For spring 2024, your in-calf heifers should be at the right weight and in good condition before calving down, and now as we approach the winter months and the housing period, these heifers need to become the priority.
The good weather and ground conditions have given heifers a great opportunity to get into good condition before coming in for housing.
Your in-calf heifers will be joining the milking herd in a few months time, so now is also a good opportunity to give them a final once-over.
It might be a good idea to weigh your in-calf heifers as you are housing them for the winter, to see if they are target for calving down in good weight and condition.
Heifers should be calving down at 90% of their mature bodyweight, and this means for your Friesian in-calf heifers, calving down at around 550kg and for your Jersey heifer around 500kg.
The mature weight of a cow with the following maintenance sub-index should be as follows:
| Maintenane index EBI (€) | -10 | 0 | 10 | 20 | 30 |
| Mature weight (kg) | 690 | 640 | 590 | 540 | 490 |
Heifers that were born in early February to March of 2022 are now around 18 to 19-months-old and should be roughly 75 to 80% of their mature body weight.
In-calf heifers
If heifers are calving down below the target of 90% of mature body weight, it may have an impact on their performance and fertility.
On target heifers should be fed ad-lib good quality silage over the winter and heifers that are behind target should be fed meal up to six weeks prior to calving.
These underweight heifers should ideally be separated from the heifers on target, so there is no bullying at the feed space and the heifers can comfortably access silage throughout.
These heifers should be closely monitored throughout the winter, in case any set-backs are detected, so that the heifers can be treated quickly without hindering growth and performance drastically.
A good time to start training heifers into the parlour, is when they come in for the housing period, to reduce stress when they actually calve down.
Calving is a very stressful time for young heifers and if they are entering the parlour for the first time post-calving, it can be quite daunting and add to the stress levels.
Running the heifers through the parlour at their own ease will also allow the farmer to give concentrates to heifers that are a bit under-condition.
Not alone that, but by running heifers through the parlour, farmers can see the full picture of what is going on with the heifers, as heifers with warts or infections can detected and treated promptly.
Bringing heifers through to milk can be a costly business, and so farmers must ensure that heifers calve down in spring 2024 in good condition and actually last a number of lactations in the herd.
