Maximise production from heifers

[Bangoverthebar]

I have had a nightmare with tb this year and have lost 22 cows.
I managed to buy 30 incalf heifers this week. They are high Ebi fresian/Norwegian red Cross. Their dams are milk recorded from 6,300 to 7,000 litres at 540kg of solids.

All are due over 17 days in early Feb.
I haven't had so many heifers since I started milking.

What is the best way to maximise production from heifers. Diet is grass and nuts, little bit of pke.
I struggled financially this year due to lost cows and lack of morale.

Hoping to bounce back quick.

FYI heifers were €1000 each

 

[vantage]

I struggled financially this year due to lost cows and lack of morale.

I admire your honesty.
I’d run them with the herd to get them accustomed to the environment and parlour, so there won’t be any drama when they calve. Did it with my autumn group this year and they’re very laid back, which is a good thing for a productive cow.

 

[Bangoverthebar]

I admire your honesty.
I’d run them with the herd to get them accustomed to the environment and parlour, so there won’t be any drama when they calve. Did it with my autumn group this year and they’re very laid back, which is a good thing for a productive cow.

Thanks for the reply. I do that as a rule. Nothing worse than a fresh calved heifer with the breaks on in the parlour.

 

[jimmer]

It's a ball ache hence why It's never really done in grazing situations, but running a separate heifer group until service would set heifers up for the rest of the lactation

 

[Bangoverthebar]

It's a ball ache hence why It's never really done in grazing situations, but running a separate heifer group until service would set heifers up for the rest of the lactation

What benefits have you seen doing this. Would you grazer them or house on quality silage plus something else

 

[box]

Forget about production. Your priority should be looking after them, keeping them growing and making sure they get back in calf quickly. They'll pay themselves off in their second lactation.

 

[In the pit]

It's a ball ache hence why It's never really done in grazing situations, but running a separate heifer group until service would set heifers up for the rest of the lactation

Been there done that ,,ran heifers as a second group all year and there was no difference in milk or in calf rates ,,just got to make sure that the heifers calve in at 3.5 bcs and get fed well

 

[Farmer Keith]

Forget about production. Your priority should be looking after them, keeping them growing and making sure they get back in calf quickly. They'll pay themselves off in their second lactation.

That should be the last post on the thread, have you got the heifers already @Bangoverthebar ideally 10 heifers and 20 cows might be a better mix with production in mind?

 

[Bangoverthebar]

That should be the last post on the thread, have you got the heifers already @Bangoverthebar ideally 10 heifers and 20 cows might be a better mix with production in mind?

There has been an insane rise in tb in our area in the last 18 months, the dept of agriculture vet not keen on allowing cows to be bought in

 

[Farmer Keith]

There has been an insane rise in tb in our area in the last 18 months, the dept of agriculture vet not keen on allowing cows to be bought in

That’s fair enough, there’s plenty of other disease risks bringing cows in besides tb to be considered to.

 

[crashbox]

I have had a nightmare with tb this year and have lost 22 cows.
I managed to buy 30 incalf heifers this week. They are high Ebi fresian/Norwegian red Cross. Their dams are milk recorded from 6,300 to 7,000 litres at 540kg of solids.

All are due over 17 days in early Feb.
I haven't had so many heifers since I started milking.

What is the best way to maximise production from heifers. Diet is grass and nuts, little bit of pke.
I struggled financially this year due to lost cows and lack of morale.

Hoping to bounce back quick.

FYI heifers were €1000 each

IMO make sure they get to know the cows over the dry period, so all hierarchy and pecking order is established before calving.

Other than that, make sure all the usual stuff is in order (plenty of feed space, at least 1 cubicle/cow, etc.).

After all, you want a herd, not individuals.

Good luck and well done.

 

[jimmer]

What benefits have you seen doing this. Would you grazer them or house on quality silage plus something else

Not done it, and I agree it's not just about increased production, but too many heifers don't make it to 2nd lactation and it's got to be competition/hierarchy linked

 

[In the pit]

Not done it, and I agree it's not just about increased production, but too many heifers don't make it to 2nd lactation and it's got to be competition/hierarchy linked

Heifers not making it to 2 nd lactation is because there not hitting target weights before they enter the herd and are then too small to compete

 

[lazy farmer]

Heifers not making it to 2 nd lactation is because there not hitting target weights before they enter the herd and are then too small to compete

Would disagree a little there. This yrs were smaller than I’d like here. What has happened is they didn’t milk as well but got in calf very well. 8% over 10 weeks.

 

[Bottom of the pile]

Heifers not making it to 2 nd lactation is because there not hitting target weights before they enter the herd and are then too small to compete

It's not just that though is it

 

[In the pit]

Would disagree a little there. This yrs were smaller than I’d like here. What has happened is they didn’t milk as well but got in calf very well. 8% over 10 weeks.

Last 4 years I had on a 500 cow unit we had 6% 4% 3% 4% empties after 9 weeks serving and before that we were 18/20 % empties at 12 weeks serving .things got better as heifers calved in bigger .they have to be able to stand up to the pressures of milkibg
In New Zealand they did some work on heifers grazing in there first season ,they watched them from above and found the smaller heifer were pushed out on to the poorer grazing in the field while the cows and bigger heifers had the best wtuff

 

[In the pit]

It's not just that though is it

95% of it is that ,,bcs of 3.5 and correct weight and size and 99 % of your heifers will calve yearly at the same time .anything different than that and they struggle to get going after calving .thats of the back of 30 years trying to figure how to retain heifers in a herd of spring block calving cows
Now tb tends to take them

 

[Wesley]

Last 4 years I had on a 500 cow unit we had 6% 4% 3% 4% empties after 9 weeks serving and before that we were 18/20 % empties at 12 weeks serving .things got better as heifers calved in bigger .they have to be able to stand up to the pressures of milkibg
In New Zealand they did some work on heifers grazing in there first season ,they watched them from above and found the smaller heifer were pushed out on to the poorer grazing in the field while the cows and bigger heifers had the best wtuff

Different system but we find the smaller, more immature heifer doesn’t thrive as well here. Been a closed herd for years but 18 months ago we were short on numbers so bought a fair few heifers. You can pick them out quite easily from our own & the performance hasn’t been there either.

 

[In the pit]

Different system but we find the smaller, more immature heifer doesn’t thrive as well here. Been a closed herd for years but 18 months ago we were short on numbers so bought a fair few heifers. You can pick them out quite easily from our own & the performance hasn’t been there either.

They probaly are timid /shy and just get bullied of food

 

[Bottom of the pile]

95% of it is that ,,bcs of 3.5 and correct weight and size and 99 % of your heifers will calve yearly at the same time .anything different than that and they struggle to get going after calving .thats of the back of 30 years trying to figure how to retain heifers in a herd of spring block calving cows
Now tb tends to take them

In your situation then yes that is probably right.
We only milk 160, 20 heifers reared off farm, 20 bought in, tend to buy the smaller end and grow them out in to cows, its amazing what they will achieve in little time , but we are fully housed Ayr calving so I can give a lesser heifer a bit of time if need be . Saying that last year the homebred heifers averaged 720kg of solids 383 day calving index , 1 culled due to not being in calf. And the bought heifers were 387 calving index averaging 710. No culls