So, what does a few-month-old heifer mean? How are they raised and managed? Answer today.

1. How many months is the heifer?

The national dairy standard defines young dairy cows 18 months old or older. At this time, the cow has not yet reached physical maturity, and its physical development is incomplete.

However, due to the continuous improvement of dairy cows' nutrition, the weight and sexual maturity time of the cows have reached the breeding standard in advance, so now many cows are generally replaced by heifers at the age of 7 to 15 months, and the monthly age of heifers is about 15 months earlier.

Second, the way of raising young cattle

Heifers are fed freely and freely. At this stage, cows are in the first mating or early pregnancy, so reproductive records such as estrus identification, mating and pregnancy test should be made well.

According to the body fat status and fetal development stage, according to the nutritional needs, master the dosage of concentrate, prevent obesity, keep the pens and delivery rooms dry and clean, and strictly disinfect the procedures.

Third, the feeding points of heifers during pregnancy

In feeding management, besides ensuring the normal growth and development of fetus and mammary gland, we should also consider the growth and development of dairy cows themselves.

The absolute weight of fetus and maternal uterus does not increase much in the first trimester, so the feeding in the first trimester can be mainly green roughage, supplemented by 1 ~ 3kg/ day concentrate according to the specific situation.

From the sixth month of pregnancy, the growth rate of the fetus is accelerated and the required nutrition is increased. Therefore, we should improve the feeding level and increase the dosage of concentrate to ensure the growth and development of the fetus, but we should prevent the cows from being overweight to avoid dystocia.

Four. Matters needing attention during pregnancy of heifer

1, increase exercise to prevent dystocia.

However, it is necessary to prevent cows from running, jumping, colliding with each other and walking on slippery roads to avoid mechanical abortion.

2. Prevent cows from eating moldy and deteriorated feed and drinking frozen water to avoid long-term rain.

3. Strengthen the brushing of cows, cultivate their tame habits, and calculate the expected date of delivery, so that they can be shortlisted for dairy production twice before delivery.

4. From the fifth to sixth month of pregnancy to the first half month of delivery, wash and massage the breasts with warm water 1 time every day for 35 minutes, so as to promote breast development and lay a good foundation for future milking.