Heifer development can be one of the most challenging yet rewarding tasks on the ranch. The very basis of your future depends on your ability to develop the young heifers into productive mothers. But these challenges do not come without problems.
What makes this challenging is that the cost of producing these heifers takes place before you will get any return. This challenge can be risky for some producers because you are spending money in the hopes that she will be able to “earn her keep“. This type of investment may be challenging, but it can be simple. If you plan your heifer development right, it can be a straightforward procedure.
Here are some steps that you can follow to make this much easier for you and your sanity:
Develop a plan
Now, this might seem pretty straightforward, but there are many people who do not take the time to put “pen to paper” and properly plan out what they are going to do. Doing this one simple step will help you by putting you ahead of the curve. You will be able to visualize what will go into your heifer development program and see what areas will need help.
The main thing you will see by simply writing out what you would need is if it will even be worth your time and resources. In some cases, it would be cheaper for a producer to buy bred first-calf heifers rather than raise them. The one thought you should remember while doing this is what time and resources you are willing to commit to it.
What I would stress the most about this is to look at it honestly rather than what you would like to be able to do.
You should look at your facilities and see if they are up to the task. Also, take into account what feed resources you have available on the ranch. Things like the amount and quality of your forages are what you should be thinking about here.
Choose the correct heifer for development.
Now that you have looked at your available resources and that it will be worth your time, you should consider selecting the right heifer for this. Choosing the right heifer is paramount in determining whether your new program will succeed.
One way to look at this is to consider it a job posting for a company. In that job posting, they will have the qualifications they know the candidate should possess to do the job effectively. It is the same when selecting what heifers to purchase or keep.
The selection process that you will use should have a set of minimum qualifications. These are traits that are needed to help you in making your ranch profitable. Things like minimum body weight, minimum age, and structural soundness are some traits that you could use. What these qualifications are is entirely up to you and what you need, so don’t worry about being too strict.
Ideally, everyone would like to have a heifer that will breed early and raise a healthy calf every time. I would say that if a heifer cannot do this, you should look at culling that heifer.
Make sure the heifer is ready for breeding.
Though a particular heifer may check off all of the boxes you are looking for, she will only do you good if she can be bred. In order to give her the best chance, you will need to make sure that she has reached puberty and has started to cycle before your planned breeding season has begun.
The three main factors that affect the timing of puberty are:
- breed
- age
- body weight
In most breeds, puberty typically occurs between 12 and 14 months of age. If the heifer will not reach this age by your breeding season begins, you will need to get rid of her. Studies have shown that “late breeders” are not as productive over their lifetime compared to the ones that breed early in the season.
Regardless of breed, the heifer should weigh approximately 65% of her expected mature body weight before she can hit puberty. Suppose you need help getting the heifers to reach this in time. In that case, you have to look at changing the nutrition amount that you are providing them or….. start selecting for smaller framed cows.
Importance of nutrition for heifer development
Getting a first-calf heifer ready for her 2nd breeding can be more difficult than for her 1st. She has a higher nutritional requirement amount because not only is she nursing a calf, but she is still growing herself. Being in the proper body condition when she calves will be critical.
Knowing the nutrients that your forages provide beforehand is essential. That information will let you know what nutrients may be lacking and which ones you need to supplement.
When it comes to supplements, it is of benefit for you to provide them before any visual signs of deficiency have occurred. If you wait too long, then it will cost you more because your cows are trying to “catch up”.
The 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 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.
Now, 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.
Once that heifer has a calf on the ground, you can continue the nutrition. Because the heifer will be going into lactation, its needs will actually be even more significant. I talk more on this subject in a previous post, “Importance of nutrition after calving”.
