Brian Reidy: Selecting replacement heifers for the suckler herd

Breeding heifers at a younger age and at lighter weights yields a calf and return on investment earlier than waiting to breed until the heifer is heavier and older, but may require more careful management at calving, writes ruminant nutritionist Brian Reidy

Breeding heifers at a younger age and at lighter weights yields a calf and return on investment earlier than waiting to breed until the heifer is heavier and older, but may require more careful management at calving, writes ruminant nutritionist Brian Reidy.

Breeding replacement heifers is a very important part of any suckler herd.

Up until recently, breeding heifers before two years of age was almost unheard of, but now it is common practice to breed heifers at 15 months old or even younger.