Fence Line Weaning ?

[Stocker Steve]

If the calves are inside the corral looking for a hole, and the cows are outside the corral gate making a lot of noise - - does this qualify as "fence line weaning" ?

 

[Tim/South]

Yes.
I am weaning through a pen this year. I even have one calf who nursed through the panels a time or two. I did not mind as it eased her mind.
Our's did not make much of a racket. Some mild moos but nothing loud.
We kept feed in front of the calves and the transition was smooth. About to wean another group shortly.

 

[greybeard]

Weaned 8 like that this fall (in the pen) for 2 days, with the mommas outside the pen--then moved the mommas off to another pasture on day 3. A fence by any other name is still a fence.

 

[snake67]

When you are weaning 400 calves and it goes quiet at night during fence line weaning then you know you will have to sort again in the morning. Roll over and relax until it gets light and start all over again.

The best weaning is to sort and haul them away.

Cows will shut up after about two to three days.

Cheers

Bez

 

[Stocker Steve]

Yes. I am weaning through a pen this year.

I guess I am trendy for a change !

Had 2 cows that were still at it after one day. One has a lot of attitude and is on my cull list, the other' calf found a hole and made it back...

 

[pdfangus]

BEST RESULTS i HAD WAS TO USE THE NOSE RINGS FOR A WEEK AND THEN TAKE THEM OUT ON DAY SEVEN AND DO A FENCELINE SEPERATION.....NOW THE FENCE HAS TO BE A GOOD FENCE....NOT THREE STRANDS OF LOOSE BARB WIRE....

THE NOSE RING WEANERS GOT THEM TO STOP NURSING AND THEN YOU ONLY HAD TO BREAK THE EMOTIONAL CONNECTION AND THAT WENT PRETTY QUICK WITH THIS METHOD....

 

[TN Cattle Man]

If the calves are inside the corral looking for a hole, and the cows are outside the corral gate making a lot of noise - - does this qualify as "fence line weaning" ?

Absolutely!! This is the preferred way that we wean! Like others have mentioned above, I would rather have corral boards separating my weanling calves than wire fencing! We are weaning several this way right now!

 

[Black and Good]

If the calves are inside the corral looking for a hole, and the cows are outside the corral gate making a lot of noise - - does this qualify as "fence line weaning" ?

Yep, I call it nose to nose Weaning. The cows come up and raise cane three times a day for bout three days then they kinda quiet down and give up on it. I wean through steel pipe fence. I wire up cattle panels were they are nose to nose, if I've got some calves that are being weaned earlier and are small enough to be a concern. This also helps with the cows that are smart enough to go up there and get broadside up against the fence. LOL B&G

 

[mjnetex]

Is there anybody out there that weans "gradually", or am I just really weird? I "fence-line" wean but for about three days I let the cows in twice a day (after the calves nurse and they lick on them a bit the cows leave the corral readily for a few cubes, they know the routine), then let the calves nurse once a day for four or five days...
some calves bawl not at all, the worst only bawl some the first night or when switching from twice to once. Since my house is quite close to the corral, and I can't stand to hear them bawl, I really like doing it this way. Years ago I had dairy-cross cows that would sometimes get mastitis if the calf was weaned too abruptly--that's how I got this idea. I know it won't work if you are weaning more than a few at a time.

 

[Black and Good]

Is there anybody out there that weans "gradually", or am I just really weird? I "fence-line" wean but for about three days I let the cows in twice a day (after the calves nurse and they lick on them a bit the cows leave the corral readily for a few cubes, they know the routine), then let the calves nurse once a day for four or five days...
some calves bawl not at all, the worst only bawl some the first night or when switching from twice to once. Since my house is quite close to the corral, and I can't stand to hear them bawl, I really like doing it this way. Years ago I had dairy-cross cows that would sometimes get mastitis if the calf was weaned too abruptly--that's how I got this idea. I know it won't work if you are weaning more than a few at a time.

I see nothing wrong with that system, other all the sorting that takes. I guess it would depend on setup, cows etc. B&G :2cents:

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Is there anybody out there that weans "gradually", or am I just really weird? I "fence-line" wean but for about three days I let the cows in twice a day (after the calves nurse and they lick on them a bit the cows leave the corral readily for a few cubes, they know the routine), then let the calves nurse once a day for four or five days...
some calves bawl not at all, the worst only bawl some the first night or when switching from twice to once. Since my house is quite close to the corral, and I can't stand to hear them bawl, I really like doing it this way. Years ago I had dairy-cross cows that would sometimes get mastitis if the calf was weaned too abruptly--that's how I got this idea. I know it won't work if you are weaning more than a few at a time.

May be a good way to do it, but to me it's seems it might be more stressful, i don't know.

 

[Tim/South]

Neither our calves or the momma cows say much. The calves are creep fed while in the pen with a roll of hay added. I kept the last group up 2 weeks because they were "notarized" and vaccinated, just wanted to keep an eye on them and the weather was nice. They are now in a weaning pasture with the group weaned prior. They are fed twice a day and have have free choice hay. At 45 days they are ready to be sold depending on the market.
When we weaned the old fashioned way, we had a lot of stress shrink. It took a month just to get them back up to snuff. Not so now days.
We also no longer have calves running the fence line looking for momma, do not have momma cows doing the same.
Fence weaning to me is the best and least stressful way to transition a hard body on a calf.

 

[greybeard]

Is there anybody out there that weans "gradually", or am I just really weird? I "fence-line" wean but for about three days I let the cows in twice a day (after the calves nurse and they lick on them a bit the cows leave the corral readily for a few cubes, they know the routine), then let the calves nurse once a day for four or five days...
some calves bawl not at all, the worst only bawl some the first night or when switching from twice to once. Since my house is quite close to the corral, and I can't stand to hear them bawl, I really like doing it this way. Years ago I had dairy-cross cows that would sometimes get mastitis if the calf was weaned too abruptly--that's how I got this idea. I know it won't work if you are weaning more than a few at a time.

Sounds like a more stressful way to do it to me. Prolonging the inevitable.