Whenever I use wean flaps - it does seem to help the calves out quite a bit at weaning. Mommas still seem to struggle, but the calves do better. The game is always that they don't all stay in - and I use the expensive ones. So it becomes a race against time - the earlier I can separate them after installation, the more that stay in for the duration. The instructions say 4-7 days. 7 days seems really long. How long do you all who use these flaps wait?
How long to leave wean flaps in
- Thread starter angus9259
- Start date
SBMF 2015
Well-known member
7-10 days when I used to use them.
GoWyo
Well-known member
We do most cattle work on weekends, so 6-7 days. The yellow ones don't stay in as well, but cause less irritation to the cartilage between the nostrils. The orange ones stay in, but can lodge a little bit on a big calf.
GoWyo
Well-known member
I have used them for just 3 days before just to break the milk bond where I had just a few pairs around the house. It was worth the extra trip through the chute.
Too much work - running thru chute 2 times. I think it's more stress than just pulling the band aid off. We fenceline wean - calves are 6-8 months old. They bawl for 3 days. But, calves never appear stressed. They eat the grass and hay provided and take to the corn we give immediately. The field they are put in is one they have grazed with dam several times thru the summer, so familiar with area. They lay near fenceline and cows lay on their side visiting calves. Pretty soon, cows get more hungry than udder hurting, and have to leave to go graze.
This is my experience as well. I use the yellow which may increase the likelihood of fallout. However, the last time I used orange I almost had to surgically remove them :). So I suffer with a calf or two that doesn't get the weaning experience. The cows seem to bawl from simply not getting nursed so I see no value in them from the cow's perspective. They only seem to help the calf adjust.
For me, they are going through the chute anyway. The flap goes in when they get vaccinated and the flap comes out when they go back through three weeks later for the booster. Otherwise, I wouldn't do it either. However, I've done it both ways and (for my calves) the reduced stress on the calf seems remarkable - but maybe all the bawling and pacing for three days is really only stressing me :)
Do you find 3 days to be sufficient to prevent the pacing and bawling? Again, for me it's not an extra trip through the chute. I don't remove the flaps for three weeks till they are going back through the chute anyway.
GoWyo
Well-known member
Full week of weaner tabs and bawling lasts less than a day, especially if the cows aren't anywhere within earshot. Three days of weaner tabs is enough to get them over missing their milk when we pull them. They bawl some, but a lot less than just pulling them off the cow. Three weeks seems awful long - I would think they would all have holes through their nose cartilage if left in that long. Our partners on a pasture had a cow sucking on other cows so she got a weaner tab for 3 months til they weaned the calf and sent her down the road. I think she had a hole in her nose cartilage, but she deserved it LOL.
