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Selecting and managing beef heifers

Summary

Your heifers contain the latest genetic changes that you, the breeder, has made and should therefore have the best genetics in the herd. Hence, a great deal of emphasis must be placed on heifer management because it can affect overall profitability in a cattle breeding situation. Heifer management involves:

  • sound selection
  • adequate nutrition
  • health management
  • correct bull selection
  • continuous monitoring, selection and record-keeping.

This Primefact outlines the important management phases that need to be considered during each phase of a heifer’s lifespan. The five phases are:

  1. weaning to first mating
  2. pre-mating selection (as early as possible)
  3. first mating to calving
  4. calving to second joining
  5. lifetime heifer performance.



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Primefact 626

Published: 01 May 2007