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There are a few factors involved, care of the animal will play a part. Typically it depends on maturity of the reproductive tract, but also on body condition and genetics. Most heifers will begin their initial cycling at around 11 to 12 months, however this is not always the case with breeds that are early maturing such as Jerseys, Dexter, Gelbvieh and Galloway, which may start coming into heat around 8 to 9 months of age. Late maturing breeds such as Brahman will find heifers going into first heat at 15 months. Other late maturing breeds like Charolias, Chianina and Limousin will have heifers going into their first eat between 13 and 15 months of age.
Malnourished animals or those in poor body condition will have a delayed first estrus, but overly fat heifers will also come into heat for the first time later than those that are in normal condition. Genetics also play a role in determining the start of puberty for heifers. Some breeders select for cattle within a certain breed they're raising to be more early maturing than the breed average.
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How young can a Holstein bull calf breed thought banded but not now have young heifers with him not old enough to be breed?
A Holstein bull calf reaches puberty between 9 and 12 months of age, at which is the time that he starts showing interest in cows and heifers. If he's younger than that, then there's no need to worry. And, if the heifers have not reached puberty themselves (which occurs at around 12 months of age), then they will not get bred by this young Holstein bull. So no need to worry. However, you will have to pull him out before you suspect the heifers will start to show their first signs of estrus, if you intend to keep him in with the girls for a fair period of time. Oh and make sure he DOES get banded this time. It's best to band him before he reaches puberty. Most calves are banded at birth, or between 2 and 6 months of age.
What is a spayed heifer?
A spayed heifer is a young female bovine past weaned age that has had her ovaries surgically removed so that she is unable to be fertile or reproductively receptive to a bull (which is called heat or estrus.) The purpose of this is to manage heifers that are only to be used for beef production, not as replacement females, but in such a way that they do not need to be regularly injected with hormones to prevent them from going into heat. This is especially useful when they are being raised on pasture for a backgrounding operation when it is not cost effective, both in labour and input costs as well as stress for the heifers and the people, to be implanting or injecting hormones all the time. In the feedlot, heifers are fed a hormone called MGA that prevents them from going into regular estrus. If they are stopped fed this hormone, they go into estrus almost immediately. Spaying them prevents this from happening.
What age should bulls and heifers be bred for the first time?
Bulls can reach puberty by the time they are 8 months of age, but most are put in with the breeding herd by the time they are 12 months of age. Heifers reach puberty by the time they are 10 to 12 months of age, but most heifers are not bred until they are 15 months old. Of course the breed of the bulls and heifers depends on when they reach puberty and/or when they should be used for producing offspring.
What is a female bovine before giving birth called?
Young female cattle are called heifers before they are bred and often--in the dairy industry--referred to asSpringers and Heiferettes the first time they are bred and before they have had theirfirst calf. After that they are cows whether they are pregnant or barren.In the beef industry, such animals are often known as bred heifers.
Are heifers dangerous?
They can be, but not as much as a young bull that has just entered puberty. Heifers, if treated well, can be quite docile and well-mannered. This, of course, may change during and after calving time because of the hormones coursing through them, and their first experiences with ever having a calf. You may find heifers that are more scared and flighty of you than them being aggressive. When they are cornered in a small corral where they have nowhere to escape, that's when they can turn dangerous.
What is the role of estrogen in cattle reproduction?
In breeding cows and heifers, estrogen is basically responsible for two things: 1) Bringing a female into heat or estrus so that she can be bred, since when a cow is showing signs of estrus this means she is ready to conceive or mate with a bull so that she can bear a calf. A cow nor heifer can become pregnant at any other time in their estrous cycle. Estrogen peaks at the time of estrus, which will change the behaviour of a cow or heifer from a seemingly placid, friendly animal to a madly rutting female that is desperately looking for a mate. 2) Encourage labour or parturition. Estrogen spikes when a cow is going into labour and ready to deliver a calf, and this estrogen is one of several hormones on the hormonal pathway to parturition (birth or calving) that is first initiated by the stress levels of the fetus.Basically estrogen is one of many female hormones that is very important in cattle reproduction in both breeding and calving. Estrogen cannot function alone, however, without the help from other hormones in the female's system, including progesterone, luteinizing hormone, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone. Estrogen is also used by producers as a hormone injection to synchronize the estrus patterns of several cows and heifers in order for them to come into heat at the same time, or close to, so they can be artificially inseminated. Estrogen or its similar form estradiol is also used to encourage abortion in cattle, especially in heifers that are too young to be in calf.
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.
How many young does a panda produce at one time?
Since females are only in estrus for 2-3 days a year it is very hard for them to find a male in time, also they can only have about 1-4 young
What is the legal time frame to vaccinate heifers for Brucellosis?
Heifers should be vaccinated for Bang's Disease (or Brucellosis) when they are between 2 and 10 months of age.
Do steers give milk?
No. Steers are castrated male bovines. Like all males mammals, they are incapable of lactating to feed young. Only cows and first-time heifers give milk. That is, all female mammals of the appropriate age and stage of reproduction can give milk.
Should you keep heifers out of heifers?
No. All offspring from first-calf heifers should be sold because they are just going to be too small to be any good as replacements. I'd wait until your first-calvers are older, like after they've had their second calf to consider keeping any replacements from them. You may have an opportunity to keep some heifers as replacements from second calvers, but you're better off keeping heifers from cows that have proven time and time again to produce good keeper-quality calves. First-calvers are still growing when they have their second calf, and loose their baby teeth after this time. This growth and teeth-replacement period is quite stressful on both mom and baby, and as a result the calf isn't going to be gaining well because of these stressors. Besides, this first-calf heifer isn't a proven dam yet, so it is better to ship her offspring and give her a second (or third) chance to redeem herself and produce a better calf. By the time she has weaned her first and had her second, her adult teeth would've grown back and she would've finally reached maturity. Mature cows tend to give bigger, and better calves than first-calf heifers do.
Can you still spade the animal after their first period?
You mean spay, and you can spay a dog or cat at any time after about 2 weeks, but it is usual to allow the dog to get at least most of its adult size first. The usual time most US dogs are spayed is at about 6 months or so, which corresponds with their average first estrus, or period. There is no other connection between having an estrus cycle and getting a dog spayed, although this incorrect belief is widespread. A dog does not need to have had an estrus cycle before spaying. Male dogs should be about 6 months before neutering for the same growth-related reasons.
