Dairy Industry

Dairy Industry

1. Intro to dairy industry

   • ADHB is the levy board, NMR do milk recording. Holstein UK breed society keep database and their own milk record
   • Changes to the UK dairy industry
     • huge increase in milk yield (7000 litres per cow per year)
     • Fertility and longevity increase due to genetic selection for increase milk yield
     • Decrease in breed diversity
     • decrease in total number of cows but increase in average herd size
   • Milk Production
     • cows tend to calf down in spring
       • milk production drops in september- fewer cows calving
       • financial incentive to calve in autumn
     • PEAK MILK YIELD 2 MONTHS AFTER CALVING
     • price varies 36-139 p a litre farmer often at a loss
     • Lactose content stays at around 5%
     • Fat about 4% but drops in early summer since fewer fat precursors in diet/pasture
     • Same thing happens with protein, normally about 3%
   • Dairy Cycle
     • Birth to having a calf about 2 years
     • need 2 lactations per cow before culling to make a profit
     • 305 day lactation
     • annual lactation 200 x peak yield
     • peak voluntary feed intake is in weeks 10-12 but peak lactation is 5-7 so in cow is in negative energy balance for a bit
   • Key facts
     • Adult holstein is about 650kg
     • 3% body weight is dry matter intake per day
     • aim for 1 calf a year
     • typical diet contains 10MJ of energy per kg DM up to 13.
     • PROTEIN 12%-18%
     • Grass ME (MJ/Kg) 13-7 (in calculation just go for 11)
       • grass CP 20-5%
     • Cereals 11-13 ME (calculation go for 13)

2. Cow Breeds

   • Holstein- black and white, high milk yield. big frame tall and heavy
   • Jersey- very efficient, small body size only solid colour no spots. can put on lots of solids/ fats good for ice cream
   • Shorthorn- one of the few left meant for beef and dairy, numbers are decreasing but known for good udder health
   • Ayrshire like a red holstein very good milk producers
   • Guernsey- similar to jersey but BIGGER not always solid colour have some white bits

3. Breeding Cycle definitions

   • Calving Interval- days between each calving. aim for 365 a year but the average is 414
   • Lactation period- time from calving till drying off- aim for 305
   • Open period- time from calving til re conception- target 85 days this is flexible. add OP to gestation period and get calving interval
   • Gestation rate- from conception to calving 282 days
   • culling rate- % herd culled per year normally about 25-30%

4. Genetic indexes for UK selection

   • £PIN- takes into account milk, fat and protein produced by cow
   • £PLI- profitable lifetime index- takes into acount £PIN, lifespan, fertility, SCC, udder health and locomotion
   • selecting for high milk yield correlated with a decrease in cow conception/fertility. to combat this fertility indexes have been introduced

5. Herd Structure

   • e.g herd with 500 milking cows and replacement rate of 25%, lactation rate of 305 days, calving interval of 365 days and heifers calf down when 2 years old
   • Milking cows -500
     • sometimes divided into different groups
   • dry cows- 76 (15%)
     • calving and non-calving group
   • 0-1 year old heifer 144 (about 30%)
     • divided into milk fed, weaned (8week -12 month old group)
   • 1-2 year old heifer 144
     • 12-23 month old + pre calving heifers
   • total herd structure (milking cows and followers) 864

6. Reproduction Management

   • OESTRUS 21 DAYS
   • OESTRUS LENGTH 17 HOURS
   • OVULATION 10-15 HOURS AFTER OESTRUS
   • gestation 282 days
   • inseminate 12 hours after they show heat
   • detecting when cow is in heat
     • stands to be ridden
     • swollen vulva
     • raised tail
     • discharge
     • ride other cows
     • aids in detection
       • tail paint
       • rump marker
       • activity moniter

7. Lameness

   • from a quarter to a third of the UK herd are lame
   • associated with
     • winter
     • poor hygiene
     • sharp angular stones
     • hard tracks
     • inadequate foot checks
   • Assessing lameness
     • gait scoring
     • uneven weight bearing
     • arched back
     • foot examination
   • Possible causes
     • interdigital dermatitis
     • heel erosion
     • sole ulcer
     • white line separation (can be linked with acidosis)

8. Rumen Health

   • watch out for rumen acidosis and milk fever- treat milk fever with calcium
   • assessing rumen health
     • Milk fat content
     • fibre content
     • VFA spectrum
     • more than 60% of herd should be sitting and ruminating
     • faecal scoring

9. Calving

   • 1-2 hours after water breaks calf feet should appear
   • calf should be delivered after 60-90 mins of straining
   • heifers may need more help
   • prolapsed uterus is an emergency
   • placenta should pass 2-3 hours after birth, otherwise it is known as a "retained placenta" if it does't pass after 7-10 days should remove

10. Calf Husbandry & Health

    • Feeding
      • colostrum- best absorption in first 6 hours. aim for 4 litres in first 6 hours or 8 in first 24 hours
        • high in fat, protein and antibodies but low in lactose
      • milk replacers
        • can cause diarrhoea
        • high in indigestible plant matter and soy protien
        • excess heat treatment can interfere with protein coagulation
        • cheap
      • offer hay from 1 week old
    • monitor for BRD and diarrhoea- scale for this is called the wisconsin scale
    • procedures
      • disbudding
        • Cautary/ scoop/ chemicals
        • must use anaesthetic for all but chemical and chemical can only be used if calf under 1 week old
      • castration
        • Rubber ring- ischaemia and therefore necrosis
        • BURDIZZO- denervation and ischaemia + crush spermatic cord
        • surgery
        • rubber ring use anaesthetic if 1 week old, others use anaesthetic if 2 months old
    • calf health
      • 8% still born
      • 3% dead in first month of life
      • 7% dead in first 15 months
      • Causes of mortality
        • Enteric disease
          • if scouring give electrolytes ASAP
        • pneumonia
        • septicaemia
      • vaccinations
        • vaccinate against clostridial disease and endemic infections in herd
        • give most on neck sub cutaneous so don't damage good cuts of meat
        • if giving in muscle limit to 10cc per site
      • aftercare
        • dip navel in iodine
        • tag calf
        • vitamin E and Se suppliaments

11. Raising Heifers

    • must feed properly- if underfed when raising will be very small when they calve (less than 540kg)
    • Will loose weight during early lactation watch out for metabolic disorders
    • growth may be stunted if underfed early in life
    • aim to inseminate at 380 kg and calve at 580 kg