On dairy farms, heifers can be described as the middle ground of the operation. Heifers are not yet producing milk but are eating a substantial amount of feed, so dairy farmers are left searching for convenient ways to meet their nutritional needs. Gail Carpenter, an assistant professor and dairy extension specialist at Iowa State University, explained not only how to feed heifers effectively but how they also serve as a valuable resource for managing feed on farms.
In an Iowa State University Extension Dairy Team webinar, Carpenter explored how heifers can be used to address feed variation on farms, especially when it comes down to feed prices and availability. Considering feed availability, Carpenter stated “ . . . heifers are a fantastic tool on a lot of farms when it comes to managing feed inventory. ” Farmers have a large range of flexibility when feeding dairy heifers, notably during the heifer prepuberty and breeding periods. At these points, it’s beneficial to alternate periods of fast and slow growth. Slow growth can help to prevent negative effects on udder development during prepuberty and lowers the risk of heifers becoming overconditioned during the breeding stage. Carpenter noted, “If we do it right, this can be a great tool for our dairy producers.”
Heifer nutrition and growth conditions are both crucial factors to consider when assessing the needs of a herd and for managing feed resources. Predicting a heifer’s mature body weight is an integral component of meeting their nutritional goals, as it helps to determine potential growth requirements. Mature body weight establishes what dairy heifers are growing toward and determines the heifers’ allowable gains for both protein and energy. Carpenter suggests using the herd average for mature body weight. This method results in accurately predicting heifer growth, which leads to creating nutritionally effective rations for the herd.
Adjusting the heifer diet to suit farm resources and feed availability is a highly encouraged practice for dairy farms. Carpenter referenced two main heifer diets that help with feeding dairy cattle conveniently: bulky diets or energy-dense diets. Bulky diets consist of large amounts of forage and are less energy dense. With this diet, heifers can eat forages with lower quality and digestibility at a higher quantity, which uses up available and lower quality feed. It’s important to be careful which heifers recieve this diet, as younger heifers have an underdeveloped rumen and can’t easily process these lower quality feeds.
It’s preferable to give heifers an energy-dense diet when grain prices are low and all have equal access to the feedbunk. When feeding an elevated amount of energy at once, heifers are only required to eat 80% of their typical feed intake, which reduces the overall amount of feed that is being consumed.
When feeding heifers, consider the options available. Determine the accessibility and convenience of feeds while accounting for the nutritional requirements of the herd. Heifers and their diets are beneficial to dairy farms and are more than just an item in the expense column.
