Are your maiden heifers on track for breeding ?

Weather conditions have made grazing extremely difficult with areas grazed well back on many farms. While the focus has been predominantly on getting cows out, getting out maiden heifers to grass has also been delayed.

With breeding around the corner and many farmers considering using sexed semen on heifers, its essential to evaluate the body weight of these animals. Ideally, this would be done before now but even now, it is not too late and this information will aid breeding decisions.

A heifer’s genetics and liveweight determines when she reaches puberty, not her age. Conception rates are best when maiden heifers are 60% of their mature weight at breeding. Research has also shown lower survival rates to third lactation and reduced milk yields are the consequences of failing to achieve the target weight for age. For those that have weighed maiden heifers recently have reported that a high percentage are well under the target body weight.

Ideally heifers should be turned out to grass at least 6 weeks prior to breeding. For those identified as behind target should be prioritised and offered concentrates to let them catch up in time. If heifers can go out now until breeding what will they gain? If we take breeding on the 2nd May and out from the 19th March, that’s 42 days at 0.8kg/day that’s 33kg of a gain. Higher weight gains are achievable from spring pasture of 1kg/day. Heifers should be weighed again pre-breeding to see how much they have gained and from these weights, a decision should be made on what to breed and whether sexed or conventional semen should be used.

Dairy stock weight targets