Nutrient Requirements of Growing Heifers

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Nutrient Requirements of Growing Heifers
Targets for Heifer Development To reach 65 of
mature wt by breeding time To grow at no more
than 2.25 lb/d Weaned at no less than 400
lb Cost less than market value Bred heifer
prices between 650 to 1100 90 Pregnancy rate

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Cost Differential

• Price _at_ weaning .60 to 1/lb
• Health 10 to 15
• Feed and yardage .75 to 1.15/day
• Breeding 5 to 10
• Price 400.00
• Health 15.00
• Feed/yrdg 266.00
• Breeding 7.50
• Sub-total 688.50
• Repro fail 76.50
• Total 765.00
• W-B costs 365.00

• Bred heifer price fluctuation based on cattle
  cycle
• Lowest 650.00
• Highest 1100.00
• Average 875.00
• Advantages
• Confirmed pregnant
• Set price
• Disadvantages
• Calving date
• Genetic background
• Health background

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Home-grown Area of Focus

• Feed costs
• How cheap can we do it?
• Watch forage costs
• Hay _at_ 80/ton, 88DM, 62 TDN, 18 CP
• 90.91/ton DM
• 146.63/ton TDN
• 505.05/ton CP
• Corn _at_ 2.25/bu, 88 DM, 90 TDN
• 91.31/ton DM
• 101.46/ton TDN
• Soybean meal _at_ 225/ton, 88 DM, 50 CP
• 255.68/ton DM
• 511.36/ton CP
• When can we use cheap feeds?
• Intake control may be best tool

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Nutrient Requirement(by Weight)
Nutrient 500 570 640 710 780 850
TDN, lb/d 9.73 10.73 11.70 12.67 13.58 14.48 CP,
lb/d 1.67 1.75 1.83 1.91 1.99 2.04 Ca,
g/d 31.0 31.0 30.0 30.0 28.0 27.0 P,
g/d 16.0 16.0 17.0 17.0 18.0 19.0 DMI,
lb/d 14.01 15.42 16.87 17.88 19.15 20.79 TDN,
69.45 69.55 69.37 70.87 70.91 69.63 CP,
11.94 11.37 10.86 10.70 10.40 9.84
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Feeds that Meet Requirements

• Corn silage
• 7228 Haycorn
• 6931 ScreenOat hay
• 6832 HayOat-barley

• 70 TDN, 8 CP
• 70 TDN, 13.2 CP
• 70 TDN, 13.3 CP
• 70 TDN, 13.1 CP

However, most of these feeds and diets will
result in fattening if intake is not
controlled. A good rule of thumb is between 2.3
and 2.5 of BW. Producers must feed to this
level to keep gain and cost in check.
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After Breeding
Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
TDN 54.16 53.7 55.77 55.77 56.19 64.43 66.83 70.45
75.30 CP 7.99 7.87 8.12 8.07 8.07 9.15 9.43 9.95
10.83 Ca 21.0 21.0 22.0 22.0 22.0 22.0 35.0 35.0
35.0 P 13.0 13.0 13.0 13.0 14.0 14.0 19.0 19.0 1
9.0 ADG 1.01 1.05 1.12 1.22 1.36 1.57 1.84 2.20 2
.65
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After Breeding

• Soon after, heifers are on pasture
• Spring-calving heifers face low feed supply
  beginning in the fall
• Calving diet must be offered to coming-first-calf
  and first calf heifers beginning in the late fall
• What is a calving diet?
• About 65 to 70 TDN and 10 CP

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Opportunities

• Prepare simple growing heifer diets with target
  goals and target intakes
• Fall calving heifers may be wintered on low
  quality feed until grass growth begins
• Stress importance of high quality nutrition for
  the late bred due first, and first calf heifer