28942 - Ruminant production
437 - Degree in Rural and Agri-Food Engineering
583 - Degree in Rural and Agri-Food Engineering
4.3. Syllabus
The course will address the following topics:
Theory program
Section I Beef cattle (9h)
Topic 1 - Description of the bovine sector (1h)
1. Historical background
2. Importance of production: Censuses, production, commerce and consumption on a global, European Union and Spanish level
3. The current structure of cattle farms in Spain
4. The environment and the exploitation system
5. Institutional assistance for cattle production
6. Applicable legislation
Topic 2 – Beef cattle farming -1 (2h)
1. Introduction
2. Production systems: introduction, general characteristics of the extensive systems, the mountain system, the pasture system, the humid Spain system
3. Replenishment
4. Reproduction management
5. Genetic base and improvement
Topic 3 - Beef cattle farming -2 (2h)
1. Feeding: Nutritional needs and ingestion capacity during the producing cycle, formulating rations, the importance of corporal conditions
2. Hygienic-sanitary handling in beef cattle farming
3. Beef cattle animal welfare
4. Shelter and installations for extensive cattle
5. Farm planning and technical-economical management
Topic 4 – Rearing and fattening calves in an intensive regime (2h)
1. Introduction and genetic bases
2. Commercial categories in beef cattle
3. Handling and feeding suckling calves
4. Growth and finishing: Nutritional needs and ingestion capacities, food handling
5. Animal welfare in fattening calves
6. Installations for fattening cattle
7. Technical-economical management
Topic 5 – Quality of the bovine carcass (2h)
1. Introduction and basic concepts
2. Definition of carcass
3. Quality of the carcass
4. Classification of the carcasses
5. Factors affecting the quality of the carcass and the carcass yield
6. Spanish and European legislation and brands of quality
Section II – Dairy cattle (12h)
Topic 6 – Dairy cattle farming (2h)
1. Introduction and recap on the animal basis
2. Description of the productive cycle
3. Diary cattle livestock breeding and raising
4. Hygienic-sanitary handling in the dairy cattle farm
5. Animal welfare in dairy cattle
Topic 7 – Reproductive handling and genetic improvement in dairy cattle (2h)
1. Introduction
2. Handling the reproduction: Importance and objectives, reproductive rates, strategies of reproductive intensification, management during delivery and postpartum, voluntary waiting period, implementation of reproductive control, factors influencing reproductive failure.
3. Genetic improvements in dairy cattle
Topic 8 – Dairy cattle feeding (2h)
1. Introduction
2. Importance and objectives
3. Evaluation of the nutritional needs and ingestion capacity during the reproductive cycle
4. Formulating rations for each phase of the reproductive cycle
5. Feeding systems
6. Evaluating the corporal condition and weight
Topic 9 - Lactation and milking (2h)
1. Introduction
2. Study of lactation curves
3. Parameters of milk quality
4. Factors affecting the quality and quantity of cow’s milk
5. Milk testing
6. Mastitis and its prevention
7. Milking: Phases and velocity of milking; yield and work organization (milking routine and milking hygiene); milking frequency; mechanical milking (sanitation of the milking installations; possibilities for checking the milk)
8. Drying
Topic 10 – Dairy cattle livestock installations (2h)
1. Introduction: General criteria of livestock installations, factors affecting the dairy cattle installations
2. Example of the general layout of a medium-sized dairy farm
3. Classical free stabling vs. free stabling with cubicles
4. Machines and equipment associated with feeding in free stabling
5. Heat protection systems
6. Stabling suckling calves
7. Stabling growing calves
8. Welfare regulations for calves
9. Installations for wastewater and livestock excrement
Topic 11 – Technical-economic management of the dairy cattle business (2h)
1. Introduction to technical-economic management
2. Gathering, recording and preparing data
3. Monitoring the results according to technical and economical indices
4. Profitability study
5. IT and management
6. Specific case study: Analysis, interpretation, diagnosis and decision making
Section III – Sheep and goat production (19h)
Topic 12 - Description of the sheep and goat sector (2h)
1. Historical background
2. Importance of the production: Censuses, productions, commerce and consumption on a global level, in the European Union and in Spain
3. Current structure of the sheep and goat farms in Spain
4. The environment and the farming system
5. Institutional assistance for sheep and goat production
6. Applicable legislation
Topic 13 – Meat sheep farming -1 (2h)
1. Introduction
2. Reproduction: The importance of reproduction in sheep production: Limitations and possibilities, reproductive control, intensive reproduction, organizing and handling reproduction
3. Genetic improvements in meat sheep
Topic 14 – Meat sheep farming-2 (2h)
1. Handling sheep livestock: General, general farm handling, shearing, handling lambs
2. Hygienic-sanitary handling
3. The environment and animal welfare
4. Sheep carcass quality
5. Skin and wool production
Topic 15 – Milk sheep farming (3h)
1. Introduction and recap of the animal base
2. Reproductive handling and genetic improvement
3. Lactation curves
4. Factors affecting the quality and quantity of the milk
5. Milking: Manual milking and mechanical milking, milking phases and the milking velocity, handling the milking
6. Drying
Topic 16 – Sheep feeding (2h)
1. Introduction
2. Nutritional needs and ingestion capacity during the production cycle
3. Formulating rations
4. Importance of corporal condition. The use of sub-products
5. Handling the flock in the pasture
Topic 17 – Goat farming (2h)
1. Introduction
2. Differentiating characteristics from the sheep species
3. Reproduction and genetic improvement
4. Meat production
5. Goat’s milk production
6. General running of goat farms
7. Hygienic-sanitary handling
Topic 18 – Goat feeding (2h)
1. Introduction
2. Nutritional needs and ingestion capacity during the production cycle
3. Formulating rations
4. Importance of corporal condition
5. Handling the flock in the pasture
Topic 19 – Technical-economic small ruminant farming (2h)
1. Introduction
2. Gathering, recording and preparing data
3. Monitoring the results according to technical and economical indices
4. Profitability study
5. IT and management
6. Specific case study: Analysis, interpretation, diagnosis and decision making
Topic 20 - Installations for small ruminants (2h)
1. Installations for sheep livestock
2. Extensive and intensive systems
3. Feedlots
4. Milking rooms and dairies
5. Diverse material and tools
6. Installations for goat livestock
7. Environmental issues of sheep and goat farming
8. Hygiene of the installations
9. The welfare of small ruminants
Practical Program
- Practical 1: Visit a beef cattle farm
- Practical 2: Meat quality in ruminants. Importance of meat quality. pH. Colour. Water retention capacity. Firmness. Colour and fat consistency. Smell and flavor.
- Practical 3: Visit a dairy cattle farm
- Practical 4: Formulating cattle rations. Formulating rations for beef cattle, veal calves, and dairy cattle
- Practical 5: Visit a sheep meat farm
- Practical 6: Formulation of feedstuffs for small ruminants. Formulating rations for sheep and goats in different physiological phases and for lambs and kids
- Practical 7: Technical-economical management of ruminants. Handling and interpreting technical-economical management programs for ruminants