Heifers

Heifers are young female cattle, usually sexually mature, and the term is applied especially to animals that have not yet calved or have calved only once, generally until the end of the first lactation. They are the future of the dairy and beef herd: rearing decisions on nutrition, growth rates and age at first calving strongly shape lifetime productivity. In beef production, heifer meat is valued for tenderness and fine marbling compared with meat from older cows. Sound health management, including vaccination and parasite control, supports welfare and the safety of the milk and meat they will later produce.