Eleven age-matched (+/- 4 days) Hereford heifers were examined by transrectal ultrasonography daily for 18 days beginning 20 weeks (5 months) before puberty (first ovulation) to determine the suitability of the transrectal ultrasound technique for imaging the ovaries of prepubertal heifers and to test the hypothesis that ovarian follicular development occurs in waves in prepubertal heifers. Satisfactory ovarian images were obtained during preliminary ultrasound examinations conducted 4 weeks before the observational period (that is 32 weeks of age), during which a semirigid probe extension was used to allow external manipulation of the intrarectally placed ultrasound transducer. Daily examinations commencing at 36 weeks of age were accomplished by intrarectal placement of the operator's hand and transducer, without complication, in all 11 heifers throughout the observational period. Periodic increases in the number of follicles detected (day effect, P < 0.02) were inversely related to the diameter of the largest follicle (r = -0.3, P < 0.03). Portions of three anovulatory follicular waves were detected in all heifers during the observational period (first and third waves in part and second wave in whole). Individual follicles destined to assume a dominant or subordinate position in a wave were retrospectively identified and monitored beginning at a diameter of 4-5 mm. The interval between the emergence of dominant follicles of successive waves (interwave interval) was 8.0 +/- 0.4 days and the interval between successive maxima in the number of follicles per heifer per day was 8.1 +/- 0.5 days. The growing phase of the dominant follicles best fit a quadratic curve.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)