This app will help you check whether your heifers are likely to reach their target weights.
The Estimate Extra Production tool lets you estimate the extra production that might be achieved if heifers reach a target of 85% of the production of the mature cows.
The Estimate Reduced Culling tool helps you see the impact of heifers being lost early from the herd.
The weight calculator tool will let you enter the current weight and the target weight of your heifers and will help calculate the growth rate required to achieve your target weight.
The Growth Calculator tool will allow you to enter the diet you are feeding, and to see whether this diet is likely to achieve the growth rates you need
This calculator is designed to work out what growth rate your heifers will need to achieve to meet their target.
As a rule of thumb, growth rates of 0.6-0.8 kg/day are fairly easy to achieve from pasture alone.
Growth rates above 0.8 kg/day may require supplementary feed.
You can use the Diet Calculator tool to see if your current diet is likely to pose a risk.
Consult a nutritionist if your diet poses a risk of under-target heifers.
This calculator is designed to work out what growth rate your heifers are likely to achieve on their current diet.
Step 1. Current targets:
Step 2. Requirements
Step 3. Pasture availability
What sort of pasture is available?
Step 4. What supplementary feed are you giving them?
Step 5. Analysis
Assuming the grass above and that heifers are eating as much as they can we can calculate the expected growth rate:
(Note - these calculations are based on rules of thumb only. You should seek professional advice before acting on these calculations!)
This tool estimates the increased production that might be achieved if heifers are "On Target"
If they produced 85% of the mature cows you could be producing this many more litres per heifer:
(you could produce more milk, or the same milk with less cows)
Herd Structure:
** These are rules of thumb only.
Temperature, exercise and genetics and other factors will affect requirements
(Adapted from Holmes CW, Wilson GF (1987) Milk Production from Pasture)