04
May
The lactation cycle. Phase 1 Life as a Heifer.
Life of the Dairy Cow.
Life cycle of a holstein cow. A mature Holstein cow weighs about 1500 pounds and stands 58 inches tall at the shoulder. Holstein heifers can be bred at 13 months of age when they weigh about 800 pounds. It is desirable to have Holstein females calve for the first time between 23 and 26 months of age.
Holstein gestation is approximately nine months. While some cows may live considerably longer the average productive. Cows only calve once a year and should have 12 to 14-month inter-calving cycle.
The Holstein cow is the worlds best dairy cow and the breed holds the world record for the amount of milk produced by one cow in a year. They are also very good mothers with excellent maternal instincts and are quite fertile. They have easy births with little to no birthing problems and produce mainly healthy.
The Holstein gestation period is approximately nine months. While some cows may live considerably longer the normal productive life of a Holstein cow is six years. The Canadian Holstein breed has developed under a philosophy of balanced breeding and cutting-edge research.
While many countries have followed the route of single trait selection the Canadian cow has been perfected for a balanced. Holstein heifers should be bred by 11 to 14 months of age when they weigh 317340 kg 700750 lb or 55 of adult weight. Generally breeders plan for Holstein heifers to calve for the first time between 21 and 24 months of age and 80 of adult bodyweight.
The gestation period is about nine and a. Dairy cows have a life expectancy of approximately 6 years which is less than that of other domestic cows. The life cycle of a dairy cow has various stages from the birth of a wobbly legged calf to a heifer and finally a mature cow.
Dairy cows only begin to produce milk after calving and can yield an average of 27 litres per day. As such in order for farmers to acquire maximum production there is need to have sound understanding of the dairy cow life cycle. Dairy cows The dairy cows of today descend from wild ox known as aurochs.
Cows will be separated from the milking herd about 2 months before they are due to give birth classed as dry cows. When a cow is ready to give birth she will try to find a clean and dry area away from other cows. As long as the calf is in the correct position for birth the labour should not need.
In the wild bovids cow-like beings can live up to 25 years. On industrialized farms they live for about 3 to 5 years. Lets take a look at that lifecycle.
Phase 1 Life as a Heifer. It lasts for around 60 days and is very beneficial to the cow. Following this dry period of 60 days the cow will calve again and the lactation cycle will begin again.
For cows the period of 60 days prior to calving and 40 days after calving this is known as the transition period. The lactation cycle. Cows must calve to produce milk and the lactation cycle is the period between one calving and the next.
The cycle is split into four phases the early mid and late lactation each of about 120 days or d and the dry period which should last as long as 65 d. In an ideal world cows calve every 12 months. A number of changes occur in cows as they progress through.
Life of the Dairy Cow. Dairy cattle have to grow up just like people do. A dairy cow doesnt produce milk until she has a calf.
She is about two years old when she has her first calf. Dairy farmers like for cows to have a calf every 12 to 14 months. The pictures below show dairy animals from a baby calf to an adult cow.
Holstein cows typically calve for the first time when they are 23 to 26 months of age with healthy calves weighing an average of 80 to 100 pounds at birth. Holsteins have a gestation period of nine months. Holstein cows give more milk than any other dairy breed in the US.
The average Holstein cow produces around 23000 pounds of milk or 2674 gallons of milk each lactation. With a standard lactation. Australian Holsteins have an average lactation period of 305 days a year with up to 18000 liters of milk per lactation period.
Their milk content is 382 fat and 321 protein. 9256 Australian farmers utilise the Holstein breed. Cows are pregnant for nine months.
Heifers young female cows will usually be pregnant for the first time when they are around 15 months old. After this farmers generally aim for their cows to calve again every 12 months. Dairy cows lactate produce milk for about 10 months after calving.
Holstein heifers can be bred at 15 months of age when they weigh about 800 pounds. It is desirable to have Holstein females calve for the first time between 24 and 27 months of age. Holstein gestation is approximately nine months.
While some cows may live considerably longer the normal productive life of a Holstein is six years. Cows are heifers that were bred by bulls and had a baby calf. Cows have a 9 month gestation period and typically have a calf every 12 months.
All cows spend their entire lives Approx. 7-10 years grazing on grass or forage and mothering baby calves. When they are no longer able to have calves cows are harvested for beef see final stage.