TREATMENT OF HEIFERS.

Matamata Record, Volume II, Issue 111, 19 December 1918, Page 3

TREATMENT OF HEIFERS.

The Breeding Age. In various countries a deal of information has been collected on the question of the age at which the first calving should take place, having regard to the ultimate utlity of the cpw. So much, however, depends 'on the breed, the size' of strain or family, the character of the feeds and pastures, weather conditions, and so forth that it is impossible to be arbitary. Information has been collected from different farms and herds, and experiments that have been conducted in the Dominion of Canada have demonstrated two things: Heifers well reared by good feeding reach mature weight and production mucl\sooner than if less generously fed while young. Good rearing will result in a cow weighing from 3001 b to 5001 b more than a fairly or poorly reared animal, the increase of weight representing greater frame and muscle —in other words a stronger, more durable machine of greater capacity for milk production. Professor E. S. Archibald states that the relationship of rearing to age at first service ife as follows : (1) If it is found most profitable to force the calves to good size at an early age by good feeding, then the heifer may be bred at 17 to 20 months old. (2) Under such conditions, heifers must not be overloaded with fat, or there will be difficulty in getting them to hold the bull. (3) Where weather and feed conditions warrant slower growth and maturity, heifers should not be bred till 24 to 27 months old- Even they must have been sufficiently well nourished to reach a good size before breeding. The well-grown heifer that is bred to calve first between 26 and 30 months old should produce well from the start, and will reach mature * weight and production at five to six years of age. The slower grown heifers bred to calve first between 30 and 36 months old may, if properly handled, reach the same mature weight and production as the other cow, but a little later. The poorly grown heifer bred to calve first at under 30 months old will probably continue to increase in weight and production till seven years old, but will never reach the desired size nor be as profitable as those better handled. These ages make allowances for different breeds, and they exhibit adaption to Canadian conditions, but the need for good size and constitution as a basis for a profitable animal is indubitable, whether in cold lands or in hot. Within reasonable limits, the inherited tendency to production of milk is a greater factor than the size of the cow. At the same time, the larger cows as a rule produce most milk, and are undoubtedly capable of manufacturing larger -amounts of rough forage into milk and with im creased profit. Heifers that calve young —under 24 months are undoubtedly led to develop dairy qualities very young, but there is a strong tendency to greatly reduce the size and constitution, and thus to lessen the capacity for consumption of feed, and production of milk. Well-grown, heavily fbd heifers that calve at the age of 26 to 30 months, or even somewhat slow growing heifers that calve at 30 to 36 months old, will not acquire the same degree of dairy refinement until a year later than the foregoing class, but even so will produce more heavily. In a summary it is concluded that the age at which heifers should first calve is important, but is dependent on other factors of equal importance. Sufficient size must be obtained before first pregnancy or the cow will never acquire the desired size, capacity and strength. The heifer calving for the first time, if small or very young, may show extra refinement, but never ’the same constitution or capacity for work as if better developed at that time. Calving heifers at 28 to 32 months old is a good average ; it should be varied with discretion. The proper rearing of heifers to the first service, the feeding of the pregnant heifer, and the feeding and management of the heifer in milk are all practices of equal importance, each bearing on the subject, and each contributing to the production of the best dairy cow.