Heifer development

[scout]

What are your folks hfr development programs like just curious looking for some different ideas thanks

[Silver]

We feed them hay over the winter and let them eat grass during the summer

[Haytrucker]

Kinda what Silver said. It's been a few years, but after I figured they were weaned the replacements went on stalks with the cows. Fed alfalfa for protein and scrounge. Come calving, they got their own patch and a little extra.

[Faster horses]

And mineral. Don't forget mineral. Very important and will help with health and breed-up.

[rancherfred]

We put them on the same backgrounding ration that we have the steers on after they are weaned. Once there is enough grass in the spring they are turned out. They graze that until the winter grazing is ready. The last couple of years our winter graze has been frost killed sudan grass and spring planted winter triticale. They are on that until spring when we sort them away from the rest of the cows and calve them.

[Silver]

Oh yes, we provide them TM salt.

We also separate first and second calvers from the cows for the winter so they do not have to compete with the old girls, and we can also make sure the feed they get is always of the best variety.

[scout]

Historically I have wintered them with the cows on a silage ground hay ration with lots of bunk space then turned on grass first of may with the bull.i felt they were lagging behind so this year I fed them 10 pounds a day grain concentrate and okay hay .then we had a pile of silage left so put are old pairs we are culling with the hfrs and fed silage and alfalfa hay and impressed with results

[LCP]

Kinda what Silver said. It's been a few years, but after I figured they were weaned the replacements went on stalks with the cows. Fed alfalfa for protein and scrounge. Come calving, they got their own patch and a little extra.

What do you guys figure the heifers gain in those scenarios? Just curious. I know there are genetic, climate, and geographical differences that make some things work better than others for different outfits.

[Silver]

I figure if a heifer gains a 1.5 lbs a day over the winter they go out on grass with good frame and in good flesh and breed up nicely. That puts them at around 900 lbs when they hit grass.

[Faster horses]

Ours straightbed Angus heifers,born late March and early April, weighed 780# when they went to grass. We know because we weighed them. Wintered on grass hay and mineral. Sometimes we added a little soybean supplement called Forage Pro. They bred up well and stayed in the herd a long time. We didn't want big cattle--1200#-1300 at the outside when mature. There is a lot of variables with heifers. Breed, age, etc.

[Faster horses]

Ours straightbed Angus heifers,born late March and early April, weighed 780# when they went to grass. We know because we weighed them. Wintered on grass hay and mineral. Sometimes we added a little soybean supplement called Forage Pro. They bred up well and stayed in the herd a long time. We didn't want big cattle--1200#-1300 at the outside when mature. There is a lot of variables talking developing replacement heifers. Breed, age, mature size, etc.

[Denny]

ours had free choice alfalfa, free choice grass hay and free choice silage and salt no mineral we had about 40 bred ewes with them all winter everyone looks fine and healthy.