Transcript Animal, Plant & Soil Science

Animal, Plant & Soil
Science
Lesson C7-4
Feeding and Managing
Dairy Cattle
Interest Approach

Have students brainstorm the steps a
dairy producer must take each day to
ensure a healthy, productive dairy cow
herd. What are the common tasks
required for feeding and managing a dairy
herd? Once students have a welldeveloped list, post some of their ideas on
the board.
Interest Approach

Discuss the importance of feeding. What
are common dairy operation feedstuffs?
How do producers know what type and/or
amounts of feed to use? Bring in some
feedstuff samples (grain concentrates,
high-quality legume forages, and corn
silage), and allow students to see and feel
the samples. Then discuss the importance
of energy levels for milk production.
Objectives
Analyze the production practices
involved in the care of dairy calves
from birth to weaning.
 Analyze the production practices
involved in the care of dairy
replacement heifers, lactating cows,
and dry cows.

Objectives
Describe the common dairy feeding
systems, such as the total mixed
ration system.
 Determine the importance of body
condition scoring, and describe how it
is used to modify feeding practices.

Objectives
Examine the role of Dairy Herd
Improvement Associations.
 List and describe the Predicted
Transmitting Ability (PTA) used in the
dairy industry, and describe how
pedigrees and PTAs are used to
improve herd quality.

Objectives

Discuss the selection process for
dairy cattle, and examine the role of
artificial insemination and other
breeding technologies.
Terms
artificial
insemination (AI)
 body condition
score
 challenge feeding
 colostrometers
 colostrum

crossbreeding
 culling
 Dairy Herd
Improvement (DHI)
 dry cows
 hybrid vigor
 outcrossing

Terms
Predicated Transmitting Ability (PTA)
 purebreeding
 reliability
 total mixed ration

What production practices are involved
in the care of dairy calves from birth to
weaning?
Dairy calves need an appropriate
environment, a quality nutritional
program, and a preventive health care
plan to ensure high-quality care.
 The greatest chance for high mortality
within a dairy herd is between birth and
weaning.

What production practices are involved
in the care of dairy calves from birth to
weaning?

A. Dairy calves should be housed in a
clean, dry environment with little stress
and protection from heat,
cold, wind, and rain.
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Calves need adequate
space and proper ventilation.
Individual pens and calf
hutches are the most
common facility type used in the care of dairy
calves.
These facilities should be cleaned and
disinfected on a regular basis to reduce
disease-causing pathogens.
What production practices are involved
in the care of dairy calves from birth to
weaning?
B. Feeding and nutrition
are important considerations
in maintaining healthy calves.
 1. The calves receive
colostrum (the first milk
given by the mother, containing important
nutrients, such as immunoglobulins,
protein, fat, minerals, and vitamins) during
the first few days.


It is important for the producer to collect,
store, select, and feed colostrum to calves
within the first 24 hours.
What production practices are involved
in the care of dairy calves from birth to
weaning?

2. Colostrometers are used to select the
highest quality and to measure the specific
gravity of colostrum.
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a. The ability to absorb important
immunoglobulin starts to decline within hours
of birth. Therefore, it is important for the
producer to feed calves immediately.
b. Some cows will produce an excess of
colostrum, which can be frozen or refrigerated
for later use.
What production practices are involved
in the care of dairy calves from birth to
weaning?
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C. A well-managed health care program will
decrease death losses.
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1. Calves should be born in a dry, clean environment
because this is the best way to control infections.
2. Equipment used for feeding
should be cleaned and sanitized
after every use.
3. Vaccinations should be used to
prevent any major/common
diseases within the herd.
4. Some heifer calves are born with extra teats—more
than four.
5. Dehorning is conducted before weaning to protect
other animals and the handlers and to reduce feeder
space requirements.
What production practices are involved
in the care of dairy calves from birth to
weaning?
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D. All calves should be
identified.
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1. Ear tags, neck chains,
neck straps, and ankle
straps are common
temporary identification.
2. Ear tattoos, hide brands,
and computer chips are
common permanent
identification methods.
What are the production practices involved in
the care of dairy replacement heifers, lactating
cows, and dry cows?
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Several common production practices occur
during the different stages of heifers/cows.
The quality of care the animals have received
during various life stages affects lactating cow
performance.
Over the past 20 years, the dairy industry has
made improvements in genetics, nutrition,
milking systems, facility design, health programs,
care, and management.
These changes have attributed to an increase in
milk production.
Dairy animal welfare is critical to dairy success
and to providing high-quality, safe, and
wholesome dairy products.
What are the production practices involved in
the care of dairy replacement heifers, lactating
cows, and dry cows?
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A. Replacement heifer care
starts at weaning and
continues onto the first
calving period.
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1. Calves should be weaned
gradually to allow for adjustments in feeding
before joining a group of growing calves.
2. Careful management decisions will prevent
health problems and maintain growth schedules.
3. Clean and fresh water should be provided at
all times.
4. Calf pens should be designed to drain well
and should provide ample amounts of shade.
What are the production practices involved in
the care of dairy replacement heifers, lactating
cows, and dry cows?
5. As heifer calves grow, group
sizes may increase.
 6. Providing appropriate housing, proper
feed and management, and weather stress
attention will help producers maintain a
healthy replacement herd.
 7. Vaccinations are recommended for
heifer calves.
 8. Other good health production practices
include parasite and fly control.

What are the production practices involved in
the care of dairy replacement heifers, lactating
cows, and dry cows?
B. Lactating dairy cow care starts with
proper facility design to
provide comfort as well
as a clean and safe
environment.
 1. Comfortable
environments reduce stress.
 2. Clean and safe environments reduce the
risk of disease or injury.

What are the production practices involved in
the care of dairy replacement heifers, lactating
cows, and dry cows?
C. Dry cows are cows that are not
producing milk.
 The dry stage usually
occurs 40 to 60 days
prior to the next
calving period.
 This allows the cow to
prepare itself for the
new calf and for the production of
colostrum.

What are the production practices involved in
the care of dairy replacement heifers, lactating
cows, and dry cows?
1. Dry cows are usually housed within
groups and should be protected from the
weather in one of several types of
facilities.
 2. Proper feeding and
attention to body
condition are critical
production practices
for dry cows.

What are the common dairy
feeding systems?
Feeding and nutrition practices are
essential in maintaining healthy, wellconditioned cows within a dairy herd.
 Nutrition starts at the point of colostrum
management and continues as the animal
grows and prepares for milk production.
 A. Feeding practices for birth to weaning
include the use of colostrum, whole milk or
milk replacer, and a calf starter feed.
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What are the common dairy
feeding systems?
1. Calves are fed colostrum for the first
four days of life.
 2. Fresh whole milk
or milk replacer is
used until weaning.
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Milk replacers
should provide a
minimum of 20
percent crude protein and should be mixed with
fresh, clean water.
What are the common dairy
feeding systems?
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3. The calf should also
receive a calf starter
feed and quality hay.
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The feed should be
palatable, easily
digested, and high in
protein.
Calves can consume 2
to 5 gallons of water
until 6 months of age.
It is important for
calves to have access to
fresh, clean water at all
times.
What are the common dairy
feeding systems?
B. Feeding practices from weaning to
calving for heifers include
fresh, clean water; starter
and grower feeds; and
high-quality hay.
 1. Calves usually stop
milk feeding within a few days before
weaning.
 2. Calves should continue on the same
starter ration.
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What are the common dairy
feeding systems?
C. Feeding practices for lactating dairy
cattle should include energy, protein, fiber,
vitamins, and minerals.
 1. Body fat is necessary as an energy
source for lactation.
However, excessive
body fat can cause
metabolic diseases
and calving
problems.
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What are the common dairy
feeding systems?
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2. Regularly evaluating the body condition
of cows should be part of the management
practices so feeding can be altered as
needed.
What are the common dairy
feeding systems?
D. Feeding dry cows aims at
stopping milk production by
eliminating grain
concentrates, high-quality
legume forages, and corn
silage at the early part of the dry period.
 These feedstuffs are replaced with lower
energy, high-fiber forage (e.g., grass or
oats).
 The feeding program for dry cows will vary
and should be appropriate for the body
condition, provide growth for the fetus,
and prepare for lactation.
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What are the common dairy
feeding systems?

1. Forages (e.g., hay) serve as the primary
feedstuff for dry cows, but protein and
minerals are essential.
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a. All dry cow rations should contain at least 15
percent crude protein.
b. Calcium, phosphorus, and potassium intake
are important during the dry period.
What are the common dairy
feeding systems?

2. The body condition determines
appropriate feed rations.
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a. Dry cows in the proper body
condition should gain 1 to 1.5
pounds per day for fetus
growth.
b. Thin cows should be grouped
separately and should receive higher energy
rations.
c. Oversized cows should be grouped
separately and should receive low-quality
forages with protein supplements.
Why is body condition scoring important?
How is it used to modify feeding
practices?
Body condition score is used to evaluate
cows in relationship to the ideals for a
specific stage of lactation.
 This score indicates the
energy status and fat
cover of each cow.
 Certain scores are
assigned to the amount of fat observed on
several skeletal areas of the dairy cow.
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Why is body condition scoring important?
How is it used to modify feeding
practices?

A. Different point systems are used to
score the cows.
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The most commonly used system has a range
from 1.0 to 5.0 in increments of 0.1 to 0.25.
As the dairy cows experience lactation, changes
in body condition scores will occur.
Dairy cows are expected to lose body weight
during peak production.
These changes in body condition due to fat
cover will shift the energy balance.
Why is body condition scoring important?
How is it used to modify feeding
practices?
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A negative energy balance will
not allow cows to perform at
maximum capacity for the herd.
Therefore, lactating cows should
be fed well-balanced rations to
put on fat before the animal
moves into the dry period.
Ideal cows should enter the dry period with a
body condition score of 3.5 to 4.0.
This will allow for the cow to reserve
energy/tissue that will enable more milk
production in early lactation.
Why is body condition scoring important?
How is it used to modify feeding
practices?
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B. Body condition scores will greatly influence
feeding practices.
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This scoring should be used as a management tool for
producers to establish an ideal nutrition plan for the
herd.
Improvements made in nutrition will greatly improve
milk production as well as the reproductive performance
and health of the dairy cows.
1. Cows that are too thin will have metabolic
problems and decreased milk production.
2. Cows that are obese will also have metabolic
problems and calving trouble.
Why is body condition scoring important?
How is it used to modify feeding
practices?
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C. Body condition scores should be
gathered at various times: first breeding,
calving, and throughout lactation.
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These scores should be
recorded to help monitor
cows.
For consistency, it is
important for the same
person to score the animals.
What is the role of Dairy Herd
Improvement Associations?
Performance data is used in dairy and beef
cattle, swine, and sheep production
industries.
 A. The dairy industry utilizes Dairy Herd
Improvement (DHI) programs and records
to promote accuracy, credibility, and
uniformity in the industry.
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The Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI)
program is a national dairy testing and recordkeeping program through which a herd is
tested and compared to other herds across the
nation.
What is the role of Dairy Herd
Improvement Associations?
1. Records are compared
within a herd and with
other herds on a local,
state, and national level.
 2. Producers can use
several testing plans to improve herd
efficiency.
 3. Purebred associations have U.S.
registries for each dairy cattle breed.
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These registries promote outstanding
production performance and maintain pedigree
records.
What is the role of Dairy Herd
Improvement Associations?

B. The dairy goat industry taps into the
National Cooperative Dairy Herd
Improvement Program (NCDHIP) with
dairy producers.
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Cows and goats are treated uniformly and are
tested similarly.
Dairy goat owners enjoy the privileges of
testing listed in the National Dairy Herd
Improvement Association (NDHIA).
What are the PTA values? How are
these PTAs and pedigrees used to
improve herd quality?
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In dairy cattle, the Expected Progeny Differences
(EPDs) are called the Predicated Transmitting
Ability (PTA).
Predicated Transmitting Ability (PTA)
measures the bull’s ability to transmit milkproducing capacity to daughters.
A. PTAs can be positive or negative.
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These values depend on whether the bull’s daughter
yields more or less milk than daughters of another bull
under the same environmental conditions.
The USDA calculates and publishes data on cows in
testing programs to show the relationship to the bulls.
What are the PTA values? How are
these PTAs and pedigrees used to
improve herd quality?
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Common PTA values used to estimate the sire
or dam’s potential are the following: PTA value
for dollars (PTA$), milk (PTAM), fat (PTAF),
protein (PTAP), cheese yield dollars
(PTA$cheese), percentage of fat (PTA
percentF), and percentage of protein (PTA
percentP).
Other breed associations calculate a PTA for a
specific type.
Reliability is another term used in the dairy
industry.
Reliability refers to the confidence in the PTA
value.
What are the PTA values? How are
these PTAs and pedigrees used to
improve herd quality?
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B. Pedigrees are used to evaluate the
performance of past generations and to
compare genetic traits through the use of
PTAs.
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The use of performance or production data is
crucial in animal quality improvement.
Selection of animals should be based upon
pedigrees, individual appearance, individual
performance, and progeny testing.
These selection components are herd
improvement tools.
Pedigree knowledge can be a useful tool in
assessing genetic abnormalities and traits.
What is the role of artificial insemination
and other breeding technologies? What
is the selection process for dairy cattle?
The ability to recognize desirable and
undesirable traits is important in herd
improvement.
 Breeding techniques should be used to
continually improve a herd while removing
animals based on set criteria or other
situations that may arise.
 Culling is the practice of removing
animals in poor condition or animals that
do not express the desirable
characteristics of the herd.

What is the role of artificial insemination
and other breeding technologies? What
is the selection process for dairy cattle?
A. Using the Dairy Herd Improvement
program, also known as DHI, can help with
herd improvement.
 B. Permanently
removing or culling
animals from the
herd is a way to
create space for
more profitable
animals.

What is the role of artificial insemination
and other breeding technologies? What
is the selection process for dairy cattle?

C. Breeding may involve a
bull or artificial insemination.
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Artificial insemination (AI)
is a method, other than
natural mating, used to bring
sperm in contact with eggs.
D. Purebreeding is another means of herd
improvement.
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Purebreeding is the
mating of a purebred
animal to another
purebred animal of
the same breed.
What is the role of artificial insemination
and other breeding technologies? What
is the selection process for dairy cattle?

E. Outcrossing is another useful system of
breeding.
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Outcrossing is the mating
of an unrelated male and
female.
It will increase genetic
diversity and will help
produce hybrid vigor in the breed.
Hybrid vigor increases the strength of
different characteristics, which is referred to as
heterosis.
What is the role of artificial insemination
and other breeding technologies? What
is the selection process for dairy cattle?

F. Crossbreeding is mating one breed of
cattle to a recognized but different breed.
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For example, a Holstein could mate with a
Jersey animal.
Crossbreeding advantages include higher
production and more disease resistance.
Disadvantages include not being able to
register the animals because they are not
purebred and difficulty predicting offspring
appearance.
Review
What production practices are involved in
the care of dairy calves from birth to
weaning?
 What are the production practices involved
in the care of dairy replacement heifers,
lactating cows, and dry cows?
 What are the common dairy feeding
systems?

Review

Why is body condition scoring important?
How is it used to modify feeding practices?

What is the role of Dairy Herd
Improvement Associations?
Review

What are the PTA values? How are these
PTAs and pedigrees used to improve herd
quality?

What is the role of artificial insemination
and other breeding technologies? What is
the selection process for dairy cattle?