WEANING CALVES

These silly milk suckers... Seriously how long does a calve expect to suck from their mother?  Its time to wean!  Grow up already.

I was wondering why my cattle with calves are too skinny.  After thinking very hard about it, I realized that their calves suckle for a very very long time.  Most suck for 7 to 8 months.  While suckling, this cow is most likely pregnant.  Eventually when their mothers wean their young once naturally themselves, their bodies have deteriorated so much. With little time to regain weight before the next birth.  And in a short time, they will give birth again.  And the cycle continues...Same story every year.  

  Bad conditioned lactating cow to a 6 month calve. To be weaned.

   One and a half month old calf suckling from mommy.

  10 month old suckling calve. This bad boy has no shame.

  Newborn suckling. Cow soon to deteriorate in body condition.

Weaning is an excellent management skill.  Every farmer should practice this management style.  So what is weaning?  At what age can weaning be done?  How is it done?

Weaning is the process of separating calves from their source of milk. It is a very stressful time for both the cow and the calves. But obviously, more stress for the calve (environmentally, psychologically and nutritionally).  If not done properly, it can have serious long term consequences. Most calves are weaned at 3 to 10 months (120 to 290 days) after birth.  Most farmers wean at 6 months (205 days).  Weight is also a factor to consider.

There are several steps to be followed when weaning calves.   Precondition calves prior to weaning. You can castrate the male calves, dehorn and vaccinate if necessary.  If the above is done while weaning, the calve can easily loose alot of weight as the nutritional supply from milk is cut. Illnesses can also arise if weaning is done with dehorning or castration.  To mininimize this, provide immunization and boosters. Treat for internal and external parasites.  Another way of preconditioning calves is to supply them with additional nutritional licks/supplementation before weaning. This is so they pick up more weight.  Most importantly, change their diets.  Start giving lurcerne grass in enclosed areas.

To do the actual weaning.  Use the different camps to separate mother from calves with fencing. For most farmers, this alternative is difficult as land is limited.  Most farmers simply use nose rings. They are effective for most calves.  But some clever calves maneuver their way around them.  This method is less stressful for the calve because it is in direct contact with the mother and it can smell and touch her.

 Nose ring for weaning with spikes.  The spikes poke the mothers  udder while calve suckles, thus mother does not let calve suckle.

I personally plan on weaning my calves at 6-8 months.  Depending on factors such as how much the calve weighs, the environmental/pasture conditions and on the condition of the mother.

Happy weaning!

XoXo