Bovine Review - VST 221 Knowt

Working on it.

Bos taurus

temperate-climate cattle

Bos indicus

heat-tolerant cattle of hot regions

Cattle serve?

industry: milk, beef, hides, draft power, and sacred roles in some cultures

Pelvic bones prominent

Nutrition shunted to milk

udder wide, four quarters

6–7 gallon/gal day⁻¹ capacity

Large heart girth + long thin legs

high milk yeild

Holstien

Milk Volume: Highest
Fat %: Low
Notes: Black and white, Al Breeding

Guernsey

Milk Volume: Moderate
Fat %: High
Notes: Golden, Thick Milk; High in Protein and Ca²⁺

Stanchion Barn

Individual barn, rubber mat + straw

Free-stall

separate feed & rest areas

Loose housing / pen

group pens with bedding

Automatic milkers

-> Bulk tank -> chilled and tested

Twice-daily milking

365 days a year, except 60 d dry period

Heifer

female never calved

Cow

female that had calved > once

First calving =

24 months

Beef Cattle Confirmation

Stocky, muscular, small udder (females), short thick limbs

Some dual-purpose breeds give moderate milk

Angus

Black, Polled (naturally hornless)

Hereford

red & white, polled strain popular

Polled Hereford

Hornless at birth

Minimal confinement

roof + drop-down sides for weather

Pasture-rearing

planted forage (increases) muscle mass.

Open pasture

native plants, vast area, lower hygiene risk

0-6 Months

nursing and weaning

6-15 months

Graze open pasture

15 months+

Feedlot - High protein pellets

Cattle sorted:

age and size

Close quarters

(higher risk) for disease transmission and hygiene issues.

All cattle have a:

four chambered stomach; the rumen is the largest. 

Food flow of (bovine) stomach:

oesophagus → rumen → reticulum → omasum → abomasum → small intestine. The abomasum works like a monogastric stomach.

Dental pad:

replaces upper incisors, lower incisors nip grass

Tongue:

gathers forage → bolus swallowed with little chewing.

Cud regurgitation: 

repeated chewing + saliva breakdown

Microbes:

in rumen (bacteria and protozoans) ferment cellulose.

Class: Beef

Roughage: Hay, Silage, Pasture
Supplements: Occasional protein

Class: Dairy

Roughage: controlled ration
Supplements: Grains, pellets, minerals, vitamins adjusted for pregnancy & lactation stage

Water and Minerals

Up to 50 gallons water a day.
Salt/mineral blocks supply Na⁺, Ca²⁺, P to balance grass diets

Squeeze Chute:

the primary restraint device, featuring a head gate to secure the animal's neck. The septum piercing area is particularly sensitive and allows for control when handling cattle.

Types of facilities:

Holding corrals, Sorting chutes, Loading chutes, Head gates

Holding corral:

temporary containment

Sorting chutes:

separating animals

Loading chunks:

transport

Head gates:

individual restraint

Alternative restraint methods:

Rope leading, Casting, Nose tongs, Tilt tables

Rope leading:

Dairy cows

Casting

using ropes to lay cattle down.

Nose tongs:

Additional control.

Tilt tables:

for hoof care (minimum twice yearly)

Individual identification

crucial for reproductive management and disease control. Dated tags help monitor vaccine schedules.

Tag types:

Visual Tags, Electronic RFID Tags

Visual Tags:

identification only.

Electronic RFID Tag:

store/track database information

Ear anatomy considerations:

Two large veins run parallel from head to ear tip - avoid piercing

Avoid cartilage ridges in middle ear to prevent infection or deformation

Dehorning should occur: 

before 8 weeks of age for safety.

Electric dehorning is preferred;

other methods work for older animals by crushing blood vessels.

Castration methods:

Surgical, Emasculatome

Surgical:

remove scrotum portion, crush spermatic cord with emasculator

Emasculatome:

non-surgical, crushed cord with scrotum.

Benefit of Emasculatome:

The emasculatome crushes the spermatic cord, cutting blood/nerve supply. Testicles atrophy and become non-functional. This humane procedure causes less pain than surgical castration with no open wound or infection risk.

Bull:

Mature male for breeding.

Cow:

Female that has given birth (dairy).

Steer:

Young castrated male

Heifer:

Young female not given birth.

Cattle cycles:

Polyestrus, Puberty, Gestation, Estrus

Polyestrus:

21 day cycles.

Puberty:

before 1 year, but breed at 15 months.

Gestation:

lasts 9 months.

Estrus:

lasts 18 hours, ovulation occurs 12 hours after.

Breeding methods:

Dairy, Beef, Rebreed, Goal

Dairy:

almost exclusively artificial insemination.

Beef:

natural servicing.

Rebreed:

2 months after parturition.

Goal:

One calf per year.

Llamas have a reticulum.

False (They’re the only one that don’t have the reticulum)

Newborn calf requirements:

Shelter from elements

2 quarts colostrum within first 6 hours (provides antibodies and vitamins)

After day 1: dairy cows machine-milked, calves fed by pail or bottle

Milk letdown process:

Stimulated by udder washing or calf nuzzling

Pituitary releases oxytocin → teat muscle contraction → milk expression

Stripping: examine first milk squirts for blood, debris, flakes (signs of mastitis

Mastitis prevention:

Antibacterial teat dip after milking.

Infected cows milked last to prevent bacterial spread.

Mastitic milk discarded from food supply.

Parasite control:

Ectoparasites: flies, lice, mosquitoes, ticks, mites → spray, dust, fog, dip.

Endoparasites: worms, bacteria → oral medications.

Withdrawal interval: 14 days post-medication before slaughter.

Required testing:

Tuberculosis - still present in U.S.

Brucellosis - rare but causes abortion storms, highly contagious.

Mastitis diagnosis:

California Mastitis Test using centrifuge methodology.

Intramammary antibiotic infusion for treatment.

Core vaccines cover:

Bacterial diseases

Respiratory diseases

Bovine viral diarrhea

Brucellosis (females only)

Vaccine schedules vary state by state.

Displaced abomasum:

Common in high-producing dairy cattle.

"Ping" sound on abdomen examination.

Abomasum fills with gas and rises from floor.

Hardware disease (traumatic reticulopericarditis):

Caused by sharp objects piercing stomach wall.

Object migrates through reticulum to heart area 

🐮 Cattle Health Issues.

Prevention:

Remove all wires, nails, and metal scraps from cattle feeding areas.

Clinical signs:

• Head and neck extension

• Weight loss

• Pain

• Decreased appetite

• Arched back

• Grunting

Treatment: Antibiotics and magnet to collect metal material.

Hardware disease occurs when?

cattle ingest sharp metal objects that penetrate the reticulum, causing peritonitis and systemic illness.

Photosensitization

"Sunburn" - skin sensitivity to sunlight

Ringworm

Dermatophytosis - fungal skin infection

Papillomatosis

Fibropapillomas - warts caused by viruses

Cellulitis

Subcutaneous abscesses

White Muscle Disease:

Cause: Selenium deficiency

Function: Required for normal growth, fertility, and disease prevention

Appearance: White streaks in striated muscle

Prevention: Injections of Vitamin E and selenium

Milk Fever:

Cause: Calcium deficiency due to insufficient dietary supplementation before calving.

Timing: Generally occurs within 24 hours post-calving, can extend to 2-3 days.

Compounded by: Calcium loss during lactation.

Small ruminants include:

all livestock except cattle, oxen, and buffalo.

Ungulates:

Hooved mammals walking on digit tips (camels, deer, rhinoceros).

Cattle:

Stomach Chambers: 4 (rumen, reticulum, omasum, abomasum)
True Ruminant? (YES!!)

Llamas:

Stomach Chambers: 3 (rumen, omasum, abomasum).

Common Features:

Split hooves

Dental pad (no upper front teeth)

Horizontal pupils

Flock:

Group of Sheep.

Ram:

Adult Male.

Ewe:

Adult Female.