Maintaining the Health of Dairy Cattle

I. DAIRY AND BEEF CATTLE

The Introduction

Before selecting a certain breed the owner should decide on the purpose for which the animals are to be raised. If the purpose is to raise cattle to market as beef, beef breeds are to be studied. If the owner is interested in production milk and butterfat, it will be reasonable to choose the dairy type of cattle.

Selecting individual animals pay attention to the following factors: apperance or type, pedigree, performance and prepotency.

· Apperance or type. The method of selecting animals on the basis of type or outward appearance is of value in noting characteristics that are approved for a particular breed. But unfortunately from outward appearance alone the owner can’t decide which cows are high producers. It doesn’t indicate accurately the quality of offspring that will be produced.

· A pedigree is a record of the names and registration number of the ancestors of a given animal. The main value of a pedigree is that it provides evidence that the certain animal is a purebred.

· The term ‘performance’ means ‘ability to produce’. For dairy cattle, performance or each cow is measured in terms of milk and butterfat produced by her in a given period of time. Performance for beef cattle is measured by rate of gain.

· Prepotency or transmitting ability is the ability to transmit desired characteristics to its offspring.

Moreover, selecting dairy and beef cattle, pay attention to the following factors: health, age, time of breeding, etc.

EXERCISES

1. Translate the following words and word combinations:

To raise, to breed, dairy cattle (stock), beef cattle (stock), appearance, pedigree, performance, prepotency, to select, to transmit, offspring.

2. Match the verb with its definition:

3. Make short word combinations and use them in your own sentences (5-6).

4. Explain the following terms in Russian: apperance or type, pedigree, performance, prepotency or transmitting ability.

5. Make a short summary of the text.

Selecting and Housing Dairy Cattle

In selecting a dairy heifer of cow, the main aim is to secure an animal that will be a profitable producer of butterfat and milk and transmit to her offspring this capacity to produce.

It is also very important to learn as much as possible information about the dam and sire and other ancestors that will indicate something about their type and production. Unless something is known about the type and production of these ancestors the pedigree is of little value in selecting an animal.

In selecting a cow, pay attention to her producing ability. Considering production records, take into account the conditions under which they were made. Cows with a three-times-a-day milking and heavy grain feeding will produce considerably more than they will if milked twice a day and fed normally. In general, a mature dairy cow should produce at least 400 lb of butterfat with twice-a-day milking in order to be considered a superior producer. If possible, in selecting a heifer take one whose dam has this production level or higher.

Good housing equipment is especially important for dairy cattle because they need comfortable quarters if they are to produce most satisfactorily.

A special dairy barn is usually provided for large herds of dairy cattle. Small herds are housed in a part of a general purpose barn.

There are two types of special dairy barns:

• conventional barn, in which stanchions are provided for all milk cows,
• pen-type barn, in which the cows are allowed to run loose for the major portion of the time during the season when they are not on the pasture.

Although beef and dairy cattle have much in common, there are certain differences. Dairy cows should be milked twice each day and the milk must be given proper care.

Dairy cattle are kept in closer confinement and in smaller groups than beef cattle. In cold climates cows and young calves must be stabled a good share of the time in winter if they are to be kept comfortable. Water suffice is very important. A clean stall and fresh water available at all times in a tub or supplied by automatic drinking cups add to the comfort of the cow and result in larger milk production.

EXERCISES

1. Translate the following words and word combinations:

A heifer, an ancestor, conditions, housing, housing equipment, a barn, to milk, to stable.

To raise, to breed, dairy cattle (stock), beef cattle (stock), appearance, pedigree, performance, prepotency, to select, to transmit, offspring.

1. Insert the words from the table into the given sentences. One word is extra.

a) In order to get more milk and beef the owner should provide……………………………for the cattle.

b) Good……………..is especially important for dairy cattle.

c) Special dairy…………can be classified into two types.

d) Cows are usually…………………..twice a day.

e) In winter cows and calves ought to be………………

1. Answer the questions:

a) What is the primary aim in selecting a cow?

b) What does the term ‘good housing’ include?

c) What peculiarities about selecting and housing dairy cattle do you learn from the text?

1. Make a plan of the text.

1. Give advice for one who is going to breed dairy cattle.

Maintaining the Health of Dairy Cattle

Dairy cattle are susceptible to all the diseases and parasites that affect beef cattle. But it is necessary to take into consideration some more diseases.

Dairy cattle are housed much of the time and handled in compact groups. That’s why the spread of some diseases, notable brucellosis or Bang’s disease, is so rapid and reaches a higher percentage of animals in the herd.

Brucellosis or Bang’s disease is one of the most damaging diseases of cattle. One of the losses from this disease is the premature birth, or abortion, of the calf. Infected cows that abort usually fail to milk normally. Breeding difficulties owing to sterility may occur with many cows that have the disease. Thus, it can be seen that brucellosis may cause serious losses in a herd. To control brucellosis all animals over 6 months of age are blood tested regularly, if only a few reactors are found in a herd, they are sold at once for slaughter. In this case heifer calves may or may not be vaccinated. If there is a larger number of reactors in a herd, all the heifer calves are vaccinated as they reach 6 to 8 months of age. In this case the reacting cows that are not sold immediately should be placed in a separate herd and are replaced by heifers as soon as possible.

Mastitis is the term commonly applied to almost any abnormal condition in the udder of the cow. There are two forms of the disease, acute and chronic. The symptoms of the acute form of mastitis are pain and swelling in one or ore quarters of the udder and the production of thick, flaky, or bloody milk. Infected cows may be treated by injecting into the udder through the teats certain drugs, such as penicillin, sulfamethasine, or others.

Moreover, a high producing milk cow may suffer from nutritional deficiencies simply because she is not receiving enough feed of any kind.

EXERCISES

1. Translate the following words and word combinations:

To handle, premature birth, sterility, slaughter, to vaccinate (vaccination), an udder, pain, swelling.

2. Guess the word by its definition (all the words can be found in the text):

a) C………….. – animals with horns and hoofs, kept by farmers for their milk and beef.

b) P………….. - an animal or plant that lives in or on another, from which it gets its food.

c) D…………. – an unhealthy condition, an illness.

d) A…………. – the birth of a baby before it has developed enough to live (a miscarriage).

e) S…………… - killing an animal for food or because of some disease affecting it.

f) H…………… - a group of cattle of other animals that feed together.

g) U…………… - the bag-like part of a cow, ewe, female goat, from which milk is taken.

3. Complete the table:

4. Make a report on the topic under discussion.

Breeding and Improving

It is better to make a start with selecting promising individual animals.

The owner of a dairy herd is interested in securing high production per cow in terms of butterfat and milk. He is interested in improving the level of inheritance in his herd so that more and more of the heifers raised prove to be high producers when they reach maturity. It is necessary to secure individuals that transmit high production to most or all of their offspring.

There are many factors that influence improvement in the herd:

• keeping records year after year and culling out low producers,
• providing proper feeding,
• controlling diseases and parasites.

The owner should maintain a high rate of reproduction in the herd. Here we can speak about ‘calving percentage’ or ‘calving rate’. Freshening regularly at least every 12 months with 6 to 8 weeks as a dry period between lactation periods, seem to be most desirable. This results in a favorable annual production and a large number of calves for herd replacements and sale. The calving rate in a herd may be low because of careless breeding and failure to breed the cows back soon enough after freshening. Sometimes a low percentage may be due to Bang’s disease or other ailments of the cows or may result from using a bull that is not a reliable breeder.

EXERCISES

1. Find the equivalents for the following words and word combinations:

Обеспечение высокой продуктивности, улучшение наследственности, быть хорошими производителями, влиять на улучшение стада, фиксировать данные год за годом, отбирать животных с низкой производительностью, поддерживать высокий уровень продуктивности, обновление, годовой, болезни.

2. Translate the text in writing.

Peculiarities of Calving

In farming practice the majority of calves are born to dairy cows kept for the production of milk for sale. Therefore, in order to rear calves it is necessary to deprive them of their natural feeding and environment and to rear them in some artificial way.

If the calf is left with his mother it will start to suckle as soon as it can stand. If the calf is removed from his mother, the first milk must be provided regularly for at least the first 3 or 4 days.

The first 6 months is the most important time in the rearing program. Good feeding and management at this stage are the best means of ensuring the calf grow quickly for production and profit.

The calf born in autumn will get most of its food from good nutritious grazing during the first summer. The calves grow faster with some grain. It helps them to resist disease and parasitic troubles. About 0,9 kg of a mainly cereal mixture per head per day is adequate. At the same time, a mineral supplement can be added to the concentrates. A clean water supply is most important.

A heifer is usually bred at the age of 2 years.

The gestation period of the cow is 280 days. Normally, the cow will calve at 12-monthly intervals.

A liberal diet is given to the cow in calf for the last 6 or 8 weeks before she is to calve. It is the best to prepare the cow slowly so that she has time to build up body reserves. High feeding should last 2 or 3 months. This period is especially important in the development of the unborn calf.

It is well known that the sire is half of the herd. That is why the herd bull must be kept in good breeding condition. The ability to produce milk and butterfat can be transmitted to the offspring through the male as well as through the female.

EXERCISES

1. Translate the following words and word combinations:

Farming practice, production milk for sale, artificial, good feeding and management, profit, grazing, to resist disease and parasitic troubles, gestation period, to build up body reserves, to transmit, offspring.

2. Matching.

3. Choose the right word from the box:

a) A lot of minerals and vitamins will help the livestock to …. dangerous diseases.

b) …. should be provided regularly.

c) Sometimes …. feeding should be given.

d) Very often animals are grown in an …. way.

e) The ability to produce milk can be transmitted to the …. both by the male and the female.

f) The …. period of the cow lasts for about 280 days.

4. Make a plan of the given text. Entitle each part.