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| Questions often arise about
the influence of nutrition of young heifers and their lifetime milk production
performance. Beef producers may be aware that there have been numerous
studies of dairy calves that indicate that overfeeding heifers during rearing
resulted in lower average milk production than heifers fed normal growing
diets. Data with dairy heifers that were allowed to suckle their
heavy milking dams was only 74% of what heifers raised under usual dairy
calf management conditions. Data from the 1960's, done here in Oklahoma
produced information that heifers weaned at 140 days of age produced calves
that weighed about 22 pounds more than those out of creep fed heifers.
Two different studies with twin Hereford heifers found that weaning weights
of heifers were negatively correlated with measures of milk production.
In other words, the twin that was fed better before weaning produced less
milk during her mature lifetime production. (Source: Koch, 1972 J.
Anim. Sci. Vol 35:1316.)
Management decisions that come
into play concerning early heifer development, deal primarily with the
decision to feed creep feed. Potential replacement heifers have no
need for increased weaning weight due to high energy creep. The increase
in weaning weight that may result from increased fat deposits are apparently
counter-productive because of the impact on her milk producing capability
as a mature cow. If creep feeding is necessary, producers may want
to use the high protein salt limited creep program called Oklahoma Silver.
This supplement used soybean meal mixed with salt and fed in a creep feeder.
The amount of intake is limited to only 2 to 3 pounds per head per day.
This is a more economically efficient creep feed and should result negligible
increase in body fat.
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