How to actually develop heifers for long-term profitability

What is the proper strategy to develop replacement heifers for my cowherd? How to develop heifers is a question many producers have asked themselves. Developing a replacement heifer is one of the most expensive management decisions a producer will make. Making this decision can have long-term impacts on your herd’s profitability.

You should consider the expenses involved in developing heifers when deciding if you should buy or raise them. Look at your specific production environment to determine your most cost-effective system. Both of these are important for those females’ long-term profitability and longevity. A producer should also look at the ages and production of the cows that they currently have in their herd.

Developing a heifer to replace a future cull cow is one of the most expensive management decisions you can make. What you decide here can have significant implications on long-term profitability. Here are some things for you to consider when going over this.

Traditional thinking

The recommendation that we have always heard is that heifers need to reach about 65% of their mature body weight before breeding. This percentage is the general rule of thumb to maximize the cow’s pregnancy rate. However, multiple studies have shown that the heifer can be developed to as low as 48 to 50% without negatively affecting pregnancy rates.

The timing of gain from weaning to pre-breeding has shown to have very little impact on overall reproductive performance. What this means is that the heifers can be grown at a consistent rate of gain. Now, this can be at a low rate of growth followed by a high rate or the reverse. Providing the right amount of nutrition just before breeding and through calving is what will determine reproductive success. On the reverse side, overfeeding them can be costly and negatively affect future fertility. I talk about the importance of nutrition during this time in a previous post, “How to get the most out of your breeding season“.

To determine her average daily gain, you will first need to decide what her target body weight will be. Let’s say that the target is 60% of her mature body weight. If the estimated mature weight is 1,200 lbs, then a 500lb weaned heifer will need to be 720 lbs at breading *1,200 X 0.60= 720). If a producer weaned her on October 1st and you plan on breeding her on May 1st, that gives you 210 days to reach the target weight. So the difference of 720lbs- 500lbs is 220lbs. To meet the goal in 210 days, divide both of those numbers to get an average daily gain of 1.05 lbs per day.

Developing heifers right

Since they will be staying in the production herd, the cost of developing a replacement heifer will be faced entirely by the producer. With this in mind, raising these heifers in a low-input, forage-based system is a good idea. Studies have shown that conception rates are very similar between forage-raised and drylot-raised ones. And this is with only about half the costs.

When you think about heifer development, you may want to consider more than maximizing their pregnancy rates. Increasing that heifer’s overall net or general value is more critical. More efficient low-cost heifers are more flexible when it comes to marketing. One way you can do this is with a more forage-based feeding system.

Benefits of forage raised

As I mentioned earlier, one benefit of raising heifers on forage is the reduced costs. At the time of breeding, forage-raised heifers to reach breeding age at about 80 to 100 lbs lighter than the others. And they will be in better body condition because they have already gotten used to eating forages.

You may be asking, “But what about the break-even point?”. According to these studies, the forage-raised heifers became profitable at 3 to 4 years of age. The heifers developed conventionally paid for themselves 9 to 10 years ago.

Another advantage to low-cost development is that these heifers will last longer in the cowherd. Research from New Mexico and Montana showed that 30 to 60% of these heifers were still in the herd after five years of age. They pay for themselves quicker, and they are still producing longer.

Pick the right heifers.

When it comes to picking a replacement, not every heifer will make a suitable replacement. While how the heifer’s looks can play a role, it should not be the only thing. You want to choose a cow that breeds early in the breeding season and gives birth to a healthy calf. You can still use phenotype and genetic pedigree; it just should not be the only criteria that you go with.

As I mentioned above, it’s best to choose one that breeds early in the season. Studies have shown that the ones that do that tend to be the most productive throughout their life. To get there, you will need to make some decisions during the selection process. Have a list of the qualities that you are looking for in a replacement, and make your selections based on that.

The hiring process

Some of the things you should be selecting:

• No freemartins ( infertile females born with a twin male)
• A minimum body weight
• A minimum age
• Structural soundness
• Not out of any terminal sires
• Pelvic area
• Whatever additional requirements you may have

Throughout your development process, you should include various checkpoints along the way. These checkpoints will allow you to monitor the performance of your heifers along the way. It is necessary to cull heifers that are consistently underperforming. If she is a low performer now, she is likely to be that way for the rest of her production life.

When making these decisions, it is best to look at them in a more pragmatic and business way. Think of it like a hiring process for a job. You’re hiring them for a job at your ranch, so you should only hire the best. Your “job description” should lay out the minimum requirements that she will need to meet for you to choose her to stay in the development process. These girls are going to be an investment in your future, so you should select the ones wisely.