What do I feed my Holstein Show Heifer?

[LindseysMaine_Angus]

I have never had a Holstein Show Heifer before and I am picking her up tomorrow...What should I feed her since they are a little different than "beef" heifers?

 

[RyanChandler]

Only difference is that Holsteins have a 10-15% higher energy requirement than most beef breeds. 

On an energy adjusted ration, Holsteins will perform as well as any.

Start her on a finishing ration from day one.  It's a lot easier to cut back (quantity not quality) if she starts getting too fat than it is to try and put some cover on her once she's already grown frame.

 

[LindseysMaine_Angus]

What do you suggest

 

[rtmcc]

Only difference is that Holsteins have a 10-15% higher energy requirement than most beef breeds. 

On an energy adjusted ration, Holsteins will perform as well as any.

Start her on a finishing ration from day one.  It's a lot easier to cut back (quantity not quality) if she starts getting too fat than it is to try and put some cover on her once she's already grown frame.

Wait, are you feeding her to be a Dairy Breeding heifer or market type heifer.  There's a huge difference!

 

[WinterSpringsFarm]

If dairy a high protein textured feed with rumensin, free choice top quality grass hay, and some beet pulp always worked well for me. You want her to be fleshy but not round

 

[LindseysMaine_Angus]

dairy breeding heifer! Sharp, feminine and angular!

 

[WinterSpringsFarm]

How old is she? Any pics? And pedigree?

A textured feed with rumensin will help her grow well, a good grass hay, (Timothy) will give her that depth and help with spring of rib, and the pulp will give her some more spring as well. I fed silage to heifers older than a year.

I like my show heifers tall, sharp but not skinny sharp, DEEP, with a nice slender neck.

 

[cbcr]

With you being located in Michigan, you should have dairies around that you could probably contact and ask.  I'm sure that some of them show as well.

As has been ask, how old is she?  What is her breeding?

Give us some more information, and we can ask some our members that show what they would recommend.

 

[LindseysMaine_Angus]

I go pick her up today will know more info then! I will keep you posted!

 

[LindseysMaine_Angus]

She is by a bull called Deductive and she was born April 18 2015

 

[WinterSpringsFarm]

Good udder bull, feet and legs are ok, not so hot on frame characteristics. Not a bad pedigree behind him though.

No pics however.

 

[LindseysMaine_Angus]

I sent you a message

 

[RyanChandler]

Only difference is that Holsteins have a 10-15% higher energy requirement than most beef breeds. 

On an energy adjusted ration, Holsteins will perform as well as any.

Start her on a finishing ration from day one.  It's a lot easier to cut back (quantity not quality) if she starts getting too fat than it is to try and put some cover on her once she's already grown frame.

Wait, are you feeding her to be a Dairy Breeding heifer or market type heifer.  There's a huge difference!

The phenotype of the individual with determine whether they're a breeding heifer (maternal) or a market heifer (terminal). No feeding regimen is going to morph a sharp, angular holstein heifer into a terminal type market heifer.  What it will do is either accentuate or minimize what's already there.  The heifer pictured here needs a high energy feed and a whole lot of it.  Like I said previously,  if she starts getting too fat, then the TDN of the ration can be lowered by reducing the quantity of the textured feed and substituting a larger % of the total ration with a dry hay.  With this heifer already long into her growth stage, with no extra visible cover to speak of, the likelihood that she gets too fat is looking pretty remote. 

 

[vc]

Has she been wormed, if not do so soon. She does look like a high energy feed would benefit her at this point, being only 3 month old you should be able to get her looking right fairly quick.
Pretty sure my buddy used to feed his heifers out of the same grain tank the cows in production were getting fed out of, that feed is pretty high energy. like Xbar said adjust the feed intake as she develops to meet her needs.

Work her up with feed don't just start her full blast, you will end up going backwards.

 

[LindseysMaine_Angus]

I can worm her. She is not going to be a market heifer...is there a bagged feed or something I can have mixed

 

[AAOK]

Dan's Mix!