Farm Profit Programme: calving heifers at two years old

The subject of calving heifers at two is a contentious one at the best of times and is the subject of many a debate.

Firstly, perhaps we should ask the question, why is there such a debate around calving heifers at two?

There are many sides to this question, with some of the most common being:

From an analysis of BCMS data by Stuart Ashworth at Quality Meat Scotland, we see that the average heifer in Scotland joins the suckler herd at around 30 months (2½ years) old and with 50% of annual calf registrations taking place over the months of March, April and May, most of the 30-month heifers will have been born in the months of September, October and November.

This firstly adds the complication that the number of autumn-calving herds is reducing, with a definite swing towards spring calving. This means a reducing pool of heifers to choose from for those that wish to calve at 30 months.

The choice then becomes whether to calve at two years old or three years old.

Calving at three, in the average herd, means that the average cow weight will be higher and with a marketplace demanding smaller carcases, this is perhaps not the best direction of travel.

However, calving at two means that the heifer needs to be well grown before going to the bull and run as part of a separate group for the first year in the herd to give them a chance to grow. What exactly does well-grown mean?

The targets for a heifer joining the herd are:

As can be seen from the tables, the growth rates required are not excessive and none of them are more than 1kg/day, even to reach the heavier cow weights.

This should make calving at two a simple choice, as the sooner a heifer joins the herd, the sooner she will be paying back her rearing cost. Indeed, the cost of feeding a heifer to the point of calving is one of the strongest arguments for calving at two.

The feed requirements to bring a heifer from weaning at seven months (210 days) old, weighing 275kg to the point of bulling are shown in Table 3.

Valuing an average tonne of dry matter at £95/tonne, between grazing and housed diet, the feed costs to get from weaning to bulling are shown in table 4.

As can be seen, there is an extra cost of around £130, for every six months more that the heifer is kept from the bull.

Andy Duffus, one of the focus farmers, has decided to bull some of his autumn heifers to calve at two for the first time this year.

They are currently weighing just over 400kg, ideal for him as his average cow weight is 625kg. At the same time, the native Highland cross heifers that he has brought home will not calve until they are three as they will require that length of time to reach their potential.

However, this is not the full story and the arguments against calving at two have to be examined also.

Firstly, some more traditional types are slower maturing and better calved in at three for the first time as otherwise, they will not be large enough.

Also, if only a small handful of heifers are being brought in every year, operating a separate management group of first-calved heifers is not practical.

Focus farmers Charles and Alison Webster would prefer to calve their heifers down between two-and-a-half and three years old.

While this goes against much of what has been said before, they are doing a very different job to most other farmers. One of their main outputs is first-calved heifers, with calves at foot.

Although calving the heifers younger would reduce the Websters feed bill, those they sell would not do so well in the ring at Thainstone. Their buyers are looking for well-grown heifers that can be taken home and join the main herd immediately.

While bringing the heifers out costs the Websters more, it is reflected in the price that they receive for them in the ring. However, for those retaining their own heifers, calving at two has a greater financial benefit.