Livestock Management RANCHING
The Nutrition Behind Turning Heifers Into Productive Cows By Gary DiGiuseppe
T
HE HEIFERS YOU ARE PLANNING TO BREED IN THE NEXT season are still growing, and Dr. Marshall Street- er says one of the biggest challenges is getting
her to grow at the right rate. Streeter, technical service manager-cattle for Merck
Animal Health, says the goal is twofold — the heifer must reach a target weight and body condition score so she will cycle and be ready to breed, and she should not get too fat. The heifer’s feeding situation differs from that of cows or calves, so she needs more management. “If we feed her in a dry lot situation, we can control
the rate of gain by supplying appropriate amounts of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals,” Streeter says. “If she is grazing, the nutritional management needed to achieve specifi c growth rates and body weight may be more challenging.” Lush pastures may allow heifers to become fatter
than desired, resulting in calving problems and an increased need for assistance. Drought conditions or mature forage conditions can
result in an inadequate plane of nutrition; one that does not allow a heifer to grow fast enough to achieve the minimum body weight necessary to reach puberty prior to the breeding season. Weight and body condition of heifers can vary great-
ly, depending on forage conditions prior to weaning: droughty, lush or somewhere in between. Additionally, calf management prior to weaning infl uences weaning weight and body condition — for example, if they were
56 The Cattleman September 2015
weaned early in order to improve body condition of the cows or because of drought conditions. Ranchers are typically already set up to manage
heifers. They have programs they have used in the past, so decisions such as whether to put heifers out on dormant winter range or feed them in a dry lot after weaning are already made. If placement will be on dormant or winter range, Streeter says the biggest point of management is the protein and energy avail- ability needed for the heifer to grow at the correct rate.
Three phases of replacement heifer development Development of replacement heifers can be broken
into 3 distinct phases during which the heifer’s nutri- tional needs and growth rate targets differ. The fi rst phase is pre-breeding, covering the period
from weaning to breeding. The second covers the period from breeding to calving, and the third represents the relatively short span between calving and rebreeding. If heifers are grazing, nutrient supplies and nutri-
tional demands for growth, gestation and lactation vary greatly among the 3 phases.
MORE Weight and body condition of heifers
can vary greatly, depending on forage conditions prior to weaning.
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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