What is the age limit of a bovine Heifer?

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

A cow is a bovine that has already had a calf, so she would be at the right age already to be pregnant.

However, if you are referring to a HEIFER, she should be around 15 months old when first bred or impregnated.

Answer 3

Technically, a heifer can be a heifer for a long time if she remains unbred. Primarily, the definition of a cow is a bovine that has had a calf, but even this can be skewered. Some folks may argue that, for instance, a 6 year-old female that has not been bred at all is still a heifer. Others argue that since she is mature, she qualifies as a cow. But in most cases the "age limit" of a heifer can be when she reaches 2 years of age, which is the age that she gives birth to a calf. There can be disagreement here because these females can and are also called first-calf heifers. Most people believe that a cow is technically officially a cow after she has had her second calf or when she is pregnant with her second calf.

Answer 4

Heifers can be bred as young as 4 to 5 months of age, but it is not recommended to be breeding heifers at this age. They should be ready to breed by the time they are 15 months of age, 13 at the youngest or 24 at the oldest.

Answer 5

A heifer can be bred at 6 months of age and be pregnant from the time she is bred to the time she has to give birth which is at 12 months of age. This is much too young for a heifer to be pregnant, let alone bred, and often heifers like these, if caught at the right time, need to be aborted as soon as possible. The earliest that a heifer should be bred is between 15 and 20 months of age, depending on the breed. Jersey heifers, for instance, can be bred at around 13 to 15 months, whereas Brahman heifers won't reach puberty until they are 18 months of age and thus can be bred when they're around 20 months of age.

Answer 6

It depends on when she was first bred. If a heifer was bred when she was 14 months old, for instance, she would have her first calf when she's around 23 months old. If she were bred at 6 months old, she would be expected to have her calf when she was 18 months old. If she were not bred until she was 36 months of age, then she'd give birth at around 45 months old.