Feeding Heifers

[RegCowman]

October born calves -- Post-weaning on Heifers -- we first use a good injectable de-wormer and --- a pour on for fly control. (every 90 days) Also feed Hi-MG Mineral year round.
Heifers go on Tiff Leaf 3 Millet 3-4 hours a day then lay around in the shade all afternoon. Our goal is to get our heifers to 900 lbs by breeding in January, so with a 600 lb average WW we are looking at 1.5 lbs per day of gain. This can be accomplished easily on Millet alone. Towards the end of the summer or when the Millet is playing out we graze for longer periods (free choice) and offer Alfalfa hay limit fed to meet our goals. We weigh our heifers once a month to make sure goals are being met.
After first frost (November) we feed our heifers Whole cotton seed (WCS) at 3 lbs per head per day + 6 lbs of a 13% corn based ration along with free choice grass hay through breeding season. After heifers are all confirmed bred we graze them on Rye for 3-4 hours per day and offer free choice grass hay -- once heifers are grazing Rye we cut the WCS out of their day.

90 days prior to calving heifers are placed on Permanent grass to maintain body weight up to calving.

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.

 

[Nesikep]

My replacement heifers get the same treatment the rest of the cattle get until I decide which ones I keep (usually around 6mo old).. At that point I usually separate them and mommas out into a better grazing field, most importantly so they're away from the boys. They usually get weaned around 240 days onto the best quality alfalfa/grass hay I have, usually second cut unless I made some nice 3rd cut. All the animals have good minerals. I feed the heifer calves as much as they'll eat and still clean up, seems like they'll eat close to 20lb/day of the hay.. They get the occasional treat of sunflower pressings. In the future I will probably be giving them a protein lick for the wintertime.. The cows will never see one.
The heifers are usually in the 600's by weaning, and in the 900's by the time they go out with the bull, though some smaller framed ones may not make the weight, they're all in good flesh. They spend the summer on grass/alfalfa pasture, and spend most of the winter with the cows. A month or so before calving, they come up into the corral (haltered usually) and get fed a little better/more hay. As long as it's feasible, I'll keep them separate from the calved cows after they have calved and keep feeding them as much as they want.

Depending on their condition when I wean their first calf, I'll keep them separate from the cows (usually along with some upcoming first calvers) for their 3rd winter to put some fat back on them.
This year was the first year I weaned all the calves early, partly because I had some thin cows, and also because they were eating me out of house and home and prices were good enough I didn't mind not getting that extra 100 lbs on the calf.. Perhaps next year I'll background the calves for a month or two if I don't want them all on pasture.

I'm still learning, and trying different things to see what works best.

 

[RMCDUFFEE]

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

And even in Texas bred heifers require more calories and more protein than mature cows. They are still developing muscle and frame as well as their calf. The mature cow is fully developed and while its calf requires the cow to increase it's intake, the cow's body is already matured and has lower nutritional needs than the heifer.

As for fats being a wonder additive i don't have any first hand experience but if I were raising calves I would certainly go look for the study. At one time Penicillin was a wonder drug too.

 

[Nesikep]

I couldn't see it working in only the first 21 days of gestation.. the energy needed for pregnancy is next to nil at that point, and in most places the grass is good at that time of year.

I'd pay more attention to the heifers during their first winter and make sure they are in good shape coming into the breeding season... Perhaps feeding that Flax lick after weaning and into the coldest part of winter.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

I might be wrong because I have not read the research, but the big buzz out here right now is fetal programming, which this might be targeting. There is some research out there about feeding bred cows/heifers and how her exposure, or lack of good feed, in early pregnancy can effect the resulting calf later on for potential growth and fertility. There are a bunch of studies following these calves out to see how they grow. In years of drought, the resulting calves born from those lean cows are showing problems later on like conception and such. Interesting research worth following, in my opinion.

 

[branguscowgirl]

Fire sweep I have also read some of the studies on "Fetal programming". Which is exactly why I have decided to pay more attention to my heifers and bred cows protein needs along with hay analysis. It has been confirmed by the studies that the growing fetus has certain nutritional requirements that are not always met for the best possible future health, muscle and bone development. Leading to fractures, strains, calving issues ect. Ect. It made me think.

 

[TexasBred]

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

And even in Texas bred heifers require more calories and more protein than mature cows. They are still developing muscle and frame as well as their calf. The mature cow is fully developed and while its calf requires the cow to increase it's intake, the cow's body is already matured and has lower nutritional needs than the heifer.

As for fats being a wonder additive i don't have any first hand experience but if I were raising calves I would certainly go look for the study. At one time Penicillin was a wonder drug too.

Texas cattle don't require any special protein or energy attention. We don't raise "special needs" cattle. And sure any cow needs adequate nutrition but no need for a special ration for heifers. Good grass and/or hay along with good mineral is usually more than enough (even in C.S., Texas). There is also a time and a place for added "fat" in feeds. Not necessarily during pregnancy. :???:

 

[cow pollinater]

I might be wrong because I have not read the research, but the big buzz out here right now is fetal programming, which this might be targeting. There is some research out there about feeding bred cows/heifers and how her exposure, or lack of good feed, in early pregnancy can effect the resulting calf later on for potential growth and fertility. There are a bunch of studies following these calves out to see how they grow. In years of drought, the resulting calves born from those lean cows are showing problems later on like conception and such. Interesting research worth following, in my opinion.

I can save them the time of studying that one. I dumped fifteen head of sixteen month old heifers out in the hills a few days ago after giving up on breeding them until next year. I had ONE heifer out of the bunch show me a heat. The same genetics a year earlier did just fine and the only failure was a month younger than the rest AND this last year I was much more selective about what I kept so the weights were pretty similar. I'm hearing that the few people here that also were able to retain heifers last year are having the same problem.