Feeding heifer

Heifer raising is the second largest expenditure in a farm after the milking herd, with

feed costs takes the largest share. The aim should be to rear heifers to reach the

desired body weight early so that they initiate puberty, establish pregnancy, and calve

easily. When feeding heifers, the farmer should aim to:

i) Reduce interval between weaning and first lactation. This will increase

number of calvings per lifetime (more of lactations) and lead to faster

genetic improvement.

ii) Minimise mortality.

iii) Achieve a growth rate of 0.5-0.7 kg/d.

iv) Achieve first calving at 22 to 24 months of age

v) Feeding management must ensure that heifers reach target live weights

for breeding at 14-16 months of age.

Combining both adequate development and early age at calving has several

advantages:

i) It decreases the risk of calving difficulty.

ii) It improves lifetime milk production (days in lactation and milk production

per day in lactation).

iii) It reduces rearing costs (feed, labour, etc.);

iv) It decreases total number of heifers needed to maintain herd size