Physiology and endocrinology of puberty in heifers.

When it comes to development of beef heifers, the importance of maximizing the proportion of heifers that are born early in the calving season cannot be overemphasized. Because early onset of puberty is of critical importance to heifer development, the purpose of this article was to describe the physiological and endocrine maturation that control the onset of puberty in beef cattle. These concepts will be helpful in understanding the physiological and endocrine changes that take place in a heifer as she approaches puberty and in understanding how specific estrous synchronization products are able to induce and synchronize estrus and ovulation.