Daily News Update, Feb. 22, 2008
Give beef heifers a good start to a long, productive life
Setting your beef heifers up
for a long, successful life in your herd starts before weaning, says Dr.
Gary Williams, Texas AgriLife Research, Beeville. Williams will lead the
discussion on managing and developing heifers at the Texas and
Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association 14th School for
Successful Ranching, Mar. 14-15 at the American Bank Center in Corpus
Christi.
"We can maximize lifetime
productivity of females if they are developed right," says Williams.
Fine-tuning health programs
and getting them started with solid nutrition will put producers on the
right track.
"Heifers must be placed on
an appropriate nutritional program after weaning …to assure that they
have adequate opportunity to reach sexual maturity within a specified
time period, usually between 12 and 15 months of age, depending upon
breed type," Williams says.
A good herd health program
will include early-calfhood vaccinations, booster shots and properly
timed deworming.
"At
our location, a sound immunization program, including a booster to their
early-calfhood blackleg vaccination, a broad spectrum respiratory virus
vaccine (IBR/PI3/BVD and BRSV) and lepto/vibrio are administered two to
three weeks before weaning or at purchase. Heifers then receive boosters
at weaning with the respiratory vaccine, lepto and vibrio."
Williams continues, "Heifers
are dewormed at this time and dewormed again 30 days later, because I
want them to have the best opportunity to utilize the feed and forages."
Weight at puberty varies
with breed type, Williams explains. "In the Gulf Coast region, most
cattle have some Bos indicus influence and will be later maturing
compared to straight English-bred heifers. The typical F-1 Braford will
reach puberty at 725 to 750 pounds. If they gain about one and a half
pounds per day from weaning until targeted breeding, the majority will
be pubertal at the desired time," he explains.
Keeping heifers on track
without coming in above or below the magic number will give these
animals the best chance.
"Cattlemen are trying to
upgrade their herds and improve genetic worth with these females,"
Williams says. "It is important to develop them right and select for
fertility to get maximum lifetime production. Reproduction is at the top
of the list when it comes to profit indicators, but breeders have to
select replacements for what they want as a brood cow."
This year marks TSCRA's 14th
annual School for Successful Ranching, a two-day program featuring three
educational tracks—animal management, the business of ranching and range
management. TSCRA has brought in experts from the Texas AgriLife
Extension Service, King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management, Welder
Wildlife Foundation, NRCS and Oklahoma State University to lead the
sessions.
Registration is $60 for
TSCRA members or $100 for nonmembers and includes two hot meals and free
admittance to the TSCRA Trade Show, featuring more than 150 exhibitors.
Space is limited, so pre-registration is encouraged. For additional
details including a complete schedule, or to register, visit
www.texascattleraisers.org.
The School for Successful
Ranching is held in conjunction with the 2008 TSCRA Annual Convention
and Trade Show, Brand the Future.
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