Commentary: “Set it and forget it” herd management practices, especially with heifers, can cause great losses for cow-calf producers accustomed to managing cattle as a herd rather than individually. For veterinary teams and nutritionists, proactive communication as winter progresses can create value for the animals, the producer and for the animal health professional. The key is to implement all the tools we have at our disposal. This is especially true for mid-size herds where cattle production is not the number one priority of the operation.
Source: Baldy Advantage, October 2024. Link. A bred heifer is constantly changing as the fetus develops because the heifer is still growing, getting ready to calve and preparing to produce milk afterward. The highest nutritional demands occur during the final trimester, making individual cow body condition and feed quality monitoring critical to calving success and heifer health.
It takes protein and energy for a heifer to grow a strong, healthy fetus and produce high-quality colostrum. Providing bred heifers with inadequate nutrition, hoping for easier calving not only sacrifices her health, but potentially her calf’s.”
Image credit: TSLN
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