Cow/Calf management Exam Questions and Answers Fully Solved Latest Version 2025
Define puberty - Answers When an animal has reached sexual maturity
Describe 2 factors that impact when puberty occurs - Answers 1. Genetics: minimum age requirements
vary with species and breed
2. Body Size: achieve a target weight before breeding
Describe 3 products (hormones, or other substances) that can be used in synchronization protocols for
beef cattle. - Answers 1. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) products
2.Progestogens-used to maintain progesterone levels at high enough levels to prevent estrus and
ovulation.
3.Prostaglandin F2alpha products- induce estrus in cattle by causing premature regression of the corpus
luteum
Colostrum - Answers the first milk, very important for newborns to get this after birth because it builds
their immunity.
Cotyledon - Answers Blood vessels in the placenta
Dystocia - Answers abnormal birth
How many days does pregnancy (gestation) last in cattle? - Answers 283 days
How long should you wait to assist a cow after you observe the cow pass a water bag before she has
calved? - Answers 60 minutes
List 3 methods of identifying cattle AND for each tell whether it's permanent or temporary: - Answers 1.
Tagging- temporary, could get snagged or ripped out
2. Branding- permanent
3. Tattoo- permanent
What is Hardware disease? - Answers Swallowing foreign objects, usually metal, it sits in the reticulum &
can penetrate the reticulum
What is bloat? - Answers Gas build up in the stomach from eating too much of something such as grains
or legumes in a pasture; causes a lot of pressure in rumen; cattle die from suffocation
List the 5 essential nutrients AND which one will cause death most rapidly if it is absent: - Answers 1.
energy (carbohydrates and fats)
2. proteins
, 3. Minerals
4. Vitamins
5. Water***
What is weaning rate? - Answers # of calves born/# of females exposed X100
What is a desirable calving sequence? And why is calving sequence important? - Answers Calving
sequence: the % of calves born at 21-day intervals from the start of calving
Importance:
-Get more pounds to sell with older calves at weaning
-Cows that calved earlier have a greater probability of getting pregnant
-Cow herds with a tight calving sequence have a marketing advantage
What are the advantages to having a defined Breeding Season in a beef cow herd? Are there
disadvantages? - Answers Advantages:
-allows matching nutritional needs of the herd to forage resources
-You have time to prepare cattle for rebreeding
-Vaccinating is easier because calves are around the same age
Disadvantages:
-more intense monitoring of breeding and calving
How many days is the average weaning age of beef calves in the United States? - Answers 205 days old
What is the age that a cow stops growing, reaches her mature size? - Answers 4 years old
The estimated forage intake of beef cows is what % of their body weight? - Answers 2.5%
What is creep feeding? - Answers Providing supplemental feed for calves in an enclosure that cows
cannot enter
List 4 commonly used intake control systems for supplementing beef cattle: - Answers 1. timer on
feeders
2. salt mixed in with feed
Define puberty - Answers When an animal has reached sexual maturity
Describe 2 factors that impact when puberty occurs - Answers 1. Genetics: minimum age requirements
vary with species and breed
2. Body Size: achieve a target weight before breeding
Describe 3 products (hormones, or other substances) that can be used in synchronization protocols for
beef cattle. - Answers 1. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) products
2.Progestogens-used to maintain progesterone levels at high enough levels to prevent estrus and
ovulation.
3.Prostaglandin F2alpha products- induce estrus in cattle by causing premature regression of the corpus
luteum
Colostrum - Answers the first milk, very important for newborns to get this after birth because it builds
their immunity.
Cotyledon - Answers Blood vessels in the placenta
Dystocia - Answers abnormal birth
How many days does pregnancy (gestation) last in cattle? - Answers 283 days
How long should you wait to assist a cow after you observe the cow pass a water bag before she has
calved? - Answers 60 minutes
List 3 methods of identifying cattle AND for each tell whether it's permanent or temporary: - Answers 1.
Tagging- temporary, could get snagged or ripped out
2. Branding- permanent
3. Tattoo- permanent
What is Hardware disease? - Answers Swallowing foreign objects, usually metal, it sits in the reticulum &
can penetrate the reticulum
What is bloat? - Answers Gas build up in the stomach from eating too much of something such as grains
or legumes in a pasture; causes a lot of pressure in rumen; cattle die from suffocation
List the 5 essential nutrients AND which one will cause death most rapidly if it is absent: - Answers 1.
energy (carbohydrates and fats)
2. proteins
, 3. Minerals
4. Vitamins
5. Water***
What is weaning rate? - Answers # of calves born/# of females exposed X100
What is a desirable calving sequence? And why is calving sequence important? - Answers Calving
sequence: the % of calves born at 21-day intervals from the start of calving
Importance:
-Get more pounds to sell with older calves at weaning
-Cows that calved earlier have a greater probability of getting pregnant
-Cow herds with a tight calving sequence have a marketing advantage
What are the advantages to having a defined Breeding Season in a beef cow herd? Are there
disadvantages? - Answers Advantages:
-allows matching nutritional needs of the herd to forage resources
-You have time to prepare cattle for rebreeding
-Vaccinating is easier because calves are around the same age
Disadvantages:
-more intense monitoring of breeding and calving
How many days is the average weaning age of beef calves in the United States? - Answers 205 days old
What is the age that a cow stops growing, reaches her mature size? - Answers 4 years old
The estimated forage intake of beef cows is what % of their body weight? - Answers 2.5%
What is creep feeding? - Answers Providing supplemental feed for calves in an enclosure that cows
cannot enter
List 4 commonly used intake control systems for supplementing beef cattle: - Answers 1. timer on
feeders
2. salt mixed in with feed
