Length of Time to Wean?

Help Support CattleToday:

boondocks

Well-known member
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
2,594
Reaction score
4
Location
Upstate NY
Howdy all,
I searched the website for a thread on the length of time calves should be kept apart from dams for weaning, and found just this:

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3755&p=14333&hilit=weaning+length+of+time#p14333

We are 3 days into our first weaning (we're using fenceline weaning) and are getting wildly conflicting advice on the length of time they should be apart. I've heard everything from 4 days to a month now. Help? Calves are 6 months old, give or take a week or so. We'd planned to keep them apart about 10 days, but the above thread has me questioning whether that's long enough...

Also, how closely do you need to watch the udders to make sure they're drying up w/o any issues? Signs to watch for re mastitis? Thanks!
 
6-8 weeks. Anything less you will probably have nothing but headaches because they will go back to sucking.

Good luck.

Farmgirl
 
Farmgirl":3jlsmljl said:
6-8 weeks. Anything less you will probably have nothing but headaches because they will go back to sucking.

Good luck.

Farmgirl

Yup! You will still need to watch em to make sure they don't give it another try....
 
No matter how long you wean you will have some come back and try - depending upon the cow some will be successful at sucking again.

We never put them back until the moms have new calves at side and the calf now turned heifer is bred and carrying its own calf.

Lots of advice on blabs, wires and so on to keep them from sucking - but if they are a problem the only true solution is to get rid of them - too much time and trouble - unless you are prepared to take the time - and we defintely are not - if the animal is not push button we do not want it on the place.

Like the old retails saying - 80% of your problems come from 20% of the customers - this can be applied to any cow herd as well

Just the way we do it

Cheers

Bez
 
I too have wondered exactly how long is long enough. I have 3 heifers I'm going to retain as breeders and it sure would be nice to turn them back in with the rest of the cows. They have been weaned about 30 days now.
 
tnwalkingred":2v3j9sdp said:
I too have wondered exactly how long is long enough. I have 3 heifers I'm going to retain as breeders and it sure would be nice to turn them back in with the rest of the cows. They have been weaned about 30 days now.
In normla years we turn the retained heifers back into the cow herd at around 45-60 days (dependson when the rest go to the salebarn). We only had one heifer in all those years that started sucking again, and she waited a year past weaning to start. The milk she got didn;t make her taste any different then the steer we butchered with her.
 
That hasn't been an issue for me. I always keep my weaned heifers away from the mature cows through their first winter so I can give them some extra feed.
 
We weaned at the first of September. Kept heifers off of cows for 3 weeks and then turned them back in with the cows while we left steers on feed/pasture. Out of about 80 heifers, there were 2 that went back to nursing. Several others tried when we turned them in, but the mothers would not let them. We still have decent enough grazing to let them stay with the mature cows for another 30 days or so. We will then pull them out along with our bred heifers and put them on the higher quality stockpile and rye through the winter.

We sold the 2 that were still nursing. Easiest thing to do. It is so much easier to have one group as long as possible with daily moves. Also, the heifers will continue to learn how to be a cow. What I mean by that is that they will have to eat grass and not sit around waiting for me to bring them a bale of hay or a feed bucket.
 
Using the 'blabs' as Bez calls them, having them in the calves, with the cows, for about 6 days or so, up to 9 days, and then pulling the calves and locking them up securely for about 3 days seems to do the trick here. So 2 weeks max.

But that's with Herefords. Maybe their spirits are easier to break than an Angus.

But with fenceline weaning, the timeline is very long indeed. Biggest thing with the calves is keep them drinking and eating and happy as possible - Mom fades to the background pretty quick. It is one of the only times that a molasses block is good for something. Keep the calves licking one and it preoccupies them.
 
We creep feed until weaning, then fence wean. The calves are already on feed and do not miss momma as much. The cows hang around the fence for a couple of days. It seems to bother the cows more than the calves. The calves are fed feed and happy. Once the separation anxiety is over, we move the calves to another pasture. At 45 days they have developed their own immunity system and are marketed as weaned calves.
 
Retained heifers--I Fenceline for a couple weeks to reduce stress and keep 'em a "little" quieter, then I separate them from direct or close sight for at least 30 days. Shorter than that, too many go running back to each other at first opportunity, and gotta do it all over again...

That's Beefmasters and Chars---and I dunno if breed makes any difference but I've seen some momma mutts that would go back to allow sucking at 2+ months. Stronger maternals I guess.
 

Latest posts

Top