Cattle Production Systems - PDF - University of Surrey

C AT T L E PRODUCTION SYSTEMS LUISA SOARES LMV, FHEA, MRCVS LECTURE B IN PRODUCTION ANIMAL MEDICINE  LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this lecture should be able to Consider the differences between the management systems employed in dairy and beef production. Describe th...

C AT T L E PRODUCTION SYSTEMS LUISA SOARES LMV, FHEA, MRCVS LECTURE B IN PRODUCTION ANIMAL MEDICINE  LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this lecture should be able to Consider the differences between the management systems employed in dairy and beef production. Describe the differences between intensive and extensive systems. Recognise the role of the vet in cattle farming. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods of feeding management in relation to behaviour in cattle. 2  C AT T L E I D E N T I F I C AT I O N All cattle births, deaths and movements need to be recorded online by farmers on the cattle tracing system (CTS) online. All cattle registered are issued with an identification document (passport), which stay with the animal for its life. 3 4  INTENSIVE VS EXTENSIVE PRODUCTION ‘Intensive’ systems. ‘Extensive’ systems Mainly housed. Outdoor grazing-based system. some animals may be housed all their life. Housed part of the year (late autumn to end Food brought into them. of winter). Increased productivity. Farming grass, not animals… Reduced cost of production – scale. Smaller methane footprint. Lower input, lower output. Larger methane footprint. The system used depends on the local conditions, size of the herd and the money available, but animal health and welfare is paramount. #universityofsurrey 5  HOUSING » Loose housing. 7.5m2 /cow lying a space, 3m2 /cow loafing space. 6 HOUSING 7  HOUSING Cubicles. need minimum 100%. Ideally 110%. Loafing area 120% cubicle lying area. Dimensions – lunge space. Bedding. Sand, wood shavings/dust, straw, paper, green bedding. #universityofsurrey 8 #universityofsurrey 9  T H E I M P O R TA N C E O F LY I N G D O W N Lie-down for ~14hrs/day; sleep ~4hrs/day; drowse ~8hrs/day. Resting and rumination. Blood circulation through the udder increases up to 30% = milk production. Dairy cow lies-down and rises ~16x/day. Lying time and number of lying periods depend on: Age, oestrus cycle and health. Weather, quality of bedding, type of housing. Stocking density. Reduction in lying time reduces production. Used to assess animal welfare and efficiency. H Rulquin, Jp Caudal. Effects of lying or standing on mammary blood flow and heart rate of Ternam et al., (2012) Sleep in dairy cows recorded with a non-invasive EEG technique Applied dairy cows. Annales de zootechnie, INRA/EDP Sciences, 1992, 41 (1), pp.101-101. ffhal- Animal Behaviour Science 140, 25-32 00888810 10  T H E I M P O R TA N C E O F LY I N G D O W N H Rulquin, Jp Caudal. Effects of lying or standing on mammary blood flow and heart rate of Ternam et al., (2012) Sleep in dairy cows recorded with a non-invasive EEG technique Applied dairy cows. Annales de zootechnie, INRA/EDP Sciences, 1992, 41 (1), pp.101-101. ffhal- Animal Behaviour Science 140, 25-32 00888810 11  HOUSING Calf pens. Space legal requirement >1.5m2 , ideally 3m2. 4 ventilation changes /hr -> aeroplane had 1 change every 3 minutes… Individual hutches – legal??? 12 EXTENSIVE 13  R O L E O F T H E V E T I N C AT T L E NUTRITION Farm to fork. Welfare. Public Health. The environment. Diet formulated by nutritionist. Using software e.g. Rumnut, Dietcheck. Things can still go wrong! Common problems: Diet not mixed/feed correctly. Element of formulation has changed (usually silages). (composition/palatability of silage is different to the one used for calculation of diet). Focused on investigating why cows are not getting the prescribed ration. Need to know basic DMI and energy requirements. 14  PRACTICAL FEEDING MANAGEMENT OF THE COW Healthy rumen The importance of nutrition. Eating behaviour. Implications of farming on natural behaviour. Healthy gut. Chewing/ rumination. Rumen. #universityofsurrey 15  D A I RY A N D B E E F C AT T L E N U T R I T I O N The evidence behind the practice https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2018.00305/full 16  NUTRIENT USED FOR… Order of priority: Basal metabolism. Activity. Growth. Basic energy reserves. Pregnancy. Lactation. Addition energy reserves. Oestrus cycle and fertilization. Excess body reserves. 17  O BTA I N I N G N U T R I E N T S What is a ruminant and what is a rumen? 4 stomach. Rumen is the largest. Reticulorumen = 150-200L of volume. Contains a numerous and diverse flora. Digestion of fibre to extract nutrients. Microorganisms need optimal conditions to digest feed efficiently. In ruminants you are not feeding the animal. You are feeding the ruminal flora. http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/herbivores/rumen_anat.html 18  FEEDING BEHAVIOUR Measurement of feeding behaviour. Feeding time. Meal duration. Meal frequency. Feeding rate. Rumination time. Associated with milk production. Changes are a reliable indicator of several pathologies and onset of calving. Indicator of: Health. Welfare. What is normal? Productivity. https://www.publish.csiro.au/ebook/chapter/9781486301614_Chapter5 19  N AT U R A L F E E D I N G B E H AV I O U R Cows are light active animals. Foraging is a social behaviour during the day. 4 to 9 hrs/day in natural grazing condition (Hafez and Bouissou, 1975). Intake by small meals throughout the day. Higher intake in early morning and late afternoon meals. Feeding on farm setting. Feeding in groups = social facilitation. Higher feed intake. Less growth rate variation. (compared to animals that are fed individually (Titto , 2010. Livest. Sci., 129 , pp. 146-150). If area too large. Animals increase energy expenditure to access feeding and watering (Turner et al., 2000). 20  R U M I N AT I O N 63-83% of rumination activity occurs when lying-down. Daily pattern of rumination is determined by daily pattern of feeding. Heifers ~400kgLBW lie down for ~12-13hrs/day. High stocking density = one cow per cubicle or less. Reduces lying time. Increases aggression. Increases abnormal behaviour. Bach, et al. 2008 – 50% variation in milk production related to: Presence or absence of feed refusals. Number of cubicles per lactating cow. Whether feed was pushed up in trough. Not just what we feed, but how we feed it. 21 D A I LY T I M E B U D G E T F O R D A I R Y C O W S “Give cows a place to ‘moo’” ‘Natural’ Behaviour Time Foraging > 9 hrs Eating 5hrs (damn and dusk) Ruminating 9-11 hrs Grant, R. J., and J. L. Albright. 2000. Feeding behaviour. In Farm Animal Metabolism and Nutrition. J.P.F. D’Mello, ed. CABI Publishing. New York, NY https://hoards.com/article-22784-give-cows-a-place-to-moo.html 22 D A I LY T I M E B U D G E T F O R D A I R Y C O W S V S PRODUCTIVITY https://dairy-cattle.extension.org/taking-advantage-of-natural-behavior-improves-dairy-cow-performance/ 23 INTENSIVE SYSTEM: ACCESS TO FEED 24  INTENSIVE SYSTEM: ACCESS TO FEED Timing of feeds and pushing up at the feed face. Easy to reach, fresh food. Stimulated cows to eat; ↑ production; less sorting and less bullying (Proudfoot, et al. 2009). Feed space – social hierarchy. >60cm/cow. Dominant cows can bully heifers. Sova, et al. 2013 – every 10cm/cow increase in feed trough space = ↓ average SCC; ↑ milk fat; better rumen health. Deming, et al. 2013 - every 10cm/cow increase in feed trough space = ↑ 1.7kg/day/cow milk production; independent of food intake. Is feed surface smooth? Cow comfort – lying times and cudding. Proudfoot, K. L., et al.( 2009). Competition at the feed bunk changes the feeding, standing, and social behavior of transition dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 92:3116-3123 Should spend ~10 hrs cudding/day. Sova, et al., (2013) Associations between herd-level feeding management practices, feed sorting, and milk production in freestall dairy farms Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 96 No. 7, When at rest want >60% cows cudding. Deming, J. A., R. Bergeron, K. E. Leslie, and T. J. DeVries. 2013. Associations of housing, management, milking activity, and standing and lying behavior of dairy cows milked in automatic systems. J. Dairy Sci. 96:344-351 Adequate fibre. 25  R U M E N H E A LT H I N H O U S E D D A I R Y COWS Frequent consumption of feed in small meals throughout the day - reflecting ‘natural’. Influenced by: timing of feed delivery. Feed push up. Milking timing. Most of feed activity occur: At feed delivery – (largest intake). After returning from parlour. DeVries, T. J., et al., 2003. Diurnal feeding pattern of lactating dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 86:4079-4082 DeVries, T. J., et al., 2005. Frequency of feed delivery affects the behavior of lactating dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 88:3553-3562. 26  T O TA L M I X E D R AT I O N ( T M R ) All the food is mixed into one wagon, and distributed out to the cows. Optimises feed intakes and minimises rumen pH changes. Gives greatest flexibility in number and types of feed given. Problems can be: Incorrect weights of feed. Overmixing giving short chop length. Metal wire contamination. 27 O U T O F PA R L O U R F E E D E R S 28  E X T E N S I V E = FA R M I N G G R A S S Dairy cows are generally only grazed from spring to autumn. Grass growth 10 ⁰C. Dry to avoid poaching. Heat stress in summer. Grass needs managing to get the best from it. Sward height vital – cattle prehend lingually with no divided philtrum. Cannot graze 90% of ground cover in spring. The combined sward height and density can be used to calculate the herbage mass in kg DM/ha. Aim to start grazing at 2700kgDM/ha, and stop at 1500kgDM/ha. 29 30  STORING FEED Excess grass in spring/summer is cut, and stored as hay or silage. Analysis and quality check. This feed material can then be fed to animals in the winter months. Chop length 2-3cm: Healthy rumen, healthy cow! And aids conservation. 31  BEEF SYSTEMS Extensive or Intensive systems. Extensive: Beef suckler herds. Intensive: Barley (Bull) beef, or Veal. #universityofsurrey 32  BEEF SUCKLER HERD Cows calve in spring or autumn. Calves born on farm, reared by mother until weaned (suckler cow). Calves start to wean ~12wks old, to grass if spring born, or roughage/creep feed if autumn born, but will continue to feed from mother for several months. One calf/year per cow (calving interval ~365 days) essential. Calves brought indoors with mothers during winter, fed hay/silage and cereals (barley) and can also drink milk from mother. Separated from cows ~9 months old, ready for cows to calve again. Turned out onto pasture in the spring for finishing, or finished on grain whilst housed. Slaughtered around 18-months old (450-500kg). 33  BARLEY BEEF Commonly dairy calves. Calves cant be sold < 7 days old, have a healed navel, and can be re-sold within 28 days. Usually male calves. Housed throughout. Slaughtered 10-12 months old (380-400kg). Fed cereals (usually barley + vitamin/mineral supplement) and roughage (straw/silage). 34  VEAL Not really eaten in UK. White veal (continent). Reared on milk formula supplement only (no solids). Slaughtered ~18-20 wks old. Humane conditions? Rose veal (UK). Reared on solid food + milk formula supplement. Slaughtered