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Raising Heifers for Reproductive Success
During the BCRC’s recent webinar, Raising Heifers for Reproductive Success, Dr. Elizabeth Homerosky and Southern Alberta Rancher Stephen Hughes emphasized the significance of making informed decisions regarding heifer development.
Dr. Homerosky highlighted that whether the heifers are purchased or home-raised, they represent a substantial investment for the ranch. She discussed a few common production practices that have been proven to enhance the profitability of herds in North America. She then explained how this information can be used to formulate strategies to improve the efficiencies of heifers and transform them into cost-effective cows in the future.
Whether heifers are purchased or home-raised, they represent a substantial investment for a ranch.
Heifer Development Systems
During the webinar, three different developmental systems were discussed, and insights were given on how to achieve the goal of reaching the appropriate percentage of mature body weight at the time of breeding.
Early gain: High-intensity feeding of young animals to achieve a high percentage of mature body weight by the midpoint, only needing to maintain body weight until the time of breeding.
Even gain: Feeding to achieve a steady increase in body weight to achieve a high percentage of body weight by breeding time.
Late gain: Maintaining body weight with small gains until the midpoint, and then from the midpoint until breeding season seeing increased growth to achieve the desired percentage of mature body weight.
Both Homerosky and Hughes highlighted the importance of the source of replacement heifers in addition to how they are developed. If they are bought in, make sure they are coming from a reputable source with a similar production system. If raised on farm, avoid keeping calves from problem cows whether that be poor condition, poor attitude or continuous calving issues.
Extensive Systems
The use of extensive systems and late-gain programs are changing the way farmers and ranchers are raising their heifers. While these extensive systems offer an opportunity to reduce feed costs and allow you to keep heifers that work with your management style, it is important to ensure heifers are on a rising plane of nutrition into the breeding season to ensure reproductive success. Beef heifers that are being bred at an ideal mature body weight of 55% are more likely to be bred in the first cycle, which leads to increased profit over the lifetime of the cow, and these early cycling heifers stay in the herd longer than their counterparts.
Steven Hughes of Chinook Ranch knows firsthand the importance of challenging heifers early to help weed out low-producing cows before investing significant amounts of money into them. “Let the cattle find their way, and sort from the bottom not the top,” Hughes recommends. He allows his heifers to graze naturally, ensuring that when those second calvers are expected to join the main herd they have what it takes to thrive and be a part of the herd for years to come.
Stephen Hughesshares how Mother Nature helps him make important culling decisions in the spring.
Frame Not Condition
Hughes uses the philosophy that one must be tough but fair and use the strategies in an extensive development system to produce heifers that work for your operation. He prefers to focus heifer growth on building frame, not condition. While he explained what he does to remain profitable and how he uses extensive growth systems to build his herd, Dr. Homerosky relayed to the audience why these theories work and the science behind them.
Key takeaways from the webinar include:
“The more you treat her like a cow, the better cow she will be.” Extensive management systems can reduce feed costs and improve conception rates.
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