circle of life, calf to cow - dairy farming with jet and emma

Getting Down and Dirty on the dairy farm with

Emma & Jet

www.slideshare.net/LandLearnNSW

Emma and Jet

• My name is Emma I am 16. As part of my HSC I am doing a dairy traineeship at Clover Hill Dairies

• My name is Jet. I am also doing a dairy traineeship with Alan and Leesa Swan at Hillview Dairy

Hi I‟m Jet

Hi I‟m

Emma

Update on farm yard happenings Things have been pretty

exciting over the last 2 months. We have visitors

from Quebec.

Hi I‟m Jenny

Hi I‟m Marie - Pier

Marie-Pier and Jenny live on dairy farms in Quebec and exhibit their cows @ shows in

Canada

So what did Marie-Pier and Jenny get up to

Well there was plenty to do

We did enjoy the great Ozzie vino and tucker

We climbed the big bridge

And sat on a little one

We trained for the cricket team and

took part in the All Bran Challenge.

And ate crumpets –They taste fantastic with maple syrup. I must see if I can

sneak some of these home in my suitcase.

We walked to the edge and climbed

to the top

We learnt the difference between league and

rugby we think !!!Perhaps we need to see

a few more games.

Met a few of the locals

We went Go cart racing

Helped GREEN

Australia

Saw the sights

Who said dairying

wasall work

andno play???

Now back to work !!

So tell us what is Emma and Jet going to talk about today?

Jet and Emma are going to tell

us the circle of life story from Calf to

Cow

Circle of Life • Cows like all

living things must have a program to make copies of themselves from generation to generation

Cow

Calf

Yearling

Heifer

Starting at the beginning

• The cow is mated to a bull either naturally or by Artificial Insemination (AI)

• At Clover Hill Dairies we try to AI all of our cows – we will explore AI in more detail in our “Day in the Life of a Vet” presentation coming soon

• The gestation period for a cow is the same as humans – 9 months

Birthing Process

Calves are usually born front feet first with the head between the front legs. If there is only one leg and the head, or just the head showing, then we will assist them.

You can watch a calf birth herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7E7lJOJ8FM

Step 1source :A Veterinary Bookfor Dairy FarmersThird EditionR. W. BLOWEYFarming Press

Step 2source :A Veterinary Bookfor Dairy FarmersThird EditionR. W. BLOWEYFarming Press

Step 3source :A Veterinary Bookfor Dairy FarmersThird EditionR. W. BLOWEYFarming Press

How long does it take?

• A mature cow usually takes 1–2 hours for the full birth process from when the „waters‟ initially break.

• Cows calving for the first time (heifers) can take up to 4 hours. Just like people first

timers take a little longer.

Newborn Calves

A Holstein calf weighs anywhere from

35 to 50kgs at birth.

Up and about in no time

First Steps…..

Unlike human babies, calves are generally able to walk within a few hours of birth and are able to run within a day or two.

Getting off to the right start

•Like human babies, calves face big changes

when they come into the world. They have to be able to survive in all weathers.

•They have to be able to deal with predators from an early age.

•Cows often eat their afterbirth to discourage predators like foxes

You can watch it here www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPsEjqbQQEc

Oh my goodness its time to get

back in the chook house

Colostrum, the fuel for life

Calves are born with very little protection

against the bacteria and viruses. To help give them immunity, their first milk drink (Colostrum) is packed with antibodies as well as extra energy, protein, vitamins and minerals - to give protection against disease.

Calves born to milking cows are often fed supplementary Colostrum.

The newborn

calf is soon wriggling

her tail and nuzzling the udder, the busy lips frothing

with milk rich

colostrum

Yes we are very cute aren't we??

What happens next?

• Dairy calves on most farms are reared by hand.

• They are generally fed milk twice a day, drinking between 4 and 8 litres daily.

• They are fed either surplus milk from the dairy (some cows produce more than 60 cartons of milk per day!) or from high-quality powdered milk replacer.

• Computer technology and Robotic calf feeders can prepare the milk and feed it to many calves.

Sometimes Jersey calves are slow drinkers to start but when they get going

WOW are they a handful.

HousingAnd when the calves get to be

about three months old its good to have two pairs of hands.

These are baby pure bred Jersey calves being fed with a teat bottle. Aren't they adorable?

Picture courtesy Dairy Australia

This is a robotic calf feeder

How do Robotic Calf feeders work

• The Robotic calf feeder mimics mother nature.

• A microchip in the ear of the calf

lets the CPU know when and if the calf is

due for a feed.

• The calf is weighed daily and computer printout informs the operator of the calf's daily progress.

How does the computer know how much milk I have drunk

today ? • Calves have special

electronic ID ear

tags which the computer reads before it drinks.

• Any calf that is not drinking well will be identified and treated if necessary.

Watch calves getting fed • www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4nrlWhevao

• www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIOvoz-eUlg

• www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op8Aj4MlSJg

So many options !!!

Calf Crèche

• Just like most mothers, dairy cows go back to work.

• Farmers house their calves in a safe environment like a kindergarten.

• Calves are often weaned off milk at 6-12 weeks of age.

• To help their digestion make the switch to pasture, the calves are fed calf pellets,

grain and good-quality hay ...

On our farm we are put in individual pens for 6 wks so Emma can keep

a close eye on us.Then we move into a big pen with a group of our

friends

This keeps us sheltered and well fed until we go out in

the paddock onto pasture at about 12 weeks

We all love Emma and she

loves us

Lets talk about the stomach of a calf.A calf is born with four stomachs like its mum but only one stomach works. Just like human

babies. Let me tell you all about it and show some

pictures of the changes over time . There is lots of interesting info at this website.

http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/ud013.pdf.

At birth, the calf‟s stomach contains the same four compartments found in adult ruminants. However, the calf‟s reticulum, rumen, and omasum are inactive and undeveloped. The newborn‟s functional stomach, the abomasum, is similar to a human‟s stomach. As the calf grows and begins to consume a variety of feeds, its stomach compartments grow and change accordingly

http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/ud013.pdf.

Calf health – what you should know

• Farmers like mothers know when their calves are healthy and when they need extra attention

Healthy calves

What to look for – bright and alert eyes

– Perky ears

– Warm and wet nose

– Rhythmic breathing

– Clean and shiny coat

– Active and run around the pen

– Drink enthusiastically

– Rest in a curled position with feet tucked under them

• Our six month old heifers are fed on pasture with extra hay and pellets

• Holstein heifers weigh about 200kgs at this age. Dairy farmers want their Holstein heifers to gain 0.8kg to 1kg each day.

Ooh they get very big don‟t they.I don‟t feel so

brave anymore

• Calves enjoy each other‟s company.

• They like to mingle with calves of the same age.

• They are very inquisitive

• They need clean, dry housing and protection from heat and cold ... just like us! I want out of here

Help !!!!!!!

You‟re a scaredy cat Bella.

Just look at us –the cows don‟t

bother us

This is Lauren who is from Cambridge University in the UK and is training to be a vet. She stayed with us for work

experience in July 2008 . Lauren‟s favourite job was looking after the

calves. Lauren knows all about Rugby she plays for Cambridge

• This heifer is called a yearling because she is over one year old just like Madison. She weighs between 300 and 400kgs and still has quite a bit of growing to do before she enters the milking herd in another year.

• Dairy farmers refer to animals like this one as a "first-calf heifer." This cow is two years old and recently had a calf for the first time. She is now producing milk and will keep on growing for the next few years before she is fully mature. She weighs about 600 to 650kgs.

This cow has had 4 calves and

produces over 20,000 litres of milk per year

This cow is a “1st

Calf” heifer and produces over 14,000litres of milk per year

Adult cow

• The adult dairy cow weighs between 500 and 750kgs.

• She can eat over 26kg DM (dry matter = feed with water content removed)

• She can produce anywhere between 15 and 100 litres of milk a day during the early part of her lactation.

• A mature cow produces about 25 percent more milk than a first calf heifer.

And I can drink over 100 litres of water per day.

Some fast facts

• Cows usually give birth lying on their side with legs outstretched. Sometimes they may appear to be dead when they are really just relaxing between contractions.

• A cow has to pump 400 litres of blood through her heart to produce 1 litre of milk

• A lactating cow drinks >100 litres of water a day

• When the milk leaves the cow it is at blood temperature (38˚C) and is cooled to 4˚C within 1 hour

More fast facts..• A cow has 4 stomachs (ruminant) consisting

reticulum, rumen, omasum and abomasum. Feed is consumed quickly, and then regurgitated from the rumen for further chewing (cudding) whilst the cow rests. It then passes further along the digestive system.

• There are 1.8 million dairy cows in Australia producing ~9.2 billion litres of milk every year.

We all have favourites and these two are mine. This is Terrason Magpie

and her daughter Dundee Magpie.

Cream of the Cropsee the 2009

Cream of the Crop finalists and learn more about farming

atwww.slideshare.net/LandLearnNSW/presentations

.

Visit our Website and Watch our videos

www.dairyyouthaustralia.com.au/jetandemma/index.html

Jet and Emma Farm Management Education Series K to 12

Links Milk It www.slideshare.net/LandLearnNSW/dairy-farming-with-jet-and-emma-milk-itFarm to Factory www.slideshare.net/LandLearnNSW/dairy-farming-with-jet-and-emma-cups-on-cups-offGrow Grass Growwww.slideshare.net/LandLearnNSW/dairy-farming-with-jet-and-emmaSeeding Timewww.slideshare.net/LandLearnNSW/dairy-farming-with-jet-and-emma-seeding-time-1236604How it all began – a Taste for Dairy www.slideshare.net/LandLearnNSW/jet-and-emma-a-taste-for-dairySustainable Dairying www.slideshare.net/LandLearnNSW/dairy-farming-with-jet-and-emma-healthy-landscape-1641792Circle of Life – Calf to Cow www.slideshare.net/LandLearnNSW/circle-of-life-calf-to-cowVetting Around Australia – by Guest presenter Jacinta Kelly www.slideshare.net/LandLearnNSW/vetting-around-australia-by-jacinta-kelly

Acknowledgements

Farm yard animal graphics have been created for the “Jet and Emma Get Down and Dirty on the Farm” series by students from Mt Terry Public School

The Jet and Emma Series is a Dairy Youth Australia inc initiative assisted by Kiama Municipal Council through its Sustainable

Living Grants Program.

Watch this

space we will be back

soon