Feeding Heifers

[A-RRanch]

What do you guys feed your heifers after weaning? How about heifers 60 days prior to calving and thro calving? I am feeding a 13% Feedlot mix from Producers CoOp in Bryan. 5 Pounds a day and unlimited hay to my heifers as they are about 30 days from calving and aren't looking great. They don't look bad just like they could use a little help.

 

[angus9259]

Open weaned heifers just get grass hay mostly through when they are about ready to calve for the first time. No better than a cow with calf on her. I like to give better hay to heifers that are about to drop their first calves and/or nursing their first calves but don't typically give any grain.

 

[Rafter S]

That's pretty close to what I feed mine. The feed's from a different place (Schulte Farm Services at Independence), but the same amount. I also keep a protein tub out for them, and they have free choice salt and mineral. When grass comes out in the spring I stop the feed and protein tub. I'll have them palpated this fall, and then the ones I'm keeping go in with the mature cows. Most people will disagree with me, but I sell the calves when they're 60-90 days old so the heifers can grow out better and the calves won't pull them down. They'll usually breed back quicker also when the calves are pulled.

When you're going to breed them will affect how you should treat them. Mine were weaned last summer, so they're about 13-15 months old now. I'll put a bull on them about the end of this month.

Have they been wormed recently?

 

[dun]

At weaning for about 45 days they go on stockpiled pasture/hay and about 1% of their body weight a day in 13% grain mix. From then until a month or so before calving they are on just stockpiled pasture/hay. About a month or so before calving they get a 32% lick tub and stockpiled pasture/hay.

 

[skyhightree1]

They get all the jumpstart they want until they can't fit in the feeders anymore Then they get grass free choice salt and minerals and a daily treat of sweet feed just to keep them easy to catch.

 

[Bigfoot]

I personally see no need in fattening a keeper heifer. Mine probably get about 1% per day from weaning till breeding. I like gentle, and to be able to call them up later in life if need be.

 

[dun]

I don;t understand the idea that you have to keep feeding them to get them to come up when you want. Ours only see grain (white bucket) at weaning and when we call them in for AI. All I have to do is yell to catch their attention and lift up a white bucket. They all come running. Same deal when we move them from pasture t pasture except I yell and wave a white stick over my head and then get out of the way. So far it has worked upto about 1/4 mile.

 

[Bigfoot]

I don;t understand the idea that you have to keep feeding them to get them to come up when you want. Ours only see grain (white bucket) at weaning and when we call them in for AI. All I have to do is yell to catch their attention and lift up a white bucket. They all come running. Same deal when we move them from pasture t pasture except I yell and wave a white stick over my head and then get out of the way. So far it has worked upto about 1/4 mile.

Old ways die slow for me. I also never call my cows up, unless I am actually going to give them something. I will also call them up for several days before I actually shut a gate on them to catch them. It's just the way i do it.

 

[TexasBred]

What do you guys feed your heifers after weaning? How about heifers 60 days prior to calving and thro calving? I am feeding a 13% Feedlot mix from Producers CoOp in Bryan. 5 Pounds a day and unlimited hay to my heifers as they are about 30 days from calving and aren't looking great. They don't look bad just like they could use a little help.

Hay quality??? Have you had it tested??

 

[A-RRanch]

I have not had it tested but its good quality coastal. These heifers were wormed in October. My heifers I retained I pretty much did what Dun said. These I bought and are about 30 days from calving and Im just not liking their Body Condition so I pulled em up and am feeding them.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I don;t understand the idea that you have to keep feeding them to get them to come up when you want. Ours only see grain (white bucket) at weaning and when we call them in for AI. All I have to do is yell to catch their attention and lift up a white bucket. They all come running. Same deal when we move them from pasture t pasture except I yell and wave a white stick over my head and then get out of the way. So far it has worked upto about 1/4 mile.

Old ways die slow for me. I also never call my cows up, unless I am actually going to give them something. I will also call them up for several days before I actually shut a gate on them to catch them. It's just the way i do it.

We do things fairly similar to that too Bigfoot. I don't like to call them and not reward them.

 

[dun]

I don;t understand the idea that you have to keep feeding them to get them to come up when you want. Ours only see grain (white bucket) at weaning and when we call them in for AI. All I have to do is yell to catch their attention and lift up a white bucket. They all come running. Same deal when we move them from pasture t pasture except I yell and wave a white stick over my head and then get out of the way. So far it has worked upto about 1/4 mile.

Old ways die slow for me. I also never call my cows up, unless I am actually going to give them something. I will also call them up for several days before I actually shut a gate on them to catch them. It's just the way i do it.

We do things fairly similar to that too Bigfoot. I don't like to call them and not reward them.

Moving tyo another pasture is their reward, with the bucket we put out about enough for 2 mouthfulls. That could be why they hurry to come up so that maybe they can snatch an extra mouthfull before it's all gone. Any cows that don;t come when called the way we do it are gone in pretty short order. Never have had the problem with ones we've raised only the occasioanl one of the ones we bought. That is, back when we still bought in new stuff. Bought as yearlings they seemed to catch on right away, the problem was with some of the older cows that never seemed to catch on to the drill.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Gotta remember dun, you're raising those smart red cattle while the rest of us are.....well, never mind...LOL!

 

[Jessica06]

Our bred heifers have been on Mix 30 since breeding. They got their first hay about a week ago. Expecting early calves any day. They probably average about 1150.

 

[talltimber]

I don;t understand the idea that you have to keep feeding them to get them to come up when you want. Ours only see grain (white bucket) at weaning and when we call them in for AI. All I have to do is yell to catch their attention and lift up a white bucket. They all come running. Same deal when we move them from pasture t pasture except I yell and wave a white stick over my head and then get out of the way. So far it has worked upto about 1/4 mile.

Old ways die slow for me. I also never call my cows up, unless I am actually going to give them something. I will also call them up for several days before I actually shut a gate on them to catch them. It's just the way i do it.

We do things fairly similar to that too Bigfoot. I don't like to call them and not reward them.

Same here. I won't call them without giving them a little taste, about like dun said, they'll end up with a few mouthfuls apiece but seems to be enough to keep them coming. I'm counting on the cows coming up to be able to get my calves started on feed and it teaches them to come to call as well.

I have not kept heifers yet but am wanting to keep some out of some of the older cows that I bought from Dad before they get too old or something happens to them. There are a few Show Me Select cows (or heifers of) that I think would be some good blood to keep around. Good mommas, gentle, raise good calves.

I have been thinking about what I should be doing to feed them, so this is an interesting topic to me. Thank you.

 

[TexasBred]

I have not had it tested but its good quality coastal. These heifers were wormed in October. My heifers I retained I pretty much did what Dun said. These I bought and are about 30 days from calving and Im just not liking their Body Condition so I pulled em up and am feeding them.

If it's really good they shouldn't need any additional supplementation.

 

[RMCDUFFEE]

Bred heifers need more calories than mature bred cows. Their bodies are still developing as well as their unborn calf. In northern climates they need calories in cold weather as much as they need protein. A supplement or lick that has oil or fats is ideal.

Have you ever had calves from heifers that started behind and just never caught up to calves from your mature cows? I recently read a study (I think it was from Kansas State Univ.) that said feeding fats to bred heifers during the first 21 days of gestation produced healthier calves that grew like the calves from mature cows. One product I read about but have not used is called Flax-lik. It has flax seed oil in the brew for its fat content.

 

[ANAZAZI]

Bred heifers need more calories than mature bred cows. Their bodies are still developing as well as their unborn calf. In northern climates they need calories in cold weather as much as they need protein. A supplement or lick that has oil or fats is ideal.

Have you ever had calves from heifers that started behind and just never caught up to calves from your mature cows? I recently read a study (I think it was from Kansas State Univ.) that said feeding fats to bred heifers during the first 21 days of gestation produced healthier calves that grew like the calves from mature cows. One product I read about but have not used is called Flax-lik. It has flax seed oil in the brew for its fat content.

In my most northern climate, the first 21 days of gestation takes place in july or august, our hottest months.
When there is cold weather, they eat good silage and do fine.
It is only natural that heifers calve lighter calves than cows, have a little weaker colostrum than cows, and milk a little less. I seriously doubt that this can be overcome with oil in the feed.

 

[TexasBred]

Bred heifers need more calories than mature bred cows. Their bodies are still developing as well as their unborn calf. In northern climates they need calories in cold weather as much as they need protein. A supplement or lick that has oil or fats is ideal.

Have you ever had calves from heifers that started behind and just never caught up to calves from your mature cows? I recently read a study (I think it was from Kansas State Univ.) that said feeding fats to bred heifers during the first 21 days of gestation produced healthier calves that grew like the calves from mature cows. One product I read about but have not used is called Flax-lik. It has flax seed oil in the brew for its fat content.

Another wonder additive. Heifers in College Station, Texas seldom experience extreme cold (tonight being the exception) over long periods of time.

 

[dun]

Some years ago I read about studies of feeding flax seed to cattle. From what I recall, remember I'm old and don;t recall stuff too accurately at time, the results were sort of a SFP. The ones that touted it claimed great results the ones you didn;t think too highly of the idea panned it.