Bring On Your the Heifers With The 600/24 Concept

August 2009

Heifers are often treated like the Cinderella’s of the dairy herd, placed in a quiet corner of the farm until they are needed. This is a common scenario on a busy farm, but are farmers missing out on something here? A different approach can lead to a wide range of all-round benefits: a fitter, healthier animal that provides increased income during its lifetime and one that stands less chance of thriving when she joins the main herd.

The Cornwall Farmers 600/24 Heifer Concept has been devised to monitor the early life of heifers to ensure they are managed to their full potential. As its name suggests, the scheme is designed to enable heifers to reach an optimum weight of 600Kgs within 24 months, which is several months shorter than heifers often take to reach useful age. By monitoring and feeding the heifers correctly at each stage of their growth, farmers will gain considerable financial advantage for every month sooner that the animal becomes capable of calving.

The concept is well summarised in a recent report by the London Veterinary College, which states that 24 months is the “recommended age at first calving for Holstein Friesians” and that it is “important to monitor the growth rate of heifers during the rearing period but in practice very few farms do.”

The beauty of this scheme is that it is easy to adhere to. All that is required is a systematic approach to the feeding of the heifers and a little bit of monitoring, such as measuring animals against a well-placed known yardstick, to ensure they stay on track during the first two years of their lives.

The specific targets to aim for Holstein Friesians are 350kg/123cm height (48.5”) at first heat at approx 12 months; 420kg/128cm (50”) at bulling time at 15 months, and then calving at 24 months with a weight of 600kg and a height of 137cm (54”). For smaller breeds, such as Jersey’s or Guernsey’s, the figures are proportionally lower with a target bulling weight of 65% of the adult weight.

To achieve this, the feed requirements during the various stages need to be monitored. In the first few months the emphasis is on building the rumen, creating a strong ‘engine’ in the heifer, by balancing either cow’s milk or milk powder with the correct starter feeds. Then whether a diet based on silage or straw, accurate feeding is required in respect of each stage of the heifer’s development. Especially important is the need to develop the frame of the animal while keeping the fat level down, as too much fat at this stage can cause health problems later in life; the ration is then stepped up to bring the heifer to bulling with good fertility.

Cornwall Farmers provides high quality feeds in its Pinnacle and Duchy Blends ranges to take care of all the feeding requirements, plus a nutritional team to provide any advice throughout he heifer’s development.

“The financial benefits of the scheme can add up to a considerable income, or a real loss if animals are left behind,” says Tom Mann, Duchy Blends Manager at Cornwall Farmers. “Every month gained makes a real difference in respect of loss in milk yield and the feed costs involved. We calculate the cost being in the region of £2,000 per year, for each heifer in the herd that is not brought on a year earlier. With heifers being around twenty per cent of a normal herd, that amounts to a lot of money that could be either generated or wasted, depending on how the heifers are managed.”

For further details about the 600/12 Heifer Concept please talk to Cornwall Farmers by contacting: Tom Mann on 07901 854477; Robin Hawkey on 07770 816581 or Andy Hawken on 07901 854463.