Profit Tips: Nutrition - Boost heifer nutrition

University of Nebraska Extension beef specialist Rick Rasby, PhD, reminds ranchers heifers have different nutritional requirements from mature cows. The pounds of protein or energy needed by the first-calf female compared to a mature cow at the same stage of gestation or lactation are not all that different, he says, but because the heifer does not consume as much as a bigger cow, the ratio of protein and energy in the diet needs to be higher. Nebraska research shows a 17 percent decrease in feed intake in first-calf heifers within about three weeks of calving. For that reason, Rasby recommends managing and feeding first-calf heifers separately from mature cows beginning at least three weeks before calving. Intake typically returns to a more normal level about one week after calving. Rasby says the first-calf females post-calving need to consume a diet that is at least 62 percent total digestible nutrients and 10 to 11 percent crude protein.

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