Dairy Production Notes PDF

Dairy Production Notes Life cycle of a replacement heifer: Birth to 2 Years. Calves of a dairy herd: - 80% of calves are born in spring - All calves born in a dairy herd are artificially reared. - Gestation length: 283 days (9.5 months). - Mated in Apr...

Dairy Production Notes Life cycle of a replacement heifer: Birth to 2 Years. Calves of a dairy herd: - 80% of calves are born in spring - All calves born in a dairy herd are artificially reared. - Gestation length: 283 days (9.5 months). - Mated in April - Before cows can produce milk they need to produce a calf. Once the calf is born: - Airways (nose + mouth) should be cleared of all mucus. - Cow will lick calf or the calf is rubbed vigorously - this stimulates circulation in the calf. - Farmer disinfects nasals with iodine solution. - The calf receives 2 - 3 litres of colostrum Calf Rearing: ⦿ Cows can be reared naturally by suckling the cow or artificially away from the mother. ⦿ In dairy farming all rearing is done artificially as the farmer could not allow for the loss of milk. ⦿ Calves being reared may be reared for two main reasons: 1. Heifer calves being reared as replacements for the dairy herd. 2. Heifer or bull calves being reared as weanlings or fattened up for beef production. ⦿ A calf cannot digest concentrate ration at an early age, as its rumen (stomach) has not developed fully. ⦿ The normal procedure is to feed the calf using the following sequence of feeds: 1. Colostrum 2. Natural Milk 3. Milk Replacer 4. Concentrate ration/Hay/grass 1. Colostrum Is the first milk produced after a cow gives brith. - Also known as beestings - Produced for 4-5 days after brith - Creamy and dark in colour - High in nutrients - High in antibodies! Gives passive immunity to calf. 3-2-1 Rule: - Benefits of feeding colostrum: - - - - - Fresh Milk Colostrum Water 87.5% 78% Solids 12.5% 22% Protein 3.2% 14.9% Fat 3-4% 6.7% Lactose 4.7% 2.5% Vit. & Min 0.8% 1.2% Immunoglobins 0.09% 6.0% 2. Natural Milk: Calf is taken away from the mother but still fed fresh milk. 3. Milk Replacer: A powdered milk mixed with water. Milk Replacer: Is a dried milk powder that is made up using warm water. - Calves are removed from the cow and given milk replacer (after receiving colostrum) - Calves should have regular feeding times - if they don’t it can cause scour. - Calves are given access to hay, concentrates and fresh water - this helps to develop the rumen (known as ‘scratch factors’) 4. Concentrates/hay/grass: Gradually introduced to develop the rumen microflora. This is referred to as ‘scratch factor’. Ear Tagging: - - Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) is a virus. Animals with this virus must be identified and culled. Housing: Calves shed should: - Be clean, well ventilated and draught free - Have clean bedding - Access to fresh water - Be cleaned out regularly Weaning: - - - Calves are selective grazers - they should graze in a Leader-follower system - younger animals graze the pasture first. - Fresh palatable grass - high live weight gain (LWG) - Less chance of picking up disease. Overwintering: ⮚Winter housing – 9 months old ⮚Fed good quality silage – Dry Matter Digestibility (DMD) of 75% ⮚Poor quality silage should be supplemented with concentrates or catch crops ⮚Dosing for hoose Year 2 - Turning into a replacement heifer: Now in year 2 of their life, they may be selected to replace older cows in the herd. Older cows are culled because: - - - - Grading up the herd - Improving the genetic merit of the herd. Replacing lower yield cows with higher yielding heifers. Selecting replacement heifers: They should: - - - - - - - Body Condition Score (BCS) of cattle, sheep and pigs allows the animal producer to assess the level of fat reserves an animal has at various production stages. It is the ration of lean meat to hat. BCS of heifers should be 3.25 at mating and reach a target weight of 300/330kg. - Assessed visually and by handling the animal (along the loin and tail head) - Ranges from 1 to 5 - 1= - 3= - 5= Bull selection for replacement heifer: Economic Breeding Index (EBI): ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Sub-indexes: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Target weight for heifers: Should have a LWG of 0.6-0.7kg per day. Grass, silage with 75% DMD ad lib Ad-lib: a constant supply of food. Animals can eat as much & as often as they want. Farm Safety: - - - -