What do You Need in a Heifer Ration?
- At least 11% protein in the ration.
- Energy range from 36 – 42 Mcal NEg depending on target average daily gain.
- 2:1 Calcium phosphorus ratio.
- Trace Minerals with amino acid complexes: minimum of 30 ppm zinc, 10 ppm copper and 20 ppm manganese.
- Vitamin Package with at least 19,000 IU/d of Vitamin A.
- Salt 0.15%.
Should you keep or sell heifers?
With rapid genetic progress, heifers remain a source of improved genetic potential for milk production. When heifer rearing costs are high relative to the value of cull cows, though, it is often more economical to keep cows and sell heifers rather than sell cows to make room for heifers in the milking string. Other points to ponder
Are my heifers heavy enough for breeding?
advertisement. advertisement. Regardless of the dairy’s methods, heifers should be ready to breed at 12 to 14 months old. Large-breed heifers, like Holsteins, should weigh 350 to 400 kilograms (770 to 880 pounds) at breeding, while smaller breeds should be between 225 and 260 kilograms (495 to 570 pounds) at breeding.
Why are fresh heifers so difficult?
a heifer is found to have difficulty calving the birth appears to be breech the heifer's condition has become weak. A vet may be required to correct a difficult calving and to prescribe and administer any veterinary drugs required to assist with calf and heifer survival during and after calving. Post difficult birth
What age is ideal to breed heifers?
You’ll know a heifer is ready to be bred when she’s started to show signs of heat. This usually occurs between 9 and 22 months of age, but even if she’s in heat earlier, you should only try to breed her after 15 months. This will ensure she's big enough and her hips are wide enough to survive the birth process.
How much grain do you feed a replacement heifer?
Replacement beef heifers should attain 65 to 70% of their potential mature weight by the time they are bred at 14-15 months of age....Table 4.Ration 18.5 lb. good quality legume hay (18% CP)Ration 38.5 lb grass hay (9.7% CP)4.5 lb. grain corn.5 lb. 40% supplementRation 419.0 lb. corn silage (8% CP)7 more rows•Feb 12, 2021
What do heifer cows eat?
After weaning, cattle are fed hay, silage, grain and food processing by-products such as cottonseed meal, citrus pulp, tomato pulp, potato peels, sugar beet pulp, almond hulls, cereal by-products, soy hulls, or canola seed hulls. Most cattle feed is produced on non-irrigated land.
What do you feed a first heifer calf?
Supplement first-calf heifers with grains (energy) like corn, corn silage, or barley before they lose body condition. “Thin heifers don't breed back quickly, if at all,” says Bjurstrom. “If she rebreeds late, it will take several lactations to get her back on track with the rest of the herd.
How much grain should I feed my bred heifer?
Total intake of hay and distillers would be about 24 lb/hd/da as-fed. After calving using the same hay you would need feed 4.2 lb/hd/da (3.7 lb/hd/da dry matter and distillers 88% dry matter). Intake after calving would be 25 to 26 lb/hd/da as-fed. The lactating diet will be about 12% CP and 62% TDN.
Do cows prefer hay or grass?
A cow usually prefers grass over hay. This is because hay is a dried form of grass; thus, it is not as moist and juicy as grass. Also, grass tastes much better than hay, making them the preferable feed among cows. In winter, there is less fresh grass available; therefore, hay becomes the preferred food of cows.
How much protein does a heifer need?
During the growth phase of heifer development, that heifer requires 1.3 lb of crude protein per day, and 15.6 Mcal of energy per day (based on NRC requirements). If in our example heifers are weaned in the fall (spring calving herd), the forage available would typically be mature or processed winter forage.
How long does it take to feed out a heifer?
These are called “finishing” cattle, and they are fed and taken care of until they reach around 1000-1200 pounds, which is usually around 18 months old. Once they reach their target weight, they are considered “finished.”
How much should I feed my first calf heifer?
A first-calf heifer at peak lactation is going to require at least 58 percent total digestible nutrients (TDN) and 9.3 percent crude protein (CP) in her diet just to maintain what she has. If she needs to gain some weight before breeding, she will probably need at least a 65 percent TDN and 12.1 percent CP diet.
Can a 6 month old heifer get pregnant?
It is the mature rumen that allows the cow to eat grass. An immature rumen cannot properly digest grass. After weaning we recommend that you separate the bull calves from the heifers; she can become pregnant after 5-6 months of age.
Do cows need grain everyday?
The grain finished cattle need to be checked regularly and fed daily. They live in the pasture their entire lives and also receive natural grain during the last 6 months of their life. It's up to them on if they eat the grass or grain.
Are whole oats good for cows?
Oats is an ideal grain for starting cattle on feed because of its high hull and fiber content. Many experienced cattlemen prefer to start weaned calves on oats as the only or major grain, gradually shifting over to higher-energy grains as the animals become adapted to grain consumption.
How can I make my heifer gain weight?
5 Ways to Increase Cow WeightTips to Increase and Maintain Cattle Weight. Add Grain into Their Daily Diet. Prevent Illness and Parasites. Add a Weight Gain Supplement. Use Creep Feeders During Weaning. Prevent Cattle Shrink and Stress, Especially During Transport.Explore Farmco Creep Feeders. Meet Farmco Manufacturing.
What to feed heifers before calving?
The fibre is rechewed by the cow known as cud chewing which produces saliva which helps to buffer the pH in the rumen. The diet of a cow in the weeks prior to calving should contain a balance of all three of these components. This can be achieved with a combination of pasture and hay and / or pellets.
How much hay does a heifer eat per day?
24 pounds per dayCows will voluntarily consume about 2 percent of their body weight or 24 pounds per day. The 24 pounds is based on 100 percent dry matter. Grass hays often will be 7 percent to 10 percent moisture.
Do heifers produce milk?
When does a cow give birth to her first calf? It varies from farm-to-farm, but on our farm, a heifer—young female that has not yet given birth—will calve around 24 months of age. During her pregnancy she will be on her first “lactation,” which simply means time producing milk between each calf.
What to feed cows before calving?
Hay should be tested for protein, and cows and heifers should be supplemented accordingly. By-product feeds or straw may be cost-effective in some situations. Some by-product feeds - corn distillers solubles, feather meal, for instance - are high in protein and by-pass protein.
How long do heifers eat slug feed?
They tend to eat all of their feed in the first few hours after delivery and may have an empty bunk for up to 20 hours a day.
How old do heifers need to be to breed?
Regardless of the dairy’s methods, heifers should be ready to breed at 12 to 14 months old. Large-breed heifers, like Holsteins, should weigh 350 to 400 kilograms (770 to 880 pounds) at breeding, while smaller breeds should be between 225 and 260 kilograms (495 to 570 pounds) at breeding. To accomplish this, aim for an overall 900-gram (2-pound) ...
How long do calves need to wean?
Calves weaned over a period of a week or less struggle to eat enough solid feed to compensate for the loss in milk, which results in a growth slump. However, by weaning less abruptly over a two-week period, calves are encouraged to eat solid feed earlier in life and thus maintain growth. advertisement.
How big should forage be for calves?
Forage particle size should be about 1 inch in length, and it must be well mixed to limit sorting. When feeding calves at this stage, it is important to feed and push food up regularly to limit sorting and encourage calves to eat several meals a day, DeVries said.
How to keep calfs growing after weaning?
The key here is to maximize that growth, particularly through feeding adequate levels of milk, while setting the calf up to maintain that growth during and after weaning. To do this, consider the method of reducing milk intake, weaning timing, feed type, water and housing management.
How old should a calf be to feed slugs?
Feeding calves from 4 to 6 months old.
When do calfs start eating solid food?
DeVries said when calves are fed adequate levels of milk (to maintain equal or greater than 2 pounds per day of growth from milk), they aren’t particularly interested in eating solid foods until they are 6 or 7 weeks old , so weaning age plays a major role in how well calves transition.
How much does a heifer weigh at breeding?
And heifer weight at breeding? The Fort Keogh research is finding that heifers from the non-restricted group can enter the breeding season at 57% of mature weight, or around 700 pounds. The heifers from restricted dams enter breeding season at 54% of mature eight, or around 650 pounds.
Do cows manage less produce offspring?
As they followed the heifer calves into adulthood, becoming part of the cowherd, they found another take-home: “So the short of the story is cows managed with less produce offspring that are probably what you might call more drought resistant or function more favorably with less,” Roberts says.
How much should a heifer weigh?
The heifers should weigh 65-70 percent of mature body weight when you begin your artificial insemination program. Specifically, British cattle should weigh at least 65 percent of mature body weight, and Brahman cross cattle should weigh at least 70 percent of mature body weight.
What is the best body condition score for a first calf heifer?
It is best to have your first-calf heifers in a body condition score of 6 at calving. At least, have them in a body condition score of 5 at calving and moving on an upward plane of nutrition as you move into the breeding season. Why is body condition so important to monitor at calving and through the breeding season?
Why do calves yo-yo on creep feed?
With creep feed, calves hit the feed bunk hard up front and then don’t come back the next day…their intake is “yo-yoing”. Because there is insufficient roughage in the creep ration, the calves experience acidosis and don’t feel like eating again until their rumen pH increases.
When is the best time to calve forage?
Usually spring and early summer provide the best forage situation. However, fall-calving can be used successfully if high-quality, cool-season pastures (rye, oats, wheat, etc.) are available for grazing. Always set yourself up to get the most out of your greatest resource, that being your forage base.
Do heifers need forage?
Sometimes, even when forage conditions are their best, nutrient requirements of heifers may not be met with that forage base. In these cases, supplemental nutrition is critical to a timely, successful breed back. However, the supplementation strategy you use should optimize your forage use.
Do heifers pick up nutritional slack?
While the dam (mother) of the heifer calf picks up much of the nutritional “slack” before weaning, nutritional management from the time of weaning through first breed up is entirely dependent on the producer’s competence as a manager.
How much weight do heifers need to grow?
This phase occurs from the time of weaning until breeding. In general, a growth rate of 1.0 to 1.5 pounds per day from weaning to breeding is needed for growing heifers to reach 65 percent of mature body weight.
How much does a heifer weigh at weaning?
At weaning, heifers should be between 7 and 8 months of age and generally weigh 500 pounds or greater. Determine the frame score of replacement females (table 1). Estimate anticipated body weight as a mature cow. Frame scores are a measurement that can be used to monitor body size and to predict mature weight.
How old do heifers have to be to be a calf?
Develop heifers to achieve 65 percent of their mature body weight at first breeding and to reach puberty by 12 to 14 months of age. Breed heifers with the goal of them having their first calf at the age of 2. Monitor body condition scores (BCS) as heifers are developed. Heifers need to be maintained at a BCS of 5 to 6.
What is feedstuffs based on?
Feedstuffs should be purchased based on quality and a cost-per-pound-of-nutrient basis . The following are examples of supplementation strategies for beef replacement heifers using conserved forage and feed resources commonly found in the Southeast.
What are the milestones that heifers must complete before entering the herd?
Heifers must complete several milestones before entry into the herd: selection at weaning, development from weaning to breeding, establishment and maintenance of a pregnancy, success during the first calving season, and establishment of successful rebreeding.
How old do heifers need to be to be weaned?
At weaning, heifers should be between 7 and 8 months of age and generally weigh 500 pounds or greater.
What is the BCS score for a heifer?
Heifers need to be maintained at a BCS of 5 to 6. Body condition scores reflect the relative body fat and energy stores of a beef animal. A score from 1 to 9 is assigned to an animal, with 1 representing emaciated (extremely thin) and 9 representing obese.
What to feed a heifer?
In general, when feeding forages to heifers, it is best to avoid extremes and a single source. For instance, feeding only grass hay, corn silage or alfalfa haylage requires more nutrient balancing and supplementation.
What animals were forgotten on a dairy farm?
At one time, heifers were the forgotten animals on a dairy farm and were often literally relegated to the “back 40 acres.”. That variable and often poor pasture resulted in poorly grown heifers. Then the other extreme occurred when corn silage became prevalent.
How much does a hay tmr gain?
In fact, the grass hay TMR resulted in a daily gain within the desirable range of 1.8 to 2 pounds, while the other two TMRS resulted in 2.1 to 2.2 pounds daily gains. Heifer TMRs need to be as balanced with forage/roughage sources and for nutrient content as they are for milking cows.
Is forage better for heifers?
Also, with better forage raised, harvested, stored and fed to dairy cows, those same better-quality forages may no longer be fed to heifers free choice without fattening.
Is grass hay lower in protein?
This is because grass hay is often lower in protein and may be lower in digestibility and energy value; corn silage is high in energy but low in protein; and alfalfa haylage may vary considerably in protein content and digestibility/energy value.
Is 25% grass hay too high for calves?
The lowest ADG of 1.76 pounds with 25% grass hay indicates this level of grass hay may be too high for calves under 16 weeks of age.
