How long should I supplement replacement heifers?

[Alan]

I'm giving a few replacement heifers about 3lbs each of a bagged grain (14%) plus rolled corn added to the mixture, a day. I started them on grain in mid October at weaning and as of today they are still on the supplement feed. I'll AI them the first of July. I'll guess their weight at 700 to 750lbs. How long should I continue this feed? Should I continue the grain after they are bred?

Thanks,
Alan

 

[Massey135]

I'm giving a few replacement heifers about 3lbs each of a bagged grain (14%) plus rolled corn added to the mixture, a day. I started them on grain in mid October at weaning and as of today they are still on the supplement feed. I'll AI them the first of July. I'll guess their weight at 700 to 750lbs. How long should I continue this feed? Should I continue the grain after they are bred?

Thanks,
Alan

Depends on the quality/quantity of the grass they're on now. If theyve been on decent grass, I doubt 3+- lbs of grain has any significance to their gains.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

I'm giving a few replacement heifers about 3lbs each of a bagged grain (14%) plus rolled corn added to the mixture, a day. I started them on grain in mid October at weaning and as of today they are still on the supplement feed. I'll AI them the first of July. I'll guess their weight at 700 to 750lbs. How long should I continue this feed? Should I continue the grain after they are bred?Thanks,
Alan

i don't,, but as for as intake i always just monitor them... i personaly keep their body condition the same as at weaning providing everyting is in its right conditions

 

[Alan]

I'll add that after weaning they have always had free choice hay, decent quality, and for the last month or so on good grass.

Thanks for the replies so far.

Alan

 

[dun]

45 days of grain at weaning then just minerals water and grass/hay until they calve. If they need welfare to get to breeding size/condition they'll be welfare cows their whole life. Selecting heifers from the start that will perform in your environment will keep the costs down their entire productive life.

 

[SSGenetics]

45 days of grain at weaning then just minerals water and grass/hay until they calve. If they need welfare to get to breeding size/condition they'll be welfare cows their whole life. Selecting heifers from the start that will perform in your environment will keep the costs down their entire productive life.

Bingo! EXACTLY what we do here... :nod:

 

[denvermartinfarms]

45 days of grain at weaning then just minerals water and grass/hay until they calve. If they need welfare to get to breeding size/condition they'll be welfare cows their whole life. Selecting heifers from the start that will perform in your environment will keep the costs down their entire productive life.

Bingo! EXACTLY what we do here... :nod:

I do almost the same thing somtimes less than 45 days somtimes up to 90 but never over that i'v never seen the need in any of my hiefers.

 

[houstoncutter]

45 days of grain at weaning then just minerals water and grass/hay until they calve. If they need welfare to get to breeding size/condition they'll be welfare cows their whole life. Selecting heifers from the start that will perform in your environment will keep the costs down their entire productive life.

Dead on, and I have read studies that say heifers grained for longer times will be poor milkers
, because of fat deposits around their bag

 

[agmantoo]

I never supplement. Only the crème de la crème heifers are kept as replacements. If retained animals cannot perform on what i grow they need to go elsewhere.

 

[Cross breeder #1]

i feed them up to 750-850, i stopped about 2 or weeks ago.

 

[SSGenetics]

I never supplement. Only the crème de la crème heifers are kept as replacements. If retained animals cannot perform on what i grow they need to go elsewhere.

If I ratationally gazed and had the grass you do, I wouldnt supplement either....

 

[houstoncutter]

I never supplement. Only the crème de la crème heifers are kept as replacements. If retained animals cannot perform on what i grow they need to go elsewhere.

If I ratationally gazed and had the grass you do, I wouldnt supplement either....

Sounds to me like you have the wrong breed for your area or the wrong cows. If it ain't dead of winter, or a drought, theirs no reason to be feeding. Thanks to land grant colleges and seed stock we now have a large group of cattle, no matter their breed, that are feed bucket cattle. Cattle were hardy and thrived quite well before feed stores came around

 

[SSGenetics]

I never supplement. Only the crème de la crème heifers are kept as replacements. If retained animals cannot perform on what i grow they need to go elsewhere.

If I ratationally gazed and had the grass you do, I wouldnt supplement either....

Sounds to me like you have the wrong breed for your area or the wrong cows. If it ain't dead of winter, or a drought, theirs no reason to be feeding. Thanks to land grant colleges and seed stock we now have a large group of cattle, no matter their breed, that are feed bucket cattle. Cattle were hardy and thrived quite well before feed stores came around

Houston, read through the posts. I think my response to Duns post was "bingo!" and yours was "dead on"..... Don't get ahead of yourself! :bs:

 

[Galloways1]

45 days of grain at weaning then just minerals water and grass/hay until they calve. If they need welfare to get to breeding size/condition they'll be welfare cows their whole life. Selecting heifers from the start that will perform in your environment will keep the costs down their entire productive life.

Couldn't agree more !!

In the dead of winter (Nov-Feb you know when temps are below zero all day) I give yearling heifers some alfalfa hay. Depending on the quality of my grass hay, I put out a protein supplement. That's it, no welfare.

 

[houstoncutter]

I never supplement. Only the crème de la crème heifers are kept as replacements. If retained animals cannot perform on what i grow they need to go elsewhere.

If I ratationally gazed and had the grass you do, I wouldnt supplement either....

Sorry SS, guess I misunderstood your post

 

[SSGenetics]

I never supplement. Only the crème de la crème heifers are kept as replacements. If retained animals cannot perform on what i grow they need to go elsewhere.

If I ratationally gazed and had the grass you do, I wouldnt supplement either....

Sorry SS, guess I misunderstood your post

Ahh, that’s alright. I was merely complimenting agmantoo's grass. In all honesty, it's worth feeding them a little for 45 days just to get them used to human contact and bucket broke. Like CB said in another thread. Once they know what comes out of that bucket, they would follow you to heII and back, even if they never got another mouth full... :nod: