Developing a heifer to replace a cull cow is one of the most expensive management decisions for cow-calf producers, leading to major implications on long-term herd profitability.
When the decision to develop heifers has been made, the question then becomes “what is the proper strategy to develop replacements for the cowherd?” Traditional recommendations suggest heifers should be managed to reach 65% of their mature body weight at breeding to maximize pregnancy rate. In the last several years, multiple studies across differing environmental conditions have proved heifers can be developed to as low as 48 to 50% of mature body weight with no negative impact on pregnancy rates. Heifers in these systems are developed at a restricted gain (less than 0.75 lb/d of gain) while utilizing a compensatory gain or increased gain period at the time of breeding.