Birth date, weaning weight and date, sex of calf, year of birth, age of dam and management group were recorded for each calf. Birth weights were recorded in only one herd and standard values of 27.2 kg and 29.5 kg were used for heifer and bull calves respectively in other herds. For the purpose of the analyses age of dam was restricted to five groups, two-, three-, four-, five to eight-, and ov...

The main aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of campylobacteriosis in population of heifers in Poland. An additional objective was to compare two independent methods used in diagnosis of the disease: culture and PCR. The 1,600 vaginal swabs from heifer origin from different farms of Poland were investigated using both methods. The results showed that the percentage of positive samp...

The freemartin heifer, a sterile female twin to a bull calf, has been known to cattle farmers for centuries. Lillie (1916, 1917) and Tandler & Keller (1911) established that the anastomosis which forms between the placentae of the twins allows hormones from the male to masculinize the indifferent gonad of the female twin. At this time, it was uncertain whether or not the condition occurred in s...

Dairy heifers had an estimated grazed pasture intake of either 11.8 (H) or 6.0 (L) kg DM/heifer/day for four weeks in early lactation and a common pasture allowance thereafter. Group L produced less milk (2202 vs. 2433 R) and milk protein (75.0 vs. 81.6 kg) than Group H in 31 weeks but milk fat yield (104.9 vs. 109.8 kg) and milk composition were not significantly affected. All heifers lost bod...