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Cattle Reproduction
Knowing reproduction of cattle is important to the herd, no matter how big or small it is. Cattle reproduction involves breeding, genetics pregnancy, calving, care of the young calf and weaning, all of which is involved in the reproduction of cattle. Questions about everything involving in cattle reproduction, including a little on lactation, can be asked and answered here.
1,831 Questions
Name the breeds of cow with their lactation period?
There is no use doing this because all breeds will lactate for the same amount of time, being around 6 to 10 months on average. Most dairy breeds, especially Holstein and Jersey, will most often go 10 months or more in their lactation, whereas beef breeds stay in that particular time period. Many other not-so-popular dairy breeds also tend to stick to the 10-month lactation period, such as Canadiennes, Dutch Belted, Angeln, Normande and others. Beef breeds include Brahman, Nelore, Guzerat, Charolais, Angus, Hereford, Gelbvieh, Shorthorn and others.
Can you feed goat milk to a calf?
You most definetly can! About 4 years ago i found two abandoned newborn kittens in my backyard. I took them to a vet to get tips on how to take care of them. They said the best thing to give them is goats milk. They also gave us a serenge, a small bottle works fine too. We fed them the goats milk till they were able to start eating soft kitten food without goats milk. Then when they were old enough and had stronger teeth, we fed them hard kitten food. The kind we got was Science Diet. They are strong and healthy as can be, today. So goats milk is perfetly fine. Formula is good too, but goats milk is better if you ask me.
How do make them open their mouths to drink the milk?
Who did the Bulls acquire in the 2008 draft?
This is no brainer. The bulls SHOULD draft Michael Beasley out K-state. Why? because the Bulls have to many guards. They desperately need an inside presence. Some post play. So Beasley would be my pick. I would be upset if they dont pick Beasley.
Why do red bulls have bull sperm in them?
As he said below. First, no reason to put it in there. Second- you obviously have no idea what high quality bull semen (used by farmers for artificial insemination of cattle) sells for. It is NOT cheap! It can be several hundred dollars per unit. You need to work on becoming less gullible.
What do judges look for when showing calves?
Judges can not show calves if they the are "judging" them. - your question makes no English sense.
What is the role of estrogen in cattle reproduction?
In breeding cows and heifers, estrogen is basically responsible for two things: 1) Bringing a female into heat or estrus so that she can be bred, since when a cow is showing signs of estrus this means she is ready to conceive or mate with a bull so that she can bear a calf. A cow nor heifer can become pregnant at any other time in their estrous cycle. Estrogen peaks at the time of estrus, which will change the behaviour of a cow or heifer from a seemingly placid, friendly animal to a madly rutting female that is desperately looking for a mate. 2) Encourage labour or parturition. Estrogen spikes when a cow is going into labour and ready to deliver a calf, and this estrogen is one of several hormones on the hormonal pathway to parturition (birth or calving) that is first initiated by the stress levels of the fetus.
Basically estrogen is one of many female hormones that is very important in cattle reproduction in both breeding and calving. Estrogen cannot function alone, however, without the help from other hormones in the female's system, including progesterone, luteinizing hormone, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone. Estrogen is also used by producers as a hormone injection to synchronize the estrus patterns of several cows and heifers in order for them to come into heat at the same time, or close to, so they can be artificially inseminated. Estrogen or its similar form estradiol is also used to encourage abortion in cattle, especially in heifers that are too young to be in calf.
Why is it important to control the weight gain of dry pregnant beef cows?
Cows that are too fat or thin often have birthing and lactating problems when the calf is ready to be born and begin suckling. Besides, the time a beef cow is dry and pregnant is when she doesn't need the high nutrient feeds like she would when she is lactating and needing to feed both her and the calf. Her energy and protein requirements are not to where weight gain and putting these nutrients into milk production is needed, so it's best to manage the condition (level of body fat) of your animals accordingly, depending on what their body condition is.
Normal-conditioned cows should have their weight maintained and not gain or lose much, if at all. Fat cows need to be fed so that they can lose weight. This means more roughage and less grain. Thin cows, though, will need that extra grain or high-energy/protein supplement so they can get their weight up to par and be ready for the stressful and strenuous time that is put on their bodies when they go into labour and have to produce milk for their calves.
For the fatter cows, the fat deposits in the birth canal can make calving more difficult and a tighter space for the calf to fit through. Fat deposits in the udder also hinder the cow's ability to produce enough milk for the calf. Thin cows also have problems in calving time, but not because of fat deposits. Rather, they can easily tire during birth and not have enough energy to push out that calf. They and/or the calf can die if they are not helped as soon as possible. Thin cows will not experience the same level of milk production loss as with fat cows (although milk production is more compromised than with normal, "fit not fat" cows), but an increase in lactation requirements (more milk demanded by the calf) can "pull down" a cow, or rather force her to lose more condition than she can afford. In other words, her calf is getting fat while she continues to get thin. But, her calf can also have a lighter weaning weight than a calf from a normal-conditioned mom.
Thus, "control" in this question is subjective. It depends on the current body conditions of your cows, as judging their body condition score will determine whether control is indeed required or whether you will need to up the ante and get your cows up to par before calving, as well as breeding, so that you avoid any problems in the future.
Does a cow need hot or cold condition to reproduce?
Cattle can reproduce at any temperature that is within their comfort zone, and that is typically between -25ºC and 28ºC. Anything outside those temperature ranges can produce conditions that may be too stressful for any breeding to occur, due to risk of cold or heat stroke, respectively. Note that what seems too cold or too hot for a cow or bull is definitely not the same for us humans!
What is a sire for cattle called?
The "sire" of a bovine, be it a bull, cow, heifer, steer or calf, is the father or male parent of said animal. Sire is a Middle English term that comes from the alteration of the Old French word "senior," which is in turn the alteration for the Latin word of the same word in the first sense. This usage dates back to the early 16th century, especially with use among people. Today, however, sire is primarily used with pedigree analysis of animals including cattle.
Yes, of course! Cows and bulls are not separate species, they are names of different sexes within the species Bos primigenius taurus or indicus, and can indeed mate with each other, provided the cow is ready to do so. A bull will only mate with a cow when the cow is in heat or estrus, and not during any other time. Bulls are mature male intact bovines, and cows are mature female bovines.
What part of the calf comes out first and last of the mother?
In normal birthing presentation, the front feet of the calf should appear first, followed by the head, then the hips and finally the back legs. Usually once the head and shoulders get through the birth canal, everything else follows quite quickly.
How does a black cow and black bull have a white calf?
They don't. It's simply not possible. The only way a black cow can "have" a white calf is if the white calf has been adopted by that cow because her calf had died at birth and the white calf had no mother because it's mother either rejected it or died giving birth to it. It's new surrogate mother then happened to be a black cow.
What age do stop breeding angus cow?
Age is not a factor. Reproductive ability, temperament, health, teeth, udder conformation, mothering ability and other factors are determinants to make a producer to consider stop breeding an Angus cow and ship her to the auction. Rarely are cows kept until they die of old age. If they were, and are no longer productive at ~20 years of age (plus or minus a few years), then they are no longer bred and allowed to live out their days in the pasture instead of being sent to slaughter. Though as mentioned this is rare, it does happen, especially if that cow is too special to a producer to want to let her go to be turned into dog food or hamburger.
What age do you stop breeding an angus cow?
There is no defined age when to stop breeding an Angus cow. The time to stop breeding her depends her level of contribution the herd and her state of health and well-being. In other words, if she can't look after her calf when she's at 5 years old or is too temperamental to be considered worthwhile to keep around, she gets culled. If she's around 15 years old and her teeth are worn down or her udder and teats are so big and baggy that her calf can't latch on, then she gets culled. But some breeders will keep a prized Angus cow until she dies of natural death once it seems like she can't (or it isn't worth) get[ting] one more calf out of her.
A truly fat cow (and not one with just a round belly) often is considered one that will not breed well due to the fat deposits causing fertility issues.
Can you give a calf a shot so it want have a baby so young?
No. A heifer should only be given a shot of Lute when you decide to wean her and her sisters/half-sisters to get them to abort if you suspect they are in calf. A shot of estrumate or lutalyse lasts only short-term (i.e., around 24 hours) and should be used wisely, not as a means to prevent a calf from getting bred too early and in the notion that it will last until 9 months post-weaning. It's also unwise to give a heifer calf a shot when they're really young, like less than a month old, because it's simply ineffective if given at that age and actually may force that calf to start puberty much earlier than you intended.
So, it's much more ideal to give all your heifers a shot of Lute or Estrumate at weaning and/or when you're vaccinating and dehorning them, just to be safe.
How much colostrum does a cow give during birth?
None. Calving is too stressful an event to let a cow give milk during such an event. Afterwards, and only afterwards, will she be able to relax enough to allow milk-let-down to commence.
A calf can get as big as its breeding allows. Some calves can reach around 750 lbs at weaning time, others are a bit smaller. Calves keep growing past their weaning and past the point they are calves (which is at weaning time), and they stop growing when they are around 3 to 4 years of age. Cattle that are slaughtered for beef, however, do not see this termination of growth because they are slaughtered a year and a half after they are born.
Normal weight of a new born baby calf is around 65 lbs, but can range between 35 to 120 depending on breed and other factors
