The focus on free stall conversion is probably the greatest disincentive for investing in new heifer housing. There may be a growing demand for temporary custom raising arrangements while the herd expands beyond its present facilities and before the new free stall barn is built. Resources focused on milking cows, such as parlors and milking equipment will be utilized more efficiently if all available space, feed and labor is applied to milking cows. A commercial custom heifer feeder has opportunities to reduce cost through economy of scale in several ways . For example, an important element in successful heifer raising is the ability to reduce stress through grouping by age.
Typical recommendations are to limit groups to an age range of no more than three months.
This means at least eight groups of heifers, a requirement which can add dramatically to the labor of feeding, manure handling etc. The larger custom feeder raising 5 or 10 times this number has little difficulty with groups of 20 to 40 head, with an age range of only two months. There is no doubt that tighter grouping results in a growth advantage. In a parasite control study I conducted several years ago, the need for treatment and control groups doubled the age range in each group, from 3 months to 6 months. Larger custom feeders can also justify better handling facilities and can reduce the labor of specialized management practices applied to heifers such as parasite control, vaccination, growth monitoring and hoof care.