Volume 22 • Issue 02 • 2018

Dr Danie Odendaal

Key Points

• Fertility and health of a beef cattle herd can be built in stages over a five year period by focusing specifically on the management of replacement heifers .

• Improving fertility is based on selection , for functional efficiency and careful management of replacement heifers from weaning , until the end of their second breeding season .

• The long term herd health status is built around a complete vaccination program that should be followed with replacement heifers .

The Heifer Plan is Simple

Beef farmers who want to improve fertility in their herds , through selection and management can follow a structured heifer plan for five years . In this way they will build a herd selected for fertility ( right type ) that will calve over a concentrated calving season . The plan that should be followed is discussed below for heifers that will be mated at 2 years of age , for the first time . ( A specific example is depicted in Table 1 ). A replacement heifer group is selected during weaning and compiled . All heifers must be individually numbered so that a record can be kept of the production performance of each animal . If individual identification and record keeping is not done , this is the perfect opportunity to start doing it .

Replacement Heifer Management Plan

First mating at 2 years of age Group name 2017 Spring Calves Number : 125

2018 / 19 Wean First selection

Age ( months )

Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Mar

Deworm Vaccinate : Redwater Anaplasma

Vaccinate : Botulism , anthrax , broad spectrum clostridia

Weigh Second selection Vaccinate : Lumpyskin , Rift Valley Fever

Vaccinate : BVD , IBR , PI3 , BRSV

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Weigh

Age ( months )

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Age ( months )

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42

Table 1 - Heifer Management Plan for Spring Calving

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