Daryl G. Meyer, DVM a North Platte, NE, veterinarian, has spayed thousands of heifers. He says spayed heifers generally are calmer than their intact counterparts. “They handle more like steers. They also gain better. If everything is equal, spayed females outperform intact heifers.” Spaying heifers is a management tool that’s nearly a century old. It involves surgical removal of the ovaries — the primary source of estrogen and progesterone in females — thus eliminating estrous cycles and pregnancies.
Anybody aware of a vet clinic that would spay several hundred heifers a year? None of the large practices I've contacted in northwest Iowa are interested in doing any kind of volume of spaying.