Cattle operations
Worksheet 1: Animal husbandry operations answers
Activity 1
Joining: mating, to produce offspring.
Calving: giving birth, occurs nine months after joining.
Castration: removal of the testes from male calves.
Weaning: removal of calves from their mothers so that they can no longer drink
milk.
Vaccination: injection (usually subcutaneous) given to prevent diseases such as
blackleg, tetanus, enterotoxaemia, black disease and malignant oedema (5 in 1) if
prevention against two strains of Leptospirosis is included then it is called 7 in 1.
Drenching: administering an oral medication to kill internal parasites.
External parasite control: may be achieved by spraying or using pour-on or
backline treatments. The use of these depends on the climate, season and type of
enterprise. External parasites that affect cattle include flies, lice and ticks.
Dehorning: may be practised if the breed of cattle typically grow horns, e.g.
Herefords.
Animal welfare in agriculture
http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/animalsinschools/
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Cattle operations
Activity 2
Table 1
Operation
Factors influencing time that operation is carried out
Joining
Availability of pasture for weaning time, the market that
calves are destined for and the weather at the time of
calving.
Calving
Nine months after joining, typical weather conditions.
Castration
(marking)
Depends on the technique used, refer to Cattle species specific notes, Animals in schools: Animal welfare
guidelines for teachers, Part B, pages 15–22.
Days of extreme weather conditions should be avoided.
Weaning
Availability of pasture.
Vaccination
Usually from six weeks of age. Two doses are required,
4–6 weeks apart. Give the first dose 4–6 weeks before
marking and a booster at marking. Older cattle are
usually vaccinated annually once they have been given
the two doses when they were calves.
Drenching
Weather (particularly warm and wet) conditions, type
and incidence of internal parasites in the area, ability to
spell and rotate pastures, age of animals.
External parasite
control
Type of parasites, climate, breed of animals, type of
control measures used.
Dehorning
Breed of cattle, weather, must be done when cattle are
under 6 months of age.
Activity 3
1.
2.
3.
4.
What determines when heifers should be mated?
The live weight of the heifers determines when they should be mated.
Why should heifers be mated to small bulls?
Heifers should be mated to small bulls to decrease the risk of heifers having
large calves and hence having problems while calving.
What age should calves be when weaning occurs?
Weaning should occur when calves are approximately six months old. The
exact time of weaning is determined by the market, the weather and the
availability of feed.
By what age should bull calves be castrated using a knife?
Bull calves should be castrated using a knife by the age of six months.
Animal welfare in agriculture
http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/animalsinschools/
page 2 of 3
Cattle operations
5.
By what age should bull calves be castrated using an elastrator?
Bull calves should be castrated using an elastrator by the age of six weeks
but the earlier the better.
6. By what age should bull calves be castrated using an emasculator?
Bull calves should be castrated using an emasculator by the age of six
months.
7. At what age should calves be vaccinated?
The initial vaccination should be given from six weeks of age. Two doses
are required, four to six weeks apart.
8. What method of internal parasite control do you plan to use in your
calendar of operations?
There are several methods of internal parasite control available for use.
These include oral drenching, injections and pour-ons. The range of
effective active ingredients are now available in a range of application types.
The choice of active ingredient and application type can be selected
according to the location, cattle type, any resistance problems, market that
the cattle are destined for and operator preferences and past experiences
with the product.
9. What method of external parasite control do you plan to use in your
calendar of operations?
There are also several methods of external parasite control available. Some
of these are incorporated with the chemicals used for internal parasite
control, particularly in the injection and pour-on administration types. The
type of external parasite control method that you choose will depend on the
type and incidence of parasites, the weather conditions, cattle type, any
resistance problems, market that the cattle are destined for and operator
preferences and past experiences with the product.
10. Do your cattle require dehorning?
Only those cattle breeds that grow horns will need dehorning.
11. What husbandry operations are effected by the weather conditions?
Most husbandry operations are effected by the weather conditions to some
extent, even if it means that the operator cannot perform the task cleanly or
easily if it is pouring with rain and there is no cover over the yards. It is
usually advisable to avoid extreme weather conditions (either very hot or
cold and wet) for marking as this increases the stress on the calves. It is
obviously useless to administer pour-on chemicals during rain and
dehorning is best not done when flies are at their worst.
12. Why is it advisable when marking calves to mark small numbers of
calves at one time?
By marking calves in small groups, the length of time that they are away
from their mothers is decreased, they can usually find their mothers more
easily in a small mob rather than in a large mob. Once calves have found
their mothers they can have a drink and be comforted.
Animal welfare in agriculture
http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/animalsinschools/
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