Dairy Essentials, Babcock Institute

Course description
Chapter 1. Digestion In The Dairy Cow
- Adaptation to utilize fiber and non-protein nitrogen
- The four stomachs
- The ruminal bacteria
- The organs of the digestive tract and their functions
- Some definitions
- In practice
Chapter 2. Composition and Analysis Of Feeds
- The Composition of Feed
Chapter 3. Carbohydrate Metabolism in Dairy Cows
- Types of carbohydrates
- Volatile fatty acid production in the rumen
- Glucose production in the liver
- Lactose and fat synthesis in the udder
- The effect of diet on rumen fermentation and milk yield
Chapter 4. Lipid Metabolism in Dairy Cows
- Types of lipids
- Hydrolysis and saturation of lipids in the rumen
- Intestinal absorption of lipids
- Utilization of dietary lipids by the udder
- The role of liver and fat mobilization
- Added lipids in dairy rations
Chapter 5. Protein Metabolism in Dairy Cows
- Protein transformation in the rumen
- Protein in feces
- Liver metabolism and urea recycling
- Milk protein synthesis
- Protein and non-protein nitrogen in dairy rations
Chapter 6. Feeds for Dairy Cows
- Forages
  - Grasses and Legumes
  - Crop residues and industrial byproducts of poor feeding value
- Concentrates
  - Examples of Concentrates
- Minerals and vitamins
Chapter 7. Concentrate Feeding Guide
- A balanced ration
- Amount of concentrate to feed
- Ingredients and percentages of protein in the concentrate mix
Chapter 8. The Reproductive Function of Dairy Cattle
- Overview of the cow’s reproductive tract
  - Vagina
  - Cervix
  - Uterus
  - Oviducts
  - Ovaries
  - Egg or Ovum
- The heat cycle
  - Follicular phase
  - Corpus luteal phase
- Overview of the bull’s Reproductive tract
  - Scrotum
  - Testes
- Formation of the spermatozoa
Chapter 9. Heat Detection, Natural Service and Artificial Insemination
- Heat detection
- Artificial insemination
- Natural service
- Timing of service or insemination
- Causes of low conception rates
Chapter 10. Pregnancy and Calving
- Pregnancy
- Calving
  - Signs of calving
  - Stages of calving
- Dealing with a difficult calving
- After calving
- Post-calving complications
- Calving guidelines
Chapter 11. Reproduction and nutrition
- Heifer growth and nutrition
- Cow nutrition
Chapter 12. Body Condition Scores
- Body condition
- Body condition score (BCS) throughout lactation
Chapter 13. Managing Reproductive Efficiency
- Reproduction is a multifaceted subject
- Reproductive indices
  - Importance of recordkeeping
Chapter 14. Basic Genetic Concepts
- What is genetics?
- What is environment?
- Genotype and phenotype
- The genetic material
- Transmission of genetic material
Chapter 15. Principles of Selection
- Forces that change the frequency of certain genes
- The concepts behind selection
  - Normal distribution
- Keys to genetic change through selection
- Correlated response
Chapter 16. Predicted transmitting ability and reliability
- Genetic evaluation of dairy cattle in the USA
- Traits evaluated
- Predicted transmitting ability
Chapter 17. Selection Goals
- Define breeding goals
Chapter 18. Choosing a Bull
- Using PTA for selection decisions
  - Independent culling level
  - Selection index
- How many bulls should be used in a herd?
- Use reliability to decide how much to invest in a sire
Chapter 19. Milk Composition and Nutritional Value
- What is milk?
- Milk as food for humans
- Milk as food for the calf
  - Immune components
- Components influencing milk quality
  - Cells in milk
  - Undesirable components in milk
Chapter 20. Milk Secretion in the Udder of a Dairy Cow
- Mammary gland structure
  - Support system
  - Duct and milk secretory systems
- Milk secretion in the secretory cells
Chapter 21. Principles of Milking
- Milking is a team effort between the cow, the machine and the Operator (or the calf)
- Milk ejection reflex
  - Activation of milk “let-down”
  - Inhibition of milk “let-down”
- Collecting milk from the udder
Chapter 22. The Milking Machine
- Vacuum system
- Pulsator
- Cluster (milking unit)
Chapter 23. Mastitis: The Disease And Its Transmission
- What is mastitis
  - Clinical and subclinical mastitis
- Development of the disease
- Transmission of various types of mastitis organisms
Chapter 24. Mastitis: Prevention and Detection
- Introduction
- Detection
- Prevention
- Treatment of mastitis
Chapter 25.Milking Procedure
- Milking interval and frequency
- Ten steps to maximize yield and minimize risks of mastitis transmission
- Handling the collected milk
- Cleaning the equipment
Chapter 26. Factors affecting size and productivity of the dairy replacement herd
- Calving rate
- Sex ratio
- Calf mortality and involuntary culling
- Age at first calving
- Summary
Chapter 27. Heifer raising - birth to weaning. Overview of sound management practices
- Within the first hour of birth
- The first weeks after birth
- At weaning time
Chapter 28. Heifer raising - birth to weaning. Importance of colostrum feeding
- What is colostrum?
- What are antibodies?
- How do antibodies fight infections?
- How is colostrum quality evaluated?
  - Amounts of antibodies
  - Types of antibodies
- Importance of proper amount and timing of colostrum feeding
- Colostrum and disease transfer
- Method of feeding
- Freezing and thawing colostrum
Chapter 29. Heifer raising – birth to weaning. Feeding milk and milk replacers
- The stomachs of a newborn calf
  - Milk digestion by calves
- Goals of feeding before weaning
- Feeding milk to heifers
Chapter 30. Heifer raising – birth to weaning. Feeding hay, concentrates and water
- Introducing solid food in the diet
- Weaning
Chapter 31. Heifer raising – birth to weaning. Neonatal diarrhea
- Introduction
- Prevention
  - Management practices
  - Vaccine
- Treatment of diarrhea
Chapter 32. Heifer raising - birth to weaning. Pneumonia
- Introduction
- Organisms
- Clinical signs
- Predisposing factors
- Prevention of pneumonia
- Treatment of pneumonia
Chapter 33. Heifer raising—weaning to calving. Feeding and housing
- Feeding
  - Feeding from weaning to breeding
  - Feeding from breeding to calving
- Housing
Chapter 34. Heifer raising - weaning to calving. Growth rate
- Importance of growth rate
- Desirable growth rate and age at first calving
- Constant versus variable growth rate
Chapter 35. Heifer raising - weaning to calving. Measuring growth
- Why use a growth chart?
- Body weight, withers height and body condition score
- Measuring body weight
  - Measuring wither height
- How often should height and weight be measured?