on May 2, 2019
What is the best heifer-weaning index?
There are many guidelines around, but most are based on the Holstein breed and do not take into account inter- and intra-breed mature animal weight, birth weight and growth rate.
Most feeding guides for dairy heifers recommend calves be weaned when they consume at least 3 pounds of dry feed. While this is neither wrong nor right, it assumes all female dairy calves are of Holstein origin, which is true for the majority of dairy animals worldwide. But, if we…