The objective of this study was to estimate the production cost of Holstein and crossbred (Holstein-Gir) dairy heifers, in the pre and post-weaning phases and also to identify the components that have the highest influence on the final costs of the activity. In the two genetic groups, pre and post-weaning phases last from birth to weaning (between 90 to 100 days), and from weaning to calving, respectively. Heifers were bred when reached 360 kg of live weight, which occurred between 14 to 16 months for pure females, and from 19 to 21 months for crossbred females, resulting in an estimating age of first calving around 23 to 25 and 28 to 30 months, respectively. The total operational costs of a female Holstein and crossbred heifer were US$1,978.24 and US$1,700.68, respectively. However, the age at the first calving for the pure females occurred 89 days earlier. The items with highest representativeness in effective operational cost were the feeding, followed by labor and miscellaneous expenses, in both production systems.
breeding; dairy cattle; production cost