# Heifer heat cycles



## dezeeuwgoats (Jan 12, 2006)

Hey - anyone here able to educate me about heat cycles in bovines? I have a holstein sire/jersey dam, heifer that is six and a half months old. I might be crazy, but I think she just cycled for the second time this past week. Reason I believe that is due to her bawling for two nights straight, slight discharge, acting kinda testy - all the usual signs. The first time she did this was about a month ago. Please tell me she won't be doing this EVERY month until she's bred! (leading me to my next question - how early can a cow be bred????  ) The noise is driving me nuts. :help: 

She's a good size, quite a bit larger than the same age heifers at a dairy down the street. I bought from a private owner - so saw both parents, and know the birthdate exactly. She was on her mother for eight weeks.

I have goats, lots of goats, lol. They can cycle at a very young age and bucks are born interested! Tell me about cows :baby04:


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## Guest (Oct 27, 2007)

She definitely could be cycling already. It more depends on size than age (to an extent). In highly fertile breeds heifers can start cycling by 4 months of age, and they can get bred too. Not that it is a good idea. 

The fact that this heifer is cycling is actually a great thing for you. It means she is very fertile, and much more likely to catch to the first breeding, and to subsequently breed back.

Breeding wise, I would wait until she is at the very least 12 months, but 14-16 would be better. You want to make sure she is developed enough to have a calf, and 21 months is slightly on the young end for a heifer to calve. If she is big, and well developed, I wouldn't worry about her age as much. Find out what the normal breeding weight is for a holstein/jersey cross, and work from there. 

I am in the beef side, and we like our heifers to weigh 750-900 lbs when we breed them, and prefer them to be in the 13-16 month range. I would imagine dairy heifers are a bit lighter than that, but the age range would likely be close to the same.


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## Donna from Mo (Jan 8, 2003)

All the Jersey heifers I've ever had came in heat for the first time before six months of age. Jerseys are like that. I guess half-Jerseys are like that too!


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## heinola honey (Feb 20, 2003)

I know for a fact they can cycle at six months for we have a brand new Jersey heifer calf today from our 15 month old jersey heifer/cow. We didn't think the bull was here when we saw what we thought was her first cycle....She proved us wrong.
Ruth


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## dezeeuwgoats (Jan 12, 2006)

Wow.......My goodness, sounds like I'm going to have to put up with some noisy nights every month then? Do they cycle every month until bred?

Edited to add: I'm guessing that she's pretty close to six hundred pounds and she isn't at all fat, just in good condition. She's on an acre bermuda pasture, and gets free choice alfalfa pellets and minerals.

Sincerely;
Niki


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## mtnmenagerie (Jun 16, 2007)

we have a jersey heifer... we also have ear plugs on our night stand!! lol... honest!


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## JeffNY (Dec 13, 2004)

Sometimes they quiet down after they have gone through a few more heats. They instead resort to annoying others, and waiting to be mounted etc etc.



Jeff


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## dezeeuwgoats (Jan 12, 2006)

So, every thirty days then????

Niki


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## JeffNY (Dec 13, 2004)

17-24 days, average is 21. It highly depends on the heifer.



Jeff


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## dezeeuwgoats (Jan 12, 2006)

Thanks! Appreciate everyone's feedback. 

Hopefully she quiets down - is it normal for them to get frisky ( ie a bit disrespectful) when they are in season? How to discipline a cow? lol Avoid the pen those few days? Smack her on the nose? She scares me. All the other times she is fine, friendly and gentle.

Niki


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## Donna from Mo (Jan 8, 2003)

Keep your distance and watch your back. Years ago I was heading to the house with a bucket of milk in each hand and a heifer in heat decided to mount me. I wasn't injured, and I tried not to cry over the split milk. They're nuts when they're in heat; I doubt discipline would do any good.


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## dezeeuwgoats (Jan 12, 2006)

Alright - even at her size now it is scary. I can't imagine a twelve hundred pound cow acting that way! 

At this point - I'll be glad when she is finally bred! 

Anyone with this cross (hostein/jersey) want to fill me in on how much milk to expect?

Niki


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## Guest (Oct 30, 2007)

dezeeuwgoats said:


> Thanks! Appreciate everyone's feedback.
> 
> Hopefully she quiets down - is it normal for them to get frisky ( ie a bit disrespectful) when they are in season? How to discipline a cow? lol Avoid the pen those few days? Smack her on the nose? She scares me. All the other times she is fine, friendly and gentle.
> 
> Niki


Smack her on the nose whenever she invades your space. She needs to know that she has to stay out of your space. You don't have to be mean, just enough to teach her to back off. Use your voice, say 'back off' or something of the sort, she will learn what you mean. Then even if she is in heat, she should remember what you mean. And always keep your eye on her, especially if she is in heat. A friendly, pet, cow is the most dangerous of all. Cause you never expect anything to happen from them. Not that they are meaner, just that you are less cautious, and they are at all afraid of humans.


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## JeffNY (Dec 13, 2004)

As a cow she will be less likely to act the same way. Heifers typically act the nuttiest. I have found as cows they tend to chase down their own kind.


Jeff


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## Donna from Mo (Jan 8, 2003)

As to how much milk to expect: I'd say at least six gallons per day, but of course it depends on what sort of milkers are in her background... how much her mother gave, etc. Oh, and they often don't give nearly as much their first lactation as they do later.


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