Heifer

Heifer may refer to a young cow before she has had her first calf. It is a young female, a young cow.

Many ranchers routinely save back a certain percentage of each year’s heifers, grow them to breeding age, calve them out, and work them into the herd to replace brood cows that have been culled.

Well-fed heifers normally will show their first heat period at 9 to 11 ninths of age, though they may ovulate even earlier.

Poorly fed heifers, however, may not come into heat until they are 20 months or more of age. Puberty appears to occur when heifers achieve about two-thirds of adult size, rather than at a constant age.

Dairy heifers need to be well fed between weaning and first calving. Growth rates should be maintained, otherwise heifers will not reach their target weights for mating and first calving.
Heifer