Context: Optimizing dietary energy supply is critical for enhancing growth efficiency and reproductive development in replacement heifers under practical farm conditions. Aims: The current study offers information regarding the impacts of dietary energy inclusion on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, follicular development as well as economics of Sahiwal and crossbred heifers. Methods: A total of 24 heifers comprising 12 Sahiwal and 12 crossbred replacement heifers, aged 18 ± 2 months with a body weight of 250 ± 10 kg, which were divided into 2x3 factorial and had four animals each over 42 days including two weeks adaptation period. Three isonitrogenous and calorie-dense total mixed ration were developed with 10, 15 and 20% of molasses. The data on weight gain, dry matter consumption, feed ratio, digestibility, and folliculogenesis was collected during the research. Experimental data were collected and analyzed using ANOVA in Minitab. Key results: The results indicated that increased energy supplementation contributed majorly (P0.05) to increased dry matter intake, improved body weight gain, and nutrient utilization. Major differences in breed were found in nutrient digestibility (P0.05). Moreover, folliculogenesis (P0.05) was positively affected by energy-rich diets, which showed the effect of reproductive readiness of growing heifers. Higher energy diets had an economic effect by increasing the total feed cost and cost per unit gain and decreasing the overall performance index. Conclusion: Higher dietary energy improves biological performance and follicular development in heifers; however, excessive energy supply compromises feed efficiency and economic returns. Implications: Moderate dietary energy levels appear most suitable for balancing growth, reproductive development, and economic efficiency in replacement heifers under practical farm management.
Hamid et al. (2026) studied this question.