility?

the ability for a cow to stay in the herd for a long time

what are the 5 main goals for a replacement heifer?

hit puberty by 12-14 mo, conceive early in breeding season, large enough, rebreed quickly, and wean a good calf

why would you want a replacement heifer to be big?

minimal calf difficulty, structurally successful, and bigger = less issues

What are some reasons why you would opt to raise a replacement heifer yourself?

No disease upon entry to herd, know what you are likely going to get, can raise how you want

What are some reasons you would choose to buy a replacement heifer?

constant supply, faster genetic changes, brings in genetic diversity to the herd

What are some cons to raising a heifer?

production cost, labor, taking up feed resources, and might not even amount to anything

what are some cons to buying a heifer?

disease control / biosecurity and you have to make sure they are the right fit for your herd

What are 3 pros to calving @ 2 years old?

get another calf, more milk = more money, see her potential sooner

what are some cons to calving @ 2 years old?

perhaps limited forage use and smaller = dystocia becomes more common

what are some pros to calving @ 3 years old?

may reduce dystocia and physically more mature @ breeding

what are some cons to calving @ 3 years old?

money made later, fewer calves per cow, and you see their potential later

what are some ways of heifer calf management?

maintain adequate BC, vaccinate, limit stress @ weaning, weaning to breed critical time

how would you provide management at weaning?

know her weight, frame score, and growth <2lbs per day

What mature weight percentage should she be at @ breeding?

65% (55% is also an option)

How do you know a heifers mature weight?

Genetics (family history)

What is puberty?

when a cow has the capacity to either get someone pregnant or become pregnant

what are some factors that influence puberty?

age, weight (larger may be older before reaching puberty), and environmental factors (temp, parasitism)

How long should a heifer’s first breeding season be?

45 - 60 days

when should you perform pregnancy checks on a heifer?

60 days

If a heifer is open after breeding season, what should you do?

cull her

why would you cull an open heifer after breeding season?

removes sub-fertile females earlier, reduce cost, allows option to go to feedlot

what should a first-calf heifer’s BCS be at calving?

6

why should a first-calf heifer’s BCS be at that number?

colostrum production, shorter PPI, and normal body growth

what is better to use, body weight or body condition?

body condition

when should you perform a pre-breeding eval?

prior to start of breeding season

why do we perform a pre-breeding eval?

to see if the cow is on the right track

what range of score does a repro tract score go to?

1-5

what does a 1 mean for a repro tract score?

infertile

what does a 5 mean for a repro tract score?

good to go

what is a pelvimeter

tool used to measure the pelvic area of a cow/heifer

why do we measure the pelvis?

to see if the calf can exit

how many cm should the pelvis be at 13mo?

140 cm

how many cm should the pelvis be at pre-breeding?

150 cm

how many cm should the pelvis be 90 days pregnant?

180 cm

what is an early born heifer?

a heifer that calves early in the year

what is an early conceiving heifer?

a heifer that gets pregnant early in breeding season

what is a pro of early born heifers?

can grow more before breeding season + become mature

what is a pro of early conceiving heifers?

have more recovery time for next breeding season

what is a con for late conceiving heifers?

easier to fall behind

what are the 3 layers of the rumen?

gas, mat, and liquid

when should you increase nutrition?

60 days priot to calving and immediately after