Can a heifer be too old to breed?

[dragonmorgan]

I don't have any plans of breeding my heifers any time soon, especially since one is on the bottle and the other I am in the process of tryin to save her (she went down 5 days ago from, we think, parasites. I know it is probably a losing battle but I have to try. She is my baby and is only about 2 yrs old) Anyway back to my question, if you don't breed a heifer at around the 15-18 month age range, or even the 2-3 year age range, could it cause problems down the road? I know most heifers are bred at that age so they can go ahead and start "earning their keep" but would it be dangerous to mom or the baby if you waited?

 

[redtailgal]

It can cause problems (cystic ovaries) that will make them harder to breed. But it would be more that she would have a harder time getting pregnant and not so much dangerous.

 

[dragonmorgan]

o ok. Is there an age that is kind of "the line"? Like over _____ age they are at risk of cysts and other difficulties?

 

[WildRoseBeef]

I have to disagree with Red here. It is mere economics that makes a producer decide to breed heifers at that age or earlier than health reasons. I've been trying to find out if there is any problems with breeding heifers at older than long-yearling age (i.e., around 3 years of age or more), and so far there's nothing that says any such thing that redtail was telling about.

And really, you should determine when to breed based on weight primarily, not age. A heifer should be around 60 to 80% of its mature weight when first bred, no matter what age she is.


So even though I disagree with Red on that based on my knowledge, I am going to research more on this to find out if she is right or not. Red, I mean no offense to you. Have you any research that says similar or the same as what you said?


ETA: Based on what Merck Veterinary Manual says about Cystic Ovary Disease (COD) and Merck Animal Health says about COD here, I'm having no luck on finding anything that supports what Red has said so far. I'm still looking, but as far as I'm aware, cystic ovaries are more prevalent and a big problem with dairy cows and as a hereditary disease, not as an issue with breeding heifers at an older age.

 

[dragonmorgan]

yes I would love to know too. My cows are just pets right now and I do not know when we will be ready to breed them and deal with the added needs a calf requires (like special supplements in the moms feed and calf proofing our fence and what not) but if it is unhealthy to wait so long then we will speed to process along of making ourselves ready when the time comes.

 

[WildRoseBeef]

See my edited post above.

 

[jhm47]

One thing that I would suspect is that as heifers age, their pelvis will become less pliable, and less able to allow a calf to pass through. The pelvic floor is somewhat flexible in younger animals, and will give some during the delivery of a calf. In older heifers (5 - 6 years or older), it may not give as much. Of course, one plus to older animals is that they will be much larger, and their pelvis will also be larger, which will allow a calf to pass through easier. Just be careful not to allow an older animal like this to get too fat, as that will also make giving birth more difficult.

 

[redtailgal]

GASP in horror! You cant disagree with me!

No, I am not offended, lol. We can have differing opinions.

As for research, no, I have none. My opinion is based only on personal experiences.

 

[boothcreek]

Our red heifer did not get bred until she was 3 yrs old(didnt have a bull for that time), the birth was a bit problematic, Calf got stuck and she wouldnt let us pull, took her over 24 hrs to pass it and of course the calf was dead at that point. Vet said its because she was bred so late in life and her pelvis didnt have a chance to stretch when it was still all flexible....
Wasnt that big of a calf either.
Almost lost the cow too because the 3 days after she wouldnt get up, she'd just lay there not eat or drink.

So no, we wont let a heifer sit unbred for that long again.

The calf she had the following year was a breeze since she was all "stretched out" for it.

 

[dragonmorgan]

Well that works for me lol. It could depend on the cow too i suppose since alot of heifers have tough times with their first calves anyway, or so I have heard about. It does make sense though that the pelvis would flex easier while young.