Beginning questions (probably foolish)

[Chevylove4450]

Hey so I hope I'm posting in the right place, got a few questions.

To start off, I'm an ex-dairy farmer. Market forced me out in spring of 2019. I'm no idiot when it comes to cattle, but the differences in beef and dairy has me feeling like an idiot.

So when I sold my herd I kept back one heifer (jersey x lineback) for a couple reasons, one being she's tame. Two being she didnt have any good bids, which was odd because all of my other line backs sold quick and not. Three being my wife and I wanted to have atleast one bovine around yet to kick steers out of and just because I can't live without some type of bovine.

I bred this heifer to a gyr bull, don't remember the sire name, but got the seman from ST Genetics. My wife likes them floppy eared things so we thought it would be cool to breed that heifer to one and either raise a gyr cross steer.

I didn't pull him off the tit until he was around 8 months old, milking a single cow isn't on top of my priority list. When do beef guys typically wean calves? I'm assuming 8 months is later then normal beef weaning. My dairy calves were obviously bottle/bucket fed and weaned at 2 months, so not sure when to wean beef calves from the tit. Along with that, some back story.. we ride too. And have a jack that we use for breeding mares for mules. The way our new place that we bought is set up, we have two dry lots for over wintering. Currently the mares are on one side with the steer, and the jack on the other with the cow. Where the cow is is set up for cattle, and I'd like to have the steer on that side to, but anytime he gets close to that cow he just can't stop sucking. Are those nose rings for weaning worth it? I used them to keep heifers and cows not sucking on each other in the cow yard, but I don't know if this steer having one in will make that cow hesitant to nurse in the future or if it doesn't work that way?

Second, are gyr/Brahman cattle really dumb? I've read every where they're typically very intelligent cattle. But man, this steer has zero brain. It won't eat grain unless it's fed in a pail hung from a gate, if I dump grain in a bunk it won't even touch it.

I'm sure I'll come up with more questions. Amazes me how much dairy and beef are different, coming from dairy cattle atleast.

Thanks for any replies!

 

[Redgully]

Most beef is weaned no earlier than 6 months and no later than 9 months. Nose flaps in general are put in four a about five days before separating to stop noise and anxiety but kept together any longer they can work out how to drink around them.

 

[RDFF]

I grew up dairy too, but am now in the beef. The most common "conventional" beef guys seem to want to calve as early as possible it seems... mid January-February/early March is typical. This allows the most time to put weight on the calves before weaning in the fall when the grass quits. They will try to keep the calving window as tight as possible... 60 days or less. This gives you a more even bunch of calves in the fall. However, as you can see, time on the cow then could easily carry out to 8-9 months like you did.

Never had any experience with the Can'tSuck apparatus. Only have had one experience with a mule... it wasn't good... no need for them in my book. Prefer a good horse. Personally don't care for the long ears on cattle or riding stock. Maybe having been in dairy, you had opportunity to become familiar with some Brown Swiss calves... nice looking cattle, but in my experience they too seemed a little on the "few cards short" side............. Maybe the big ears means you have to give up some on the brains?