38 39 Dairy Herd Management

Decreased

(but the actual dairy farms themselves are producing more milk with half the number of dairy cows)

There are 9.4 million dairy cows in the U.S. Has fluid milk consumption increased or decreased in the last 50 years?

Family

97% of dairy farms are corporate OR family owned

Cheese and yogurt

What products drive consumption of dairy? (what are the most consumed dairy products)

Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan

Where are lots of dairy cows/plants located in the U.S.?

We have half the number of cows producing 3x more milk compared to 50 years ago

Fluid milk consumption in and of itself has decreased over the last 50 years. What has happened to the number of cows producing dairy?

Larger, over 2000

Are there more dairy herds in the U.S. that are larger (over 2000) or smaller (under 50)?

Machine milking

How is a cow milked TYPICALLY?

Milking unit

What part of the milking system is actually put on the cow?

Vacuum to pull milk out

What part of the milking system is essential for it to milk the cow and work?

Milk room

When milk leaves the cow, what does it travel thru?

Plate cooler

What part of the milking system takes the 100 degree milk and cools it down below the threshold of bacterial growth?

Sold thru federal milk marketing orders (FMMO)

How is milk sold? What is it sold thru?

Cheese, butter, whey, and dry milk prices

What determines milk prices thru the FMMO (federal milk marking orders)?

Feed costs

What are the highest expense when raising cows, making up about 50% of the cost to produce milk?

LEFT is better = want it smooth

RIGHT IS BAD = when we "gouge" silage face, it allows oxygen to enter and heat up and allow bacteria to spoil silage

With silage face, which one is better? Why?

Corn

What makes up silage typically for cows?

Over 15 lbs per cubic foot (ft^3)

What is the minimum density you want for silage?

It minimizes dry matter loss and maximizes milk production

Why is silage density important?

Reduces shrink

Clean feed areas reduce WHAT for silage?

Shrink

What is the term for lost product in transferring or nutrients lost between harvesting and feeding in terms of silage?

FALSE = improper mixing, lumps of hay/grain

TRUE OR FALSE: This is proper TMR.

Large auger to pull feed up thru center, mix it, and fall thru the side. Takes mixer 3-5 minutes before you can deliver feed that is properly mixed

How does a TMR mixer work?

Depends where you are: forage, distiller's grain, corn gluten, citrus pulp, Brewer's grain, cottonseed hull

What makes up TMR?

TRUE

TRUE OE FALSE: Ruminants are great at utilizing by-products like corn gluten, brewer's grain, and cottonseed hull

1-2x per day, up to 3 for larger herds

Feed delivery needs to be set at a consistent time every day for cattle. This can be as often as HOW MANY TIMES per day?

How much of the feed we delivered to the cows they did not eat

You use it to correct how much DMI you are going to be feeding the next day (so if they did not eat everything, do a calculation to decrease food)

What is "weighbacks" and "refusals"? Why does this matter?

Cows want to separate grain from hay = we want to redistribute feed and push it back to cow so they eat proper TMR

Why do cows sort TMR? Why does this matter?

About every 1-2 hours

How often should you go by and do feed-pushs to combat ruminants sorting their food?

Having push-ups occur more frequently allow them to consume proper TMR which allows them to produce more milk with less feed

What is this graph telling you about more frequent push-ups to combat cows sorting their food?

Because if they are too hot they won't eat

Why is heat abatement so important on cow farms?

FALSE = cows do not sweat

TRUE OR FALSE: Cows sweat.

Increase respiration and decrease consumption.

Some pant to the point where they have to stand up to breathe so hard. If they are not laying down, they are not making milk.

Cows do not sweat. What do they do instead?

No

Is this practical at a dairy farm for cooling?

THI (temperature heat index)

What do you use to assess heat stress in cattle?

Over 68

THI (temperature heat index) over WHAT NUMBER tells you a cow is experiencing heat stress?

Left image = soaker = BETTER

Right image is just misters, which actually makes cows hotter because there is nowhere for moisture to go

Which is better to combat heat stress in cattle?

Mid 50F

What temperature allows cows to be in a neutral heat zone?

SOAK their skin = MISTERS DON'T WORK

The water evaporating off the cow's skin is what actually cools the cow down

What do you need to do for evaporative cooling to work in cows?

On for 1 minute, off for anywhere from 5-15 minutes

How often should sprinklers go off for evaporative cooling for it to actually be effective in cows?

1. Width = 48-50 inches

2. Neck rail to curb = 64-70 inches

3. Height of neck rail = 50 inches

What is the free stall size requirement for a traditional 1500 lb Holstein?

Talk about 1. width, 2. neck rail to curb, and 3. height of neck rail

We do not want them to be able to lay sideways or turn around

Why is the 48-50 inch width of stall size ideal for cattle?

Allows them enough space to get up

Why is neck rail to curb ratio ideally 64-70 inches in a stall for cattle?

Free stall barn

What is this housing method?

Lunge zone

Which phase of cows standing occurs in the horizontal plane, lunge zone or bob zone?

Bob zone

Which phase of cows standing occurs in the vertical plane, lunge zone or bob zone?

Dry lot

What is this housing method?

Proper = cows are not perching. cows are laying down. manure is going into aisle way

Is this proper or improper placement of stalls

Every 13 months

It is ideal that cows have a calf HOW OFTEN?

305 days

How long is standard lactation length in cattle?

Bred back within 90 days

If we want a cow to have a calf ideally every 13 months and lactation length in 305 days, we want the cow to be bred within HOW MANY DAYS?

Voluntary waiting period

What is the term for the time between calving and the cow being eligible for rebreeding?

60 days

The standard voluntary waiting period is how long in cattle?

1. Pedometer (steps inc. when in heat) aka SCR collar

2. synchronization protocol (double OvSynch)

What can we use for heat detection methods in cows?

42-50 days

How long is uterine involution in cows (the natural postpartum process where the uterus shrinks and returns to prepregnancy size)?

a. heat detection rate

What is this the formula for:

#cows bred over 21 days / #cows eligible to be bred over 21 days

a. heat detection rate

b. conception rate

c. pregnancy rate

b. conception rate

What is this the formula for:

#cows pregnant / #cows inseminated

a. heat detection rate

b. conception rate

c. pregnancy rate

c. pregnancy rate

What is this the formula for:

heat detection x conception rate

a. heat detection rate

b. conception rate

c. pregnancy rate

a. 35%

Ideally, we want conception rate to be what:

a. 35%

b. 20-30%

b. 20-30%

Ideally, we want pregnancy rate to be what:

a. 35%

b. 20-30%

1.5-2

How many times do you want to service cows on average per conception?

Killed

Clostridial vaccines tend to be killed or MLV

Within the hour

When we reconstitute MLV vaccines, within how much time should you use it IDEALLY?

Respiratory disease (PI3, IBR, BRSV, BVD 1 and 2, lepto)

We tend to give cows "10 way" vaccines, that broadly cover what category of disease?

The Clostridiums (chauvoei, novyi, perfringens, etc.)

We tend to give cows "7 way" vaccines that cover WHAT diseases?

Rota, corona, Clostridium perfringens C, E. coli

Neonatal diarrhea vaccines given to the dam SQ cover WHAT diseases?

Neonatal diarrhea vaccines, 10 way, 7 way

What vaccines give the mother maternal antibodies which transfer to the calf?

E. coli mastitis

What does J5 vaccine cover?

7 mo. gestation, 8 mo. gestation, 2 weeks postpartum

J5 E. coli mastitis is a 3 dose series. WHEN do you give them to prime the cow?

USDA accredited veterinarian

Brucellosis vaccines for cattle must be given by WHO?

Between 4 and 12 months

When should heifer calves be vaccinated for brucellosis?

Provide proper identification

What do you need to do after a cow is vaccinated for brucellosis?

Brucellosis

What vaccine is live and can infect humans if accidentally administered?

"PMH" vaccine = pasteurella, mannheimia

When giving the bovine bacterial pneumonia vaccine, what commensals does it cover?

d. bacterial pneumonia vaccine

What vaccine stimulates anti-leukotoxin antibodies and prevents WBC from being destroyed and causing damage in lung tissue:

a. 10 way

b. 7 way

c. brucellosis vaccine

d. bacterial pneumonia vaccine

e. J5 vaccine

Salmonella

What does the SRP vaccine cover (siderophore receptors and porins) in cattle?

If a herd is having an outbreak of salmonella

Why would you give the SRP vaccine to cattle?

Oral Bovine rota and corona

Which vaccines can be given orally in calves within the first hour or two of birth?

BRSV, PI3, IBR

What are the most common intranasal vaccines used in dairy calves which stimulates local immunity by stimulating an interferon "bridge"?

Intranasal

Which has a shorter duration, SQ or intranasal BRSV, PI3, and IBR vaccine?

b. Lepto

c. BRSV

e. BDV types 1 and 2

f. PI3

Select some diseases covered by the 10 way in cattle:

a. Clostridium chauvoei

b. Lepto

c. BRSV

d. Brucellosis

e. BDV types 1 and 2

f. PI3

a. Clostridium chauvoei and perfringens C/D

d. Clostridium novyi and septicum

Select some diseases covered by the 7 way in cattle:

a. Clostridium chauvoei and perfringens C/D

b. Lepto

c. BRSV

d. Clostridium novyi and septicum

e. BDV types 1 and 2

f. PI3

b. Clostridium perfringens C

c. Rota virus

e. Corona virus

f. E. coli

Select some diseases covered by the neonatal diarrhea virus vaccine given to the mother to provide maternal antibodies to the fetus:

a. Clostridium novyi

b. Clostridium perfringens C

c. Rota virus

d. BRSV

e. Corona virus

f. E. coli

a. Pasteurella multocida

c. Mannheimia hemolytica

The bacterial pneumonia vaccine given to cows covers what diseases:

a. Pasteurella multocida

b. E. coli

c. Mannheimia hemolytica

d. Salmonella

e. Clostridium

f. BRSV

c. bacterial pneumonia vaccine

What vaccine causes cows to drop milk production because it uses glucose to trigger the immune repsonse and is not commonly used:

a. 7 way

b. 10 way

c. bacterial pneumonia vaccine

d. J5

Rota and corona

What diseases are covered in the oral vaccine that you can give directly to calves to combat diarrhea instead of the SQ injection which you give to the dam?

BRSV, PI3, IBR

What diseases are covered in the intranasal vaccine that you can give directly to the calves to combat respiratory disease instead of the SQ injectable which you give to the dam?

a. less than 2 hours of age

You give the oral scours vaccine to calves when they are HOW OLD:

a. less than 2 hours of age

b. 7 days of age

c. 4 months and then 2 weeks later

d. 60 days prior to breeding

b. 7 days of age

You give the intranasal respiratory vaccine to calves when they are HOW OLD:

a. less than 2 hours of age

b. 7 days of age

c. 4 months and then 2 weeks later

d. 60 days prior to breeding

c. 4 months and then 2 weeks later

d. 60 days prior to breeding

You give the 10 way and 7 way vaccines to young stock of what age:

a. less than 2 hours of age

b. 7 days of age

c. 4 months and then 2 weeks later

d. 60 days prior to breeding

c. 4 months

When do you give the brucellosis vaccine to young stock?

a. less than 2 hours of age

b. 7 days of age

c. 4 months

d. 60 days prior to breeding

a. scours vaccine

b. 7 way

What vaccines do you give to adult cows during dry off period?

a. scours vaccine

b. 7 way

c. J5

d. 10 way

c. J5

d. 10 way

What vaccines do you give to adult cows 7 weeks prior to calving AND 2 weeks post calving?

a. scours vaccine

b. 7 way

c. J5

d. 10 way

a. scours vaccine

c. J5

What vaccines do you give to adult cows 3 weeks prior to calving:

a. scours vaccine

b. 7 way

c. J5

d. 10 way