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:
- weaning to first mating
- pre-mating selection (as early as possible)
- first mating to calving
- calving to second joining
- lifetime heifer performance.
