bottle weaning

[Dixieangus]

how do most of you wean a bottle calf???

 

[dun]

Cold turkey

 

[Dixieangus]

both bottles at once

 

[novaman]

I quit cold turkey as well. I know many claim that cutting down works better but I have found that that method seems to prolong the stressful period. Cold turkey they will cry around for a day or two and then move on. Make sure they are eating at least 3 pounds of starter a day before you pull them off of milk or they will have problems.

 

[backhoeboogie]

By the almanac. There is a time to wean and a time not to.

 

[TexasBred]

how do most of you wean a bottle calf???

We always weaned dairy calves at 6 weeks. By that time they were eating calf starter very agressively. Put them in a small "trap" of about a half acre and feed in the feeder at all times. Then eventually moved them to a larger pasture.

 

[larryshoat]

I don't wean cold turkey, if that works for you then great, but I've seen calves stop eating grain when you quit milk all at once. At 30 days of age we are feeding 14oz of powder twice a day. At 30 days we start to drop one feeding of milk day every other day, at day 37 we cut back to 1 feeding per day and start to skip that feeding so that some days they don't get milk. From there we keep an eye on feed consumption and are weaned completely by day 49.

Larry

 

[alisonb]

I wean at 60 days, dairy and beef animals. I do believe that what you put into an animal in this initial growth period is vital for good future developement and don't cut corners. A week before they are weaned I cut their afternoon milk and then after that week wean completely. They are given calf starter when they are a couple of days old and are encouraged to eat, starter is fed ad lib until they are eating well. Thereafter they will get a ration twice daily and are herded into a 'green' grazing camp during the day.

 

[hillsdown]

I always weened at around 90 days, some would be older, some younger ,as I liked to do them as a group. BUT, I started decreasing their daily milk at 60 days old in 2 pint increments each week . They still bawled when we moved them though, I think it had more to do with a new housing area as they got quite accustomed to being in their igloos .

 

[msscamp]

how do most of you wean a bottle calf???

I don't wean cold turkey. It puts too much stress on a calf that has already had too much stress in its life, and it can also cause a calf to go off feed and get sick. I wean by cutting the bottle down by 2 pints over the course of a couple of days, and watching to see if the calf compensates by eating more grain and hay. If he eats more, then I cut down by 2 more pints, etc.. I always make sure to watch the calf, make sure he does not appear gaunted up, overly stressed, etc.