How much grain should a heifer get that is going to calve soon?

Answer 1

It's not advisable to grain a heifer that is ready to calve soon. The fetus at late gestation is focused on growing, so giving extra energy and protein to a springing heifer could encourage calving problems once the time comes for the heifer to give birth, no matter how thin the heifer is. You should leave off the grain until after the heifer has calved, and put her on a pound for the first few days then raise it up gradually over the coming two weeks until you're feeding her around 1% of her body weight as-fed per day. This is especially important if she's been on forage and hasn't had grain for a while, because you need to allow her rumen microflora time to adjust to the change in diet. If the 1% doesn't seem like it's doing much, then up it to 1.5% of her body weight. Usually feeding grain at 1 to 2% body weight is sufficient to get an animal on the road to gaining weight again.

Answer 2

If a heifer is going to get any grain, she should've gotten grain when she was younger, and only if she actually needs it. There was no mention about her breeding (dairy or beef and what breed) nor what body condition she's in, which will certainly influence if she needs the grain at all. The other feeds you're giving her will also influence and question the need for grain.

Technically, a heifer shouldn't need grain if she's already on good quality hay and is in good body condition for calving. Grain acts as a energy and protein supplement, in that order, to supply if the other feed you're giving her isn't giving her either of the kind of requirements she's needing overall, regardless how close to calving she is. Thus it's very hard for me to answer the question without further necessary information.

While too much grain can certainly cause complications in a heifer, particularly if she's over-fed on the grain so that she's fat (which makes it more harder for the calf to squeeze through due to fat deposits, and harder for the heifer to produce enough milk due to also fat deposits in the mammary tissues), enough grain is just that for her and a demanding fetus's nutritional needs. At late gestation her requirements are starting to increase right up to and past calving straight into lactation. As far as protein is concerned, generally the requirements for a late-pregnant bred heifer (as well as late-pregnant cows) is 9 to 10% protein. She'll also need feeds that are 60% TDN or more.

I already mentioned that the quality of the feed she's currently on is important to judge just how much grain this heifer needs. I also mentioned about her breeding. If she is a dairy or Simmental heifer, her requirements just got even higher than if she were a beef heifer like Angus or even Charolais. Late-pregnant dairy heifers need closer to 12% protein and at least 65% TDN to meet their requirements.

First of all, I hope the hay she's getting is good quality, like 10% protein and 60% TDN or more. That hay may be good enough for a late-pregnant beef heifer. The energy might be a little short, so adding one or two pounds of grain will bring her to what she needs. But for a dairy heifer, it won't be enough. She may need about 5 to 6 pounds of grain (or more) plus some extra protein like a pound per day of corn or wheat DDGS, cottonseed meal, soybean meal, or canola meal. Or, you can add peas too to grain, as in a 1/4 peas 3/4 grain mix for a ~13 or 14% protein supplement.

The above is more easier with a larger group of heifers because you can get the added feeds in bulk and provide them without risking them going to waste. But if you only have one or two heifers, then getting some bags of 14% supplement to hold you over for the next few months will also work to add with the grain. The 14%, for a soon-to-be-new-mom dairy heifer will be enough for when she's in lactation. Read the directions on the bag for how much to give a day. Usually recommendations don't go above 5 to 10 pounds a day for a 1200 pound first-calf heifer.

Introduce the new feed slowly, starting with a pound then increasing a pound every two days until you're at the amounts you need to be feeding. This will allow rumen microbes to adjust as needed.

Keep an eye on the manure, as that's a clear sign of protein needs. If it's stacked up like piles on top of each other, your animal is short of protein. If it's in a nice pie-like pat, then she's getting enough. If the manure seems runny, she could be getting a little too much than she needs.

Also keep an eye on her body condition. If she's showing her ribs more than she should and her hips look pretty sharp, she needs more energy in the form of grain (protein doesn't give a cow extra fat cover). If her ribs are starting to disappear and she's getting that "soft" look over her hips, then it's time to back off on the grain a few pounds.