Maturity, average daily gain, and body weight can be used to predict reproductive tract maturity score in beef replacement heifers consigned to a heifer development program in the southeastern United States

Many producers raise their own replacement heifers, and economic models have shown that the cost of raising replace­ment heifers from weaning to breeding is in excess of $1,400. Moreover, a heifer must wean 4 to 6 calves over the course of its productive life to offset the initial cost of development. Thus, selection and development of heifers that are likely to remain productive for many years is imperative to the long-term suc­cess of the cow herd. Heifers that successfully complete a heifer development program are those that achieve puberty early so that they conceive no later than 15 months of age and deliver their first calf by no later than 2 years of age. Additionally, con­ception should occur in the beginning of the breeding season to maximize lifetime productivity. Producers can use physical traits such as weight, hip height (HH), and reproductive tract maturity score (RTMS) as selection tools to identify heifers with a greater chance of achieving sustained reproductive suc­cess. The RTMS has shown significant promise in identifying heifers more likely to conceive early in a breeding season but, to date, no studies have looked at the factors associated with higher RTMS values. Thus, the objective of this study was to identify variables that can be used predict reproductive tract maturity score (RTMS) in beef replacement heifers.