Beef Cattle
There are approximately 1355 million cattle around the world. Out of the millions of cattle out there, there are 1.88 million beef cattle in Nebraska alone. There are two main groups of cattle; the Bos Indicus and the Bos Taurus breeds. The Bos Indicus breeds were created in more tropical regions. The Bos Indicus breeds include Brahman, Brangus, Beefmaster, Santa Gertrudis, and Simbrah. The Bos Taurus breeds were developed in more temperate countries. The Bos Taurus breeds include Angus, Hereford, Shorthorn, Braunvieh, Charolais, Chianina, Limousin, Maine Anjou, and Simmental.
Digestive SystemTo fully understand the digestive system of cattle, you need to know the basic nutrients that the cattle need. There are six basic nutrients are water, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, and vitamins. out of all those nutrients, water is the MOST important.
Cattle are ruminants, which means they have four compartments to their stomach. Those four compartments are... 1. Rumen: "the fermentation vat" 2. Reticulum: "the traffic cop" 3. Omasum: "pages of a book" 4. Abomasum: "true stomach"
1. Regurgitation: regurgitates food back into mouth 2. Remastication: chews it again 3. Reinsalivation: adds more saliva 4. Redeglutition: swallowing it again Complete function of the digestive tract is not complete until 3-4 months Fun Fact: Cattle produce anywhere from 15 to 20 gallons of saliva per day!Life StagesGestationThe gestation length for cattle is 283-297 days. It is very important to increase the diet needs of the cow so her and the calf will get proper nutrition. The cow should stay at an optimum body condition of either 5-6. A body condition score of 5-6 is perfect for calving. You will need to up the energy needs. Carbohydrates are the major energy source for beef cattle. Also make sure their is proper protein, minerals and vitamins.
CalvesThe basic food for calve is their mothers milk. It is very important that they get the colostrum from their mothers first milk. The colostrum contains very important antibodies for the calf to build immunity. The calf should also have access to the pasture or forage fed to the cows. Many calf producers offer a highly palatable creep feed to increase the weaning weight. Beef calves are generally weaned at 7 to 8 months.
Finishing CattleThis phase is when growing cattle are specifically fed to produce beef that is desirable to the consumers. You want to have a feeding program that maintains maximum feed intake and maximum weight gain without disrupting the digestive system. A high energy diet is used to increase weight gain, and improve carcass quality. Supplemental protein for finishing cattle can be provided by natural protein sources or nonprotein nitrogen. Finishing rations should be balanced to contain a calcium/phosphorus ratio of 2:1 or higher.
Fun Fact: One cowhide can produce enough leather to make 20 footballs!Contact Info
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Reproductive SystemThe female reproductive tract is made up of a vulva, a vagina, a cervix, a uterus, a pair of uterine horns, oviducts, infundibulum, and ovaries.
The male reproductive tract is made up of testicles, seminiferous tubules, epididymus, vas deferens, urethra, and the penis.
The sperm is made up of the head, the mid-piece, and the tail that is divided into two sections. 1. Head: very important for accomplishing fertilization 2. Mid-piece: energy center 3. Principle piece: movement 4. End piece: movement Fun Fact: The average cow has more than 40,000 jaw movements per day!References
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