Dairy Cattle Selection

Dairy Cattle Selection Overview Dairy Terms and Definitions Parts of a Dairy Cow Dairy Traits and Selection

Dairy Cattle Selection 1. What is a bull? Mature male dairy animal 2. What is a heifer? Female dairy animal that has not borne an offspring 3. The percent of fat in the milk is called what? Butterfat 4. A cow showing signs of pregnancy is considered what? Springer 5. What is a cow? Mature female dairy animal; shows evidence of having produced one or more calves 6. What is the term for the span of time that a cow is giving milk? Lactation period 7. What is the term for the amount in pounds of milk that a cow produces during a lactation period? Milk production

Dairy Cattle Selection 8. What is the term for the manner in which an animal acts? docile 9. DHI is an acronym for what? Dairy Herd Improvement 10. The parts of the cow directly responsible for producing and storing milk is called what? mammary system 11. An undesirable defect is called a what? discrimination 12. What is the term used for register of lines of ancestry? pedigree

Dairy Cattle Selection Parts of a Dairy Cow

Dairy Cattle Selection Traits and Selection (Dairy Evaluation System) 1.Stature (measured at withers) Extremely Tall 2. Chest and body (considering age and stage of lactation) Extremely Deep Body

Dairy Cattle Selection Traits and Selection (Dairy Evaluation System) 3.Dairy character (independent of performance) 4. Foot and shape (angle)

Dairy Cattle Selection Traits and Selection (Dairy Evaluation System) 5. Rear legs (side view) 6. Pelvic angle

Dairy Cattle Selection Traits and Selection (Dairy Evaluation System) 7. Rump width 8. Fore udder attachment

Dairy Cattle Selection Traits and Selection (Dairy Evaluation System) 9. Rear udder width (at attachment) 10. Rear udder height (at attachment)

Dairy Cattle Selection Traits and Selection (Dairy Evaluation System) 11. Teat placement (rear view) 12. Suspensory ligament (cleft)

Dairy Cattle Selection Traits and Selection (Dairy Evaluation System) 13. Udder depth

Dairy Cattle Selection Traits and Selection Milk Production Facts BreedPercent Butterfat Pounds Butterfat Pounds Milk Prod Holstein ,185 Ayrshire ,398 Jersey ,020 Brown Swiss ,062 Guernsey ,363 Think about this? 1. Which breed produced the most total pounds of milk? Why do think this is so? 2. Why would butterfat be important to milk? 3. What breed produced the lowest total pounds of butterfat? 4. What would you think the most popular breed of Dairy cattle would be judging from this data? Why?

Dairy Cattle Selection Traits and Selection Terms balance of symmetry - proper proportions and blending of parts. clean - free from fat cow-hocked - rear legs turned so that the hocks are close together and feet point out when viewed from the rear. body capacity - total amount of volume exhibited by a cow and indicated by a combination of depth of fore and rear rib, length of barrel, spring of rib and depth of flank. quality - overall smoothness, blending of shoulders, and refinement of head and bone. spring of rib - amount ribs arch out from the backbone. type - combination of characteristics that make an animal most useful for a specific purpose. sickle-hocked - rear legs too curved when viewed from the side. What other terms might you use?

Dairy Cattle Selection Traits and Selection Factors to Consider General appearance - Cows with good general appearance are attractive, have femininity, vigor, stretch, scale and a harmonious blend of all parts. Evaluate all parts of the cow when considering general appearance. Dairy character - Dairy character refers to a combination of characteristics that indicate a cow’s ability to convert feed into milk. Characteristics include angularity, freedom from coarseness, and evidence of milking ability with udder quality. Udder - The udder should be large enough to produce and store milk. – The length, width, and depth of the udder determines its capacity. – The udder should be attached high and wide behind and carry well forward in front. Other factors considered would be teat placement, size and prominence of the mammary veins, and number and size of milk wells.