Best weaning age.

[Redgully]

Wondering if anyone has thoughts on what effects weaning at different ages makes on the calf. I guess like me most of you wean at six months. I have had to wean at down to a few weeks on occasions and found that to really stunt them for a while but no ongoing issues as they mature. What I'm keen to know is if you leave them on say 9-12 months can this affect their long term health given the stomach of an animal that age probably isn't designed for milk anymore. Or is it a case of the more the better. I know a guy that has some dairy cattle he milks and feeds his steers milk every day until 18 months and then slaughters them. He reckons the meat is like butter. I haven't seen any of the animals or the meat but found it surprising snd interesting.

 

[bird dog]

Over the years I have moved closer to 8 months. Since my calving cycle is not real tight I wean usually three time a year. Calves now weaned are 7 to 8 1/2 months. Since I pre-condition the calves and I don't have a problem selling big animals like some of you do, it makes sense for me. The older calves just seem to recover from the wean faster and resume putting on weight.
The older calves will start eating grain right away even though they have never seen it before up until they go behind the wean fence. Fence line weaning with older calves is a breeze as mom is getting tired of them anyway.

I wouldn't want to go much further than 8 1/2 months. To many times the cow rebreeds early and doesn't have much time to rest before she calves again.

 

[Rafter S]

7 - 9 months here, and I prefer 8.

 

[Texas G@l]

7 - 9 months here, and I prefer 8.

same here....unless it's a droughty year and I'm counting every blade of grass; then, it's sooner rather than later.

 

[Khoisan]

Weaning at six months of age - keep them in small camp for three weeks with lucern pellets, straw, Port Jackson branches, multi lick block and fresh water - voila job done!

 

[TCRanch]

Still weaning at appx. 6 months, give or take. But they're weaned generally a minimum of 45 days, already eating cubes prior to weaning so bunk broke and I usually let them graze the brome, don't sell until the end of the year/first part of the following year.

 

[Redgully]

7 - 9 months here, and I prefer 8.

My dad always weaned at 9 months, said they had three months to get rest before the next. I'm just wondering does this cause any long term gut issues in that could it prevent their stomachs developing a proper rumen? I guess my thoughts are similar to muscles, if you don't work a muscle it doesn't develop. This is all just a simple theory i am pondering at the moment.

 

[wbvs58]

I wean at the end of summer. That can be early February or late March, early April. It is basically when the grass goes belly up and I am conserving it for winter feed. They either go direct to the saleyards to weaner sales or the ones I am keeping will get supported with a grain mix over winter to make sure they continue to grow around a kilo/day. I have weaned down to about 2 months and again they get supported with a grain mix. I have not noticed a difference with those early weaned ones.

Ken

 

[Rafter S]

7 - 9 months here, and I prefer 8.

My dad always weaned at 9 months, said they had three months to get rest before the next. I'm just wondering does this cause any long term gut issues in that could it prevent their stomachs developing a proper rumen? I guess my thoughts are similar to muscles, if you don't work a muscle it doesn't develop. This is all just a simple theory i am pondering at the moment.

I wouldn't think so. They're eating plenty grass by that age.

 

[greggy]

Family usually did 7 to 9 months, but, may be doing earlier as you get more per kilo for lighter animals.....

It wont hurt them drinking milk in anything I have read anywhere.

 

[anewcomer]

More per kilo, but what about total dollars per head?

 

[Lucky]

If you calve in a 90 day window 7-9 months would be the target. Leaving the calf on the cow longer definitely makes for a bigger calf. The tole it takes on the cow depends on what time of year you wean and how good feed is. Everything you read says wean at 210 days