novaman
Well-known member
Has anyone seen any advantage to drying off first lactation heifers earlier in order to give them a little extra time to regroup for the second lactation? I typically run 55-60 days dry but last year I did have one first lactation heifer that was dried off a bit early (2 weeks if I remember right) from the rest of the herd. She was on the poor side as far as production last year. She came in fresh about a month ago and thus far knocked my socks off with her production. She is near the top for production among the second lactation cows. Is this something that may happen with some consistency from year to year?