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This depends on the breed and environmental and nutritional factors. Early maturing breeds and/or herds that have highly fertile cattle can have heifers entering puberty at 4 to 8 months, which, if not weaned or separated from bull calves or the older bulls, will result in a "whoopsie heifer". The oldest a heifer be to reach puberty is 12 to 14 months.
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What age should a heifer be taken away from a bull?
This is the wrong question to ask, actually. You should be more concerned about the age that you should put a heifer in with a bull to be bred, not when should a heifer be taken away from a bull. See the related question below, but generally, a heifer should be at least 15 months of age to be bred and be able to grow a calf in her. Now to really answer your question, the bull should be removed after a couple months of being in with the heifer[s].
When should a young heifer be put in calf?
Young heifers, as in heifers that are younger than 6 months of age, should NEVER be bred to calf, as this is much too young for them and too hard on their growing bodies. The youngest a heifer can be bred at is when they are 15 months old. Most heifers reach puberty by the time they are 11 or 12 months old, but shouldn't be bred until they are either 60% or 70% of the average weight of the main cowherd, or reach 15 months of age. Most of the time it is the weight that many cattle producers rely on for best calf production of the heifers, as sometimes a heifer that reaches 15 months of age is still too small to be bred.
When is a heifer too old to be bred?
There really isn't a specific age when a heifer is too old to be bred. However, past five to seven years of age can be considered "too old" to get her bred. And yet, you still can get her bred if you use a really calving-ease (and proven) bull on her, just like you would with 15 month old heifers.
What age would heifers calve for the first time?
That really depends on when she was bred. The average gestation period of a cow (or heifer) is around 285 days. Thus, if a heifer was bred when she was 15 months old, then she would likely give birth by the time she is 24 months of age. If she was bred when she was 18 or 20 months old, then she would calve out when she's 27 to 29 months of age.
What age should you breed a calf?
The vast majority of calves won't be of age to be bred or considered ready to be bred. By the time these calves are ready to be bred they are no longer considered or even called calves. A heifer is ready to be bred by the time she's 15 months of age. Bulls are ready to be bred by the time they are around 12 months of age. But note that sexual maturity differs with every breed, most notably between Jerseys and Brahman cattle.
What is the term used for a female cow under 2 years of age?
A heifer. If she's pregnant she's called a bred heifer.
What is the age limit of a bovine Heifer?
Most heifers should be around 15 to 18 months of age to be receptive and be able to get bred. Of course this depends on the breed and the type of cattle. For dairy cattle, a farmer aims to have a heifer calve by 24 months, or two years of age. The gestation period for a cow is approximately the same as for humans - nine months. Hence, a farmer usually aims to inseminate a heifer at 15 months of age, but this also depends on the health and condition of the animal and whether is is physically fit to become pregnant. For beef cattle, a heifer generally should be inseminated at around the same age. However, some breeds are quite late maturing, and will only be able to get bred at 18 to 22 months of age. Brahmans (or Zebu-type cattle) are late maturing, enough that only sees heifers getting bred or inseminated at this age.
What age should a heifer be taken away from a bull?
This is the wrong question to ask, actually. You should be more concerned about the age that you should put a heifer in with a bull to be bred, not when should a heifer be taken away from a bull. See the related question below, but generally, a heifer should be at least 15 months of age to be bred and be able to grow a calf in her. Now to really answer your question, the bull should be removed after a couple months of being in with the heifer[s].
When should a young heifer be put in calf?
Young heifers, as in heifers that are younger than 6 months of age, should NEVER be bred to calf, as this is much too young for them and too hard on their growing bodies. The youngest a heifer can be bred at is when they are 15 months old. Most heifers reach puberty by the time they are 11 or 12 months old, but shouldn't be bred until they are either 60% or 70% of the average weight of the main cowherd, or reach 15 months of age. Most of the time it is the weight that many cattle producers rely on for best calf production of the heifers, as sometimes a heifer that reaches 15 months of age is still too small to be bred.
When is a heifer too old to be bred?
There really isn't a specific age when a heifer is too old to be bred. However, past five to seven years of age can be considered "too old" to get her bred. And yet, you still can get her bred if you use a really calving-ease (and proven) bull on her, just like you would with 15 month old heifers.
What age would heifers calve for the first time?
That really depends on when she was bred. The average gestation period of a cow (or heifer) is around 285 days. Thus, if a heifer was bred when she was 15 months old, then she would likely give birth by the time she is 24 months of age. If she was bred when she was 18 or 20 months old, then she would calve out when she's 27 to 29 months of age.
How many months does a heifer carry a calf?
That all depends on when they have been bred. A heifer bred at 15 months of age would calve when she's 24 months old. If she's bred later than that, she will always calve 9 months later.
What age should you breed a calf?
The vast majority of calves won't be of age to be bred or considered ready to be bred. By the time these calves are ready to be bred they are no longer considered or even called calves. A heifer is ready to be bred by the time she's 15 months of age. Bulls are ready to be bred by the time they are around 12 months of age. But note that sexual maturity differs with every breed, most notably between Jerseys and Brahman cattle.
Is it possible for a young heifer that is in calf to go to a bull to be served?
NO!! No, no, no, no, no!! A young heifer (and I'm assuming that's a heifer that is around 6 to 12 months of age) should NOT even be in calf in the first place, nor should she even be serviced by a bull when pregnant! A pregnant should be at least 15 months of age when she is bred, and 26 months when bred again to produce another calf. Some people feel that a heifer should be 24 months of age when she is bred to have her first calf! But NEVER a young heifer, never ever ever!!Get her aborted NOW. Inject her with some Estrumate or Lutylase IMMEDIATELY. Don't waste your time on trying to get a young girl like her to be producing a calf so young, you can afford to wait a few more months or longer!
Is it ok to breed a heifer at 8 months?
No. Most heifers haven't even reached puberty at that age, much less are even large enough to be bred to. And even if a heifer has reached puberty at that age, her pelvic area and body size is still too small to be able to be bred at that age. You MUST give her more time to grow (another 7 or 8 months is highly recommended) before you can breed her.
What is the average weight of a longhorn heifer?
That all depends on the age of the heifer. The older the heifer, the heavier she'll be.
Can a 5 month old heifer get bred?
Well she shouldn't!! If she has started puberty at that age (which is quite rare), she can get bred, but it his highly not recommended because of her small size, and the fact that she still has a lot of growing to do in order to be able to conceive and give birth to a healthy vibrant calf. Heifers should ONLY be bred at no earlier than 15 months of age!
