Happy Saturday, Missians!
Thanks for checking out another Missy Show, Christmas in July blog post. Today's 12 Days of Christmas animal is the cow. But this isn't just about cows in general--it's about the milking industry. Before we get into that, I just wanted to mention again, that we will only be doing our Christmas in July posts. I've decided to scrap the regular Missy Show posts for July (for now); and I have also decided to do a repeat of what I did last August. For the month of August, I'll be going "radio silent". I had posts scheduled for August, but I think I need another cyber-break, so they'll be placed elsewhere--more on that later, though. Now for the goods...
Today's blog post info is courtesy of Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dairy_cattle
Dairy cows may be found either in herds or dairy farms where dairy farmers own, manage, care for, and collect milk from them, or on commercial farms. Herd sizes vary around the world depending on landholding culture and social structure. The United States has 9 million cows in 75,000 dairy herds, with an average herd size of 120 cows. The number of small herds is falling rapidly with the 3,100 herds with over 500 cows producing 51% of U.S. milk in 2007.[5] The United Kingdom dairy herd overall has nearly 1.5 million cows, with about 100 head reported on an average farm.[6] In New Zealand, the average herd has more than 375 cows, while in Australia, there are approximately 220 cows in the average herd.[7][8]
Dairy farming, like many other livestock raring, can be split into intensive and extensive management systems. [9]
Intensive systems focus towards maximum production per cow in the herd. This involve formulating their diet to provide ideal nutrition and housing the cows in a confinement system such as free stall or tie stall. These cows are housed indoors throughout their lactation and may be put to pasture during their 60-day dry period before ideally calving again. Free stall style barns involve cattle loosely housed where they can have free access to feed, water, and stalls but are moved to another part of the barn to be milked multiple times a day. In a tie stall system, the milking units are brought to the cows during each milking. These cattle are tethered within their stalls with free access to water and feed are provided. In extensive systems, cattle are mainly outside on pasture for most of their lives. These cattle are generally lower in milk production and are herded multiple times daily to be milked. The systems used greatly depends on the climate and available land of the region of which the farm is situated. [9]
To maintain lactation, a dairy cow must be bred and produce calves. Depending on market conditions, the cow may be bred with a "dairy bull" or a "beef bull." Female calves (heifers) with dairy breeding may be kept as replacement cows for the dairy herd. If a replacement cow turns out to be a substandard producer of milk, she then goes to market and can be slaughtered for beef. Male calves can either be used later as a breeding bull or sold and used for veal or beef. Dairy farmers usually begin breeding or artificially inseminating heifers around 13 months of age.[10] A cow's gestation period is approximately nine months.[11] Newborn calves are removed from their mothers quickly, usually within three days, as the mother/calf bond intensifies over time and delayed separation can cause extreme stress on both cow and calf.[12]
Domestic cows can live to 20 years; however, those raised for dairy rarely live that long, as the average cow is removed from the dairy herd around age four and marketed for beef.[11][13] In 2014, approximately 9.5% of the cattle slaughtered in the U.S. were culled dairy cows: cows that can no longer be seen as an economic asset to the dairy farm.[14] These animals may be sold due to reproductive problems or common diseases of milk cows such as mastitis and lameness.
The dairy cow will produce large amounts of milk in its lifetime. Production levels peak at around 40 to 60 days after calving. Production declines steadily afterwards until milking is stopped at about 10 months. The cow is "dried off" for about sixty days before calving again. Within a 12 to 14-month inter-calving cycle, the milking period is about 305 days or 10 months long.[19][20][21] Among many variables, certain breeds produce more milk than others within a range of around 6,800 to 17,000 kg (15,000 to 37,500 lbs) of milk per year.
The Holstein Friesian is the main breed of dairy cattle in Australia, and said to have the "world's highest" productivity, at 10000L of milk per year.[22] The average for a single dairy cow in the US in 2007 was 9164.4 kg (20,204 lbs) per year, excluding milk consumed by her calves,[2] whereas the same average value for a single cow in Israel was reported in the Philippine press to be 12,240 kg in 2009.[23] High production cows are more difficult to breed at a two-year interval. Many farms take the view that 24 or even 36 month cycles are more appropriate for this type of cow.
Dairy cows may continue to be economically productive for many lactation cycles. In theory a longevity of 10 lactations is possible. The chances of problems arising which may lead to a cow being culled are high, however; the average herd life of US Holstein is today fewer than 3 lactations. This requires more herd replacements to be reared or purchased. Over 90% of all cows are slaughtered for 4 main reasons:
Infertility – failure to conceive and reduced milk production.
Mastitis – a persistent and potentially fatal mammary gland infection, leading to high somatic cell counts and loss of production.
Lameness – persistent foot infection or leg problems causing infertility and loss of production.
Production – some animals fail to produce economic levels of milk to justify their feed costs.
Feeding behaviors are obviously important for the dairy cow, as feeding is how the cow will ingest dry matter, however, the cow must ruminate to fully digest the feed and utilize the nutrients in the feed.[28] Dairy cows with good rumen health will likely be more profitable than cows with poor rumen health, as a healthy rumen will aid in the digestion of nutrients.[26] An increase in the time a cow spends ruminating is associated with the increase in health and an increase in milk production.[26]
The productivity of dairy cattle is most efficient when the cattle have a full rumen [29]. Also, the standing action while feeding after milking has been suggested to enhance udder health. The delivery of fresh feed while the cattle are away for milking stimulates the cattle to fed upon return, potentially reducing the prevalence of mastitis as the sphincters have time to close while standing [30] This makes the pattern of feeding directly after being milked an ideal method of increasing the efficiency of the herd.
Cows have a high motivation to lie down [28] so farmers should be conscious of this, not only because they have a high motivation to lie down, but also because lying down can increase milk yield.[31] When the lactating dairy cow lies down, blood flow is increased to the mammary gland which in return results in a higher milk yield.[31]
To ensure that the dairy cows lie down as much as needed, the stalls must be comfortable.[32] Put very simply, a stall should have a rubber mat, bedding, and be large enough for the cow to lie down and get up comfortably.[32] Signs that the stalls may not be comfortable enough for the cows are the cows are standing, either ruminating or not, instead of lying down, or perching, which is when the cow has its front end in the stall and their back end out of the stall.[32]
There are 2 types of housing systems in dairy production, free style housing and tie stall. Free style housing is where the cow is free to walk around and interact with its environment and other members of the herd. Tie stall housing is when the cow is chained to a stantion stall with the milking units and feed coming to them.[33]
Okay, so, based on what you've read, what is your take on the milking industry? Necessary evil? Not so bad? You be the judge. Of course, there's plenty more information to be read on this subject. Be sure to read the rest of the article on Wikipedia.
Alrighty, guys. That's it for now. Be sure to check back here on Monday for our next CIJ post.
Until then,
This is your host J,
signing off...
Thanks for checking out another Missy Show, Christmas in July blog post. Today's 12 Days of Christmas animal is the cow. But this isn't just about cows in general--it's about the milking industry. Before we get into that, I just wanted to mention again, that we will only be doing our Christmas in July posts. I've decided to scrap the regular Missy Show posts for July (for now); and I have also decided to do a repeat of what I did last August. For the month of August, I'll be going "radio silent". I had posts scheduled for August, but I think I need another cyber-break, so they'll be placed elsewhere--more on that later, though. Now for the goods...
Today's blog post info is courtesy of Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dairy_cattle
Dairy cows may be found either in herds or dairy farms where dairy farmers own, manage, care for, and collect milk from them, or on commercial farms. Herd sizes vary around the world depending on landholding culture and social structure. The United States has 9 million cows in 75,000 dairy herds, with an average herd size of 120 cows. The number of small herds is falling rapidly with the 3,100 herds with over 500 cows producing 51% of U.S. milk in 2007.[5] The United Kingdom dairy herd overall has nearly 1.5 million cows, with about 100 head reported on an average farm.[6] In New Zealand, the average herd has more than 375 cows, while in Australia, there are approximately 220 cows in the average herd.[7][8]
Dairy farming, like many other livestock raring, can be split into intensive and extensive management systems. [9]
Intensive systems focus towards maximum production per cow in the herd. This involve formulating their diet to provide ideal nutrition and housing the cows in a confinement system such as free stall or tie stall. These cows are housed indoors throughout their lactation and may be put to pasture during their 60-day dry period before ideally calving again. Free stall style barns involve cattle loosely housed where they can have free access to feed, water, and stalls but are moved to another part of the barn to be milked multiple times a day. In a tie stall system, the milking units are brought to the cows during each milking. These cattle are tethered within their stalls with free access to water and feed are provided. In extensive systems, cattle are mainly outside on pasture for most of their lives. These cattle are generally lower in milk production and are herded multiple times daily to be milked. The systems used greatly depends on the climate and available land of the region of which the farm is situated. [9]
To maintain lactation, a dairy cow must be bred and produce calves. Depending on market conditions, the cow may be bred with a "dairy bull" or a "beef bull." Female calves (heifers) with dairy breeding may be kept as replacement cows for the dairy herd. If a replacement cow turns out to be a substandard producer of milk, she then goes to market and can be slaughtered for beef. Male calves can either be used later as a breeding bull or sold and used for veal or beef. Dairy farmers usually begin breeding or artificially inseminating heifers around 13 months of age.[10] A cow's gestation period is approximately nine months.[11] Newborn calves are removed from their mothers quickly, usually within three days, as the mother/calf bond intensifies over time and delayed separation can cause extreme stress on both cow and calf.[12]
Domestic cows can live to 20 years; however, those raised for dairy rarely live that long, as the average cow is removed from the dairy herd around age four and marketed for beef.[11][13] In 2014, approximately 9.5% of the cattle slaughtered in the U.S. were culled dairy cows: cows that can no longer be seen as an economic asset to the dairy farm.[14] These animals may be sold due to reproductive problems or common diseases of milk cows such as mastitis and lameness.
Milk production levels
The Holstein Friesian is the main breed of dairy cattle in Australia, and said to have the "world's highest" productivity, at 10000L of milk per year.[22] The average for a single dairy cow in the US in 2007 was 9164.4 kg (20,204 lbs) per year, excluding milk consumed by her calves,[2] whereas the same average value for a single cow in Israel was reported in the Philippine press to be 12,240 kg in 2009.[23] High production cows are more difficult to breed at a two-year interval. Many farms take the view that 24 or even 36 month cycles are more appropriate for this type of cow.
Dairy cows may continue to be economically productive for many lactation cycles. In theory a longevity of 10 lactations is possible. The chances of problems arising which may lead to a cow being culled are high, however; the average herd life of US Holstein is today fewer than 3 lactations. This requires more herd replacements to be reared or purchased. Over 90% of all cows are slaughtered for 4 main reasons:
Infertility – failure to conceive and reduced milk production.
Mastitis – a persistent and potentially fatal mammary gland infection, leading to high somatic cell counts and loss of production.
Lameness – persistent foot infection or leg problems causing infertility and loss of production.
Production – some animals fail to produce economic levels of milk to justify their feed costs.
- Cow longevity is strongly correlated with production levels.[24] Lower production cows live longer than high production cows, but may be less profitable. Cows no longer wanted for milk production are sent to slaughter. Their meat is of relatively low value and is generally used for processed meat. Another factor affecting milk production is the stress the cow is faced with. Psychologists at the University of Leicester, UK, analyzed the musical preference of milk cows and found out that music actually influences the dairy cow's lactation. Calming music can improve milk yield, probably because it reduces stress and relaxes the cows in much the same way as it relaxes humans. [25]
Cow comfort and its effects on milk production
Certain behaviors such as eating, rumination, and lying down can be related to the health of the cow and cow comfort.[26] These behaviors can also be related to the productivity of the cows.[26] Likewise, stress, disease, and discomfort will have a negative effect on the productivity of the dairy cows.[26] Therefore, it can be said that it is in the best interest of the farmer to increase eating, rumination, and lying down and decrease stress, disease, and discomfort to achieve the maximum productivity possible.[26] Also, estrous behaviors such as mounting can be a sign of cow comfort, since if a cow is lame, nutritionally deficient, or are housed in an over crowded barn, the performance of estrous behaviors will be altered.[27]Feeding behaviors are obviously important for the dairy cow, as feeding is how the cow will ingest dry matter, however, the cow must ruminate to fully digest the feed and utilize the nutrients in the feed.[28] Dairy cows with good rumen health will likely be more profitable than cows with poor rumen health, as a healthy rumen will aid in the digestion of nutrients.[26] An increase in the time a cow spends ruminating is associated with the increase in health and an increase in milk production.[26]
The productivity of dairy cattle is most efficient when the cattle have a full rumen [29]. Also, the standing action while feeding after milking has been suggested to enhance udder health. The delivery of fresh feed while the cattle are away for milking stimulates the cattle to fed upon return, potentially reducing the prevalence of mastitis as the sphincters have time to close while standing [30] This makes the pattern of feeding directly after being milked an ideal method of increasing the efficiency of the herd.
Cows have a high motivation to lie down [28] so farmers should be conscious of this, not only because they have a high motivation to lie down, but also because lying down can increase milk yield.[31] When the lactating dairy cow lies down, blood flow is increased to the mammary gland which in return results in a higher milk yield.[31]
To ensure that the dairy cows lie down as much as needed, the stalls must be comfortable.[32] Put very simply, a stall should have a rubber mat, bedding, and be large enough for the cow to lie down and get up comfortably.[32] Signs that the stalls may not be comfortable enough for the cows are the cows are standing, either ruminating or not, instead of lying down, or perching, which is when the cow has its front end in the stall and their back end out of the stall.[32]
There are 2 types of housing systems in dairy production, free style housing and tie stall. Free style housing is where the cow is free to walk around and interact with its environment and other members of the herd. Tie stall housing is when the cow is chained to a stantion stall with the milking units and feed coming to them.[33]
Okay, so, based on what you've read, what is your take on the milking industry? Necessary evil? Not so bad? You be the judge. Of course, there's plenty more information to be read on this subject. Be sure to read the rest of the article on Wikipedia.
Alrighty, guys. That's it for now. Be sure to check back here on Monday for our next CIJ post.
Until then,
This is your host J,
signing off...
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