Not all the cows in a herd need the same amount and quality of feed. One of the best ways to reduce supplemental feed costs during the winter is to separate the cow herd based on feed needs and feed accordingly. A logical separation would be into three groups:
Two-year-old, first-calf heifers do not have a mature set of teeth. That limits her bite size, and she cannot match mature cows for forage intake. Replacement heifers, first-calf heifers, and thin older cows might be combined if pasture areas are limited.