pits4life
Well-known member
i know this question will vary but at what age should you wean your calves and depending on response a reason would be very appreciated......
how long before weaning
- Thread starter pits4life
- Start date
Help Support CattleToday:
deenranch
Well-known member
A lot of it depends on your cattle body condition and the forages you have for them to eat... But as far as how old the calve would be, probably around 6 months old.... I wean my calves at this age. Both commercial and purebred.... It's just what I was taught...
JH_cattle_co
Active member
205 days, give or take, is the norm.
Douglas
Well-known member
would you wean early if you planned to cull some cows? To try to hit the market for culls better.
pits4life
Well-known member
the most important factor is to make sure i have healthy cattle as far as money or i should say return on my investment will come but i am mainly concentraiting on knowledge and ojt to better benefit myself for the future what ever might come my way i hope you all understand what i mean... i am in the learning process i have been around cattle and have seen alot of things but in the same aspect i am keeping an open mind and all suggestions are needed to better equip myself for the future i have seen alot of wrong doing for sure because i have seen the outcome of wrong doing and have just got involved with a person who i see is successful in the operation of cattle and the way he does things but i think everyone can get better or has room for improvement so i am soaking in all i can get to futher myself in this venture for the well being of the cattle and myself....
People usually go by a set date..... that they always use. Having said that, I personally like a cow with low milk numbers because, the calf mostly needs the rich milk the first few days, which she can supply for the first few weeks, and three or four months easily for the calf until he develops his stomach to digest and eat clover and creep feed.... if that is what a person chooses to feed.... depending on the quality of the pasture or hay. The growth of a calf kicks in when he begins to consume feed other than mamma's milk. So..... I would say that the more food available for the calf earlier in life, I would feel better about pulling it a littler earlier. If the mamma cow is a heavy milker, then I would say earlier. Mamma cows that milk heavy will look like thinner dairy cattle quick if the calf is left on too long. It all depends on the condition of mamma and baby.
Chuckie
Chuckie
ToddFarmsInc
Well-known member
Most cows will wean their calves themselves eventually if you are slow to do so yourself. I generally wean mine around Thanksgiving time for my late February-early March calves. I generally have plenty of food going into the winter, and the cows are always in good condition also going into the winter. By this time, most of the calves are just with the cows for companionship, and they really aren't nursing the cow any more.
This year, I was so busy with harvest, I didn't get around to weaning the calves when I usually do. Then the first blizzard come in, and I wasn't going to pull the calves off of the cows at that point, then the second Blizzard blew in, worse than the first, then the temperatures dropped into the sub freezing range.
I finnally got the calves weaned this past week. The cows cried the first night, the calves complained a little bit the second night, and I haven't heard a peep out of any of them since.
This year, I was so busy with harvest, I didn't get around to weaning the calves when I usually do. Then the first blizzard come in, and I wasn't going to pull the calves off of the cows at that point, then the second Blizzard blew in, worse than the first, then the temperatures dropped into the sub freezing range.
I finnally got the calves weaned this past week. The cows cried the first night, the calves complained a little bit the second night, and I haven't heard a peep out of any of them since.
Douglas":3cy3d6i4 said:
I do. I also creep to make sure the calves can sustain an early wean and are on some good nutrition when they do. I've never really waited the 205 day norm. As has been posted, the calves are getting so little from their mommas by that point I figure keep making the momma produce. I also shoot for a time when all the neighbors' windows will be closed!
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
pits4life":3jancavh said:
What ever you decide on, use the almanac and wean under the signs. It is more healthy for the calf and the cow. Everything else has been covered in the above posts.
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
I can pretty much guarantee you that my cows would NEVER wean their calves no matter how long I kept them on the dam. My cows' milk production does not decrease very much.
As mentioned, a lot of farms have a "set date" that they wean. Generally, calves are weaned between at an AVERAGE age of 6-8 months. Since most herds have at least a 60 day calving/breeding season, there is a 2 month spread of age. All beef breeds have an adjusted weaning weight to a 205 day age. By all breeds using this standard, you can compare weaning weights. You can't really compare the actual scale weight of a 6 month old calf to a 8 month old calf, so there is a formula to adjust the weights to a 205 day figure.
Say, your 6 month old weighed 575# and your 8 month old weighed 750# - which cow produced the best calf?
575# / 180 days = 3.19# X 205 = 655#
750# / 240 days = 3.125# x 205 = 641#
In an actual PB operation, the BW is subtracted from the scale WW, then divided by the number of days old, times 205, PLUS the BW back in.
But, if you are culling the cow, or your cows are severely stressed due to a drought, you can wean as early as 4 months of age. Providing a "creep feed" for a few weeks prior to weaning, helps lessen the stress. Weaning is a management balancing thing - you do it when it best suits your cows needs & your farm operation.
As mentioned, a lot of farms have a "set date" that they wean. Generally, calves are weaned between at an AVERAGE age of 6-8 months. Since most herds have at least a 60 day calving/breeding season, there is a 2 month spread of age. All beef breeds have an adjusted weaning weight to a 205 day age. By all breeds using this standard, you can compare weaning weights. You can't really compare the actual scale weight of a 6 month old calf to a 8 month old calf, so there is a formula to adjust the weights to a 205 day figure.
Say, your 6 month old weighed 575# and your 8 month old weighed 750# - which cow produced the best calf?
575# / 180 days = 3.19# X 205 = 655#
750# / 240 days = 3.125# x 205 = 641#
In an actual PB operation, the BW is subtracted from the scale WW, then divided by the number of days old, times 205, PLUS the BW back in.
But, if you are culling the cow, or your cows are severely stressed due to a drought, you can wean as early as 4 months of age. Providing a "creep feed" for a few weeks prior to weaning, helps lessen the stress. Weaning is a management balancing thing - you do it when it best suits your cows needs & your farm operation.
pits4life
Well-known member
thanks for the replys folks it has been very informative and i appreciate them all......
