Agricultural and Animal Sciences: Cattle Bedding Techniques and A.I. Rates

There are a different cattle bedding formats: deep-bedded sheds, where the straw is built up each day and then the bedding is removed after a certain timeline (1 week, 1 month, etc), free-stalls, where there is a shed set up for each cow/calf and the bedding is removed each day, and tie-stalls, which literally chain the animal in place. There are also calf sheds and bull sheds to keep them separate. It really depends on what the size of the herd is and the format the farm uses. A small farm might house the cows and calves together due to space issues. In almost all of the farm formats though bulls are kept separately because they are aggressive. "Stock Bulls are dangerous, bulls were responsible for 59% of fatalities caused by animals from 2000 to 2010 according to a recent HSA report" (A Stock Bull vs Artificial Insemination (Beef), n.d.). As for rates, it depends, one study showed in Ireland infertility rates around “25% of all working bulls are sub-fertile or infertile (10%** are infertile)” (A Stock Bull vs Artificial Insemination (Beef), n.d.). Veterinary manuals show A.I. rates between “50%–60% …[on the] first service, the same percentage on second service” (Statham, n.d.).

**Objective comparison of artificial insemination and the stock bull in Irish dairy herds - Donagh Berry*, Andrew Cromie†, Sean Coughlan† & Pat Dillon** Teagasc Moorepark, †The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation April 2005.

References

A Stock Bull vs Artificial Insemination (Beef). (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2017, from Progressive Genetics: http://www.progressivegenetics.ie/Blog/Post-Detail/Beef-A-Stock-Bull-vs-Artificial-Insemination

Statham, J. (n.d.). Breeding in Cattle Reproduction. Retrieved February 5, 2017, from Merck Manual Veterinary Manual: http://www.merckvetmanual.com/management-and-nutrition/management-of-reproduction-cattle/breeding-in-cattle-reproduction

Agricultural Science: A Land of Delight Natural Farm Review

My father is a turkey whisperer...

We had turkeys and chickens when I was little. The turkey's pecked my hand once and scared me, so I never went back in their pen, but my father treated them like dogs. They would even sit in his lap. They loved him. Even decades later he seems to be a turkey whisperer. :)

Agricultural Science: Beef Cattle Breeding Management

When creating a management plan for breeding beef cattle, one must look at both the genetics and breeding of the bulls and heifers equally. It is just as important to keep track of the mother’s data as the father’s. First data points should, of course, be the genetics of each. You do not wish to breed too closely within a group; fathers bred to daughters is not desirable for a variety of reasons. Once you have a clear line as to who is related to whom you can move on to their EPD’s (Expected Progeny Differences).

Agricultural Sciences: Protein Supplements?

Protein supplements can be an easy and fast way to metabolize nutrients, but depending on the breed, species, and condition, can have different effects. In humans, protein supplements are not regulated as harshly as for animals. This leads to substandard regulation and oversight which can lead to contamination results such as Consumer Reports found in 2010. "The amount of lead in a single daily serving of eight of the protein supplements we tested would require that the products carry a warning in California (Consumer Reports, 2010)". They go on to say how teens are especially prone to marketing and that pregnant women are the most at risk.