A maths puzzle for you today: if the target age at 1st calving for dairy heifers is 24 months, and the average cost of each additional day to 1st calving is £2.87 per day, what’s the extra cost of rearing a heifer for an average UK dairy farm that calves heifers at 28.8 months?
The Answer is:
It’s about £413 (£2.87 x 4.8 months x 30 days). Weight is important as well as age, so weighing heifers regularly from birth, through weaning and until mating and beyond, can help decide whether heifer growth rates are on target or not.