Cattle Production Systems

Cattle Production Systems

• Cattle production systems include dairy and beef production.
• Intensive systems involve housing animals for their entire lives and providing food.
• Extensive systems involve outdoor grazing and housing part of the year.
• The choice of system depends on factors like local conditions, herd size, and available funds.

Learning Objectives

• Students will be able to compare dairy and beef management systems.
• Students will be able to differentiate between intensive and extensive systems.
• Students will understand the veterinarian's role in cattle farming.
• Students will be able to detail the advantages and disadvantages of various feeding methods and their impact on cattle behavior.

Cattle Identification

• All cattle births, deaths, and movements are recorded online using a cattle tracing system (CTS).
• Each registered cattle receives an identification document (passport) that stays with the animal throughout its life.
• Cattle tags are ministry approved, and come in various sizes and quality; including high-quality, resistant laser marks.
• Deadlines for tagging calves are different for dairy and beef calves.
• Important to keep accurate records of cattle passports.

Housing

• Loose housing: 7.5m²/cow lying space; 3m²/cow loafing space.
• Cubicles: Need minimum 100%, ideally 110% lying area; 120% cubicle lying area; dimensions must include lunge space.
• Bedding should consist of sand, wood shavings, dust, straw, paper, or green bedding.

Intensive vs Extensive Production

• Intensive systems: Mainly housed, food brought in, increased productivity, reduced cost of productivity (in relation to scale), smaller methane footprint.
• Extensive systems: Outdoor grazing, housed part of the year, farming grass, lower input, lower output, larger methane footprint.

Importance of Lying Down

• Cows lie down for approximately 14 hours, sleep for 4 hours, and drowse for 8 hours daily.
• Resting and rumination increase milk production by up to 30%.
• Dairy cows lie down and rise approximately 16 times per day.
• Factors affecting lying time include age, estrus cycle, health, weather, bedding quality, and housing type.
• Reduced lying time reduces production and is a useful indicator of animal welfare.

Calf Pens

• Space allocated for calf pens needs to be at least 1.5m², ideally 3m².
• Ventilation changes should occur every 4 hours.

Role of the Vet in Cattle Farming

• Vets work across various age groups to prevent disease.
• They handle emergency cases like sick cows, caesareans, etc.
• Vets implement preventative medicine and health plans.
• Collaboration with feed advisors is common.
• Regular visits are part of farm management (fertility, production, lameness, herd health).
• Herd health planning software is frequently used.

Role of the Vet in Farm Assurance

• The nominated vet/vet practice must perform at least one annual farm visit to check for livestock disease.
• The Nominated vet or vet from the nominated vet practice must be informed within one week of the farmer being aware of antibiotic failure.
• The vet reviews antibiotic use and makes recommendations to prevent issues.
• Milk test failures need recording in a complaints record.
• Health plans must be farm-specific and routinely updated.
• Plans must include bio-security, vaccination policies, and management of infectious diseases (BVD, Johnes).

Record Keeping and Review

• Health and performance records of livestock must be maintained.
• Records should include lameness, treatments, medications, mastitis, mortality, culling, antibiotic use, and abattoir feedback.
• Annual collation of calf births/deaths must be maintained.
• Records should be reviewed annually for trends and improvements in the health plan.

Feeding Behaviour

• Feeding behavior is important.
• Measuring factors like feeding time, meal duration, meal frequency, feeding rate, and rumination time is useful.
• Changes in feeding behavior might indicate health or calving issues.

Total Mixed Ration (TMR)

• TMR mixes all feed into one wagon and distributes it to cows.
• This optimizes feed intake and reduces rumen pH changes.
• Factors like correct feed weights, proper mixing avoiding very short chop length, and avoiding metal contamination are crucial in TMR operations.

Out of Parlour Feeders

• Various types of out of parlour feeders exist.

Intensive Systems: Access to Feed

• Feeding times need careful planning.
• Sufficient space per cow is necessary for comfort and avoids bullying.

Extensive Systems = Farming Grass

• Dairy cows are mainly grazed from spring to autumn.
• Optimal grass growth needs careful management (10°C growth), avoiding issues like poaching and heat stress.
• Grass height, density, and total herbage mass data help to calculate the amount of grass feed available.

Storing Feed

• Excess grass is stored as hay or silage (spring/summer).
• Proper analysis and quality checks are essential before feeding to other livestock.
• Chop length between 2-3cm helps rumen health.

Beef Systems

• Beef production can be extensive (beef suckler herds) or intensive (barley, bull beef, or veal).

Beef Suckler Herd

• Cows calve in spring or autumn.
• Calves are reared by their mothers until weaned off.
• Milk-fed calves continue to gain nourishment from mothers for months after weaning, while those born in spring continue to feed from pasture.
• Calves are separated from their mothers around 9 months old, ready to calve again.
• Finishing occurs through pasture or grain feeding.

Barley Beef

• Common dairy calves make up much of the barley beef production.
• Calves can only be sold at 7 or more days old, with healed navels and no health issues.
• Can be re-sold within 28 days.
• Calves are mostly male.
• They are housed throughout the process.
• Slaughtered at 10-12 months old (380-400kg).
• Typical feed includes cereals (typically barley), vitamin/mineral supplements, and roughage (straw/silage).

Veal

• Veal is not a frequent option in UK.
• White veal (continent): Reared on milk, no solids, slaughtered <18-20 weeks old.
• Rose veal (UK): Reared on solid food + milk formula, slaughtered usually before 9 months old.
• Both options are an alternative for unwanted male dairy calves.

Dairy and Beef Cattle Nutrition

• The evidence behind practical practices is crucial.
• Factors influencing efficiency include feeding behavior, social interactions, animal welfare (digestive health, lameness, metabolic disorders), feed digestibility (profitability, milk yield, environmental impact), and nutritional needs in terms of the animal's priority needs.

Nutrient Used For

• Basal metabolism
• Activity
• Growth
• Basic energy reserves
• Pregnancy
• Lactation
• Addition energy reserves
• Oestrus cycle and fertilization
• Excess body reserves
• Order of priority is important

Obtaining Nutrients

• Ruminants have 4 stomachs.
• Rumen is the largest compartment (~150-200L).
• Contains microorganisms (numerous and diverse flora) to digest fiber and extract nutrients.

Natural Feeding Behaviour

• Cows are generally active during the day.
• Foraging is a social activity in nature.

Rumination

• 63-83% of rumination occurs when lying down.
• Pattern is influenced by daily feeding patterns.
• Heifers (~400kgLBW) lie down for 12-13 hours daily.
• High stocking density reduces lying time and increases aggression.

Daily Time Budget for Dairy Cows

• Cows have a daily time budget; proportions of time devoted to activities (e.g., eating, ruminating, lying down, social interactions, milking) will vary.

Daily Time Budget for Dairy Cows vs Productivity

• Milk production is linked to how cows spend their daily time.

Daily Time Budget for Dairy Cows vs Productivity

• Milk production is highly linked to the time cows spend on various activities, including eating, lying down, and social interaction.

Test your knowledge on best practices in dairy farming, including cow behavior, feeding strategies, and housing requirements. This quiz covers essential information about Total Mixed Ration (TMR), grazing management, and livestock care.