One of the larger expenses incurred on the dairy is replacement heifer rearing. Replacement rearing is second only to feed cost for the lactating cows. In the authors' experience, producers are seldom aware of what heifers cost to raise, and most producers think that these expenses are negligible.
Heifers are a high cost item when expenses are divided among the various enterprises on the farm.
Heifers can be adequately developed to calve at 24 months, while decreasing expenses and increasing profits. Reducing Heifer Inventory Numbers Calving heifers at an older age has many disadvantages other than increasing their nonproductive life and delaying potential milk income. When heifers calve at ages greater than 24 to 25 months, larger inventories or numbers of heifers must be maintained in the heifer herd. Increasing the age at calving also increases the generation interval, delaying the introduction of genetically superior replacements in the herd. When calving is delayed to an age greater than 24 or 25 months, heifers are accumulating in the replacement pool.