I have a 14 month old Dairy Heifer this is my first go around with cows... I know this is a silly question but was wondering what would happen if I did not breed her. Is that bad for her health?

I have a 14 month old Dairy Heifer this is my first go around with cows... I know this is a silly question but was wondering what would happen if I did not breed her. Is that bad for her health?

What was your purpose for getting her?

I'm thinking if you don't 'breed' her she'll never be a diary cow..

And if you want to keep her a dairy cow, she has to be 'freshened' now and then to keep her producing milk..

At least that's the little bit of knowledge I gained from Stonyfield Yogurt..

I'm thinking if you don't 'breed' her she'll never be a diary cow..

And if you want to keep her a dairy cow, she has to be 'freshened' now and then to keep her producing milk..

At least that's the little bit of knowledge I gained from Stonyfield Yogurt..

:killingme that is such a nice way of saying it.

I believe a dairy cow has to be bred to bring on the milk.

The cow

Dairy heifers are of great value to their breeders, as they will become the next generation of dairy cows. As a cow cannot produce milk until after calving (giving birth), most farmers will begin breeding heifers as soon as they are fit, at about fourteen months of age for Holsteins. A cow's gestation period is about nine months (283 days long), so most heifers give birth and become cows at about two years of age.

A cow will produce large amounts of milk over its lifetime. Certain breeds produce more milk than others; however, different breeds produce within a range of around 4,000 to over 10,000 kg of milk per annum. The average for dairy cows in the US in 2005 was 8,800 kg (19,576 pounds).

Production levels peak at around 40 to 60 days after calving. The cow is then bred. Production declines steadily afterwards, until, at about 305 days after calving, the cow is 'dried off', and milking ceases. About sixty days later, one year after the birth of her previous calf, a cow will calve again. High production cows are more difficult to breed at a one year interval. Many farms take the view that 13 or even 14 month cycles are more appropriate for this type of cow.

Dairy cows will continue to be productive members of the herd for many lactations. 10 or more lactations are not uncommon. The chances of problems arising which may lead to a cow being culled are however, high; the average herd life of US Holsteins is today fewer than 3 lactations. This is unfortunate as it requires more expensive herd replacements to be reared or purchased. Over 90% of all cows are culled for 4 main reasons:

more at Dairy cattle: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article (http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Dairy_cattle)

:killingme that is such a nice way of saying it.

I believe a dairy cow has to be bred to bring on the milk.

:killingme itsbob should stay with 2 wheels not 4 hooves:killingme:killingme

:killingme itsbob should stay with 2 wheels not 4 hooves:killingme:killingme

What did I say that was wrong??

It's the terminology that StonyField used on their tour AND on their website..

I guess I could have used forum lingo..

She has to be subjected to the meathammer regularly.. so her bodacious triple Z produces titnectar..

A good AzzyCow can take two or three meathammers at a time, but it only takes one GumBull's pimpjuice to keep her pumping out the boobjuice, making her more productive but no more pretty.

:lol:

Bob, the term freshening means calving, not breeding.

To the OP, it's not bad for her if you don't breed her now. :shrug: She'll be just fine if she's never bred.

:lol:

Bob, the term freshening means calving, not breeding.

To the OP, it's not bad for her if you don't breed her now. :shrug: She'll be just fine if she's never bred.

So she can't freshen without takin the meathammer once or twice can she?

So she can't freshen without takin the meathammer once or twice can she?

She can if she's bred by AI. :neener:

She can if she's bred by AI. :neener:

Then she has to take Thor's Hammer..

All the way up to the shoulder..

Then she has to take Thor's Hammer..

All the way up to the shoulder..

Nah, no farther than the forearm, and that's up the :gossip:. :lol:

Nah, no farther than the forearm, and that's up the :gossip:. :lol:

Is this the fisting thread......:confused:



:jerry:

What did I say that was wrong??

It's the terminology that StonyField used on their tour AND on their website..

I guess I could have used forum lingo..

She has to be subjected to the meathammer regularly.. so her bodacious triple Z produces titnectar..

A good AzzyCow can take two or three meathammers at a time, but it only takes one GumBull's pimpjuice to keep her pumping out the boobjuice, making her more productive but no more pretty.

:killingme:killingme:killingme

I have a 14 month old Dairy Heifer this is my first go around with cows... I know this is a silly question but was wondering what would happen if I did not breed her. Is that bad for her health?

It depends on your heifer. Alot of dairy heifers will not breed. The only way to know for sure is to expose them to a bull or have them vet checked. A 14 month old dairy heifer that will breed is expensive. She would of cost you about $1,200-1,500 dollars. If you bought her from a dairy, farmer, or dealer, and you didnt pay that much chances are she won't breed. Dairy cows must breed and have 4 good quarters. Knowing if all four quarters are good is hard. You can look at them and make a good educated guess, but you never know for sure until she starts producing milk. If they don't they are only worth meat money. Most dairy cows end up as meat cows when they stop breeding or a quarter goes bad. Thats the Grade A beef you get at the store. If you want to sell her or trade her for a beef type cow just let me know.

It depends on your heifer. Alot of dairy heifers will not breed. The only way to know for sure is to expose them to a bull or have them vet checked. A 14 month old dairy heifer that will breed is expensive. She would of cost you about $1,200-1,500 dollars. If you bought her from a dairy, farmer, or dealer, and you didnt pay that much chances are she won't breed.

What are you talking about?

I'm thinking if you don't 'breed' her she'll never be a diary cow..
And if you want to keep her a dairy cow, she has to be 'freshened' now and then to keep her producing milk..

At least that's the little bit of knowledge I gained from Stonyfield Yogurt..

Gotta have something to put in the diary.:shrug:

What are you talking about?

Sorry I guess I got off topic. I am known to do that. It will not hurt her, if she is not breed. However, she will never be a dairy cow. She will only be a cow after she has a calf. On my other post, I was just giving some insight to what she is worth. I was also advising that not all dairy heifers breed, and the ones that don't are not worth much money.

Sorry I guess I got off topic. I am known to do that. It will not hurt her, if she is not breed. However, she will never be a dairy cow. She will only be a cow after she has a calf. On my other post, I was just giving some insight to what she is worth. I was also advising that not all dairy heifers breed, and the ones that don't are not worth much money.

Why don't they?

Why don't they?

Frigid:shrug:

Why don't they?

You hear about it a lot more because of the fact that dairy heifers are not worth much unless they breed. Because of that, most heifers are checked before they are sold, because people won't pay top money or even bid on them if they don't breed. Alot of times they are not checked by vets and they are damaged, during the test. Farmers, Dealers, and Amish think they can check them by "tubing" and they mess them up from time to time. Most sales have now banned buyers from attempting to check them at the sale. Most big Dairy sales have a vet on site now, and they check them before the sale. When the heifers enter the ring they tell you if they will breed or not. Also a lot of times they are bred AI, and are damaged. Dairy heifers won't breed if they are a twin. You see alot of twin dairy calves. I'm sure there are alot of meat cows that don't breed also, but you don't hear about it because they are not checked. A meat heifer brings the same amount if they breed or not.

Dairy heifers won't breed if they are a twin. You see alot of twin dairy calves. I'm sure there are alot of meat cows that don't breed also, but you don't hear about it because they are not checked. A meat heifer brings the same amount if they breed or not.

If both twins are female, then they'll be fine. And there's still a very small chance a female twin will breed. I've known several dairy farmers who will keep a female twin of a very nice cow just in case she is one of the few that will breed.


I'd say the majority of dairy heifers have no problem settling. Out of all the heifers I've raised or worked with, only one or two didn't settle.

I'm not sure why you're saying heifers won't bring much money if they're not already bred. Most dairy heifers (even calves) go for good money, especially in parts of the state where dairy farms are more common.

And it sounds like the OP doesn't care what his heifer is worth, he just wanted to know if it would harm her if he didn't breed her. :yay:

No, what I said is they won't bring much if they can't breed. I never said they had to be bred. If they can't breed they are only meat cows, and they will only bring meat money.

:shrug:

Does anybody have an extra cow they don't want. Or on I can borrow.

:thewave:

I have a horse that is petrified of cows and would like to do some training with him.:whistle:

:biggrin: