A 10-month-old female Japanese black heifer presenting with sudden loss of appetite was diagnosed with extreme extension of the gallbladder. Laparotomy reaching from the right part of the 10th rib to the right flank showed an extended gallbladder greater than 50 cm in diameter. Cholecystectomy was performed as follows: 1) complete removal of the gallbladder distally from the base; 2) flushing v...

Cow-calf producers require a consistent source of replacement females in order to maintain the size of the breeding herd at the desired level. Replacement females may be produced internally or acquired from external sources. This discussion will focus upon the critical control points that range from the selection criteria used in mating decisions to produce potential replacement heifers to the ...

Data on the reproductive traits of dairy heifers were analyzed using event-time techniques. Traits analyzed were age at first calving (n = 4631), days to first breeding, and days open (n = 1992) during the first lactation. A proportional hazard model was used that included fixed effects of herd-year, year-season, breed type, herd weight, and heifer weight. Body weights were recorded at 390 d of...

The objective of this study was to determine primiparous heifer performance following three different heifer development strategies that were the result of timed nutrient limitation. Two hundred eighty-two spring-born MARC III heifers were weaned at 203+/-1 d of age and 205+/-1 kg BW. The experiment was conducted on two calf crops with 120 heifers born in 1996 and 162 heifers born in 1997. Trea...

Abstract The study objective was to evaluate health, performance, and antimicrobial costs of heifers where targeted metaphylaxis guided by a commercial blood leukocyte analyzer compared traditional regimen. Using randomized complete block design, (n=1,271; initial body weight (BW) = 233.3±1.08 kg) were randomly allocated treatment pens (n=20; 10 blocks). Treatments were: 1) cattle administered ...

The goals of a dairy replacement management program are to rear heifers at a low economic and environmental cost without compromising future lactation performance. To meet these objectives, increased sophistication dairy heifer nutrition programs may be required. Research evaluating more sophisticated dairy heifer nutrition programs however does not always result in a relevant field application...

This report summarized the findings of a case of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae infection in a farmed Norwegian Red heifer located in the south-east of Norway. The 2.5-year-old pregnant heifer was found dead after a short episode of inappetence. On gross exam, the heifer was severely dehydrated with uterine torsion. Microscopically, necrosis of the endometrium was present throughout the uterus al...

A target BW is often used to estimate sexual maturity in beef heifers. The target BW, a percentage of mature BW, is generally an average for the breed, herd, or both. Heifer development is done in groups or herds, and not all heifers respond similarly to the same development regimen. Generally, heifers fed at a higher plane of nutrition gain more BW and tend to have increased pregnancy rates, b...