bobrammer
Well-known member
I'm brand new, so please laugh quietly to yourself. How do you determine when to wean calves and what is the best technique? I'm on 42 acres. Thanks!
Need some guidance on weaning.
- Thread starter bobrammer
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Susie David
Well-known member
A man could always use the standard of 205 days old to start weaning. We wean between six and seven months depending on the calf and the breeding cycle of the dam...don't use the same time for all calves, just when we feel that they are ready.
Sepearte them with a GOOD fence and be ready to listen to the
bawling...lasts about three days.
You should get some good responses, everybody has their own method....good luck.....dave mc
Sepearte them with a GOOD fence and be ready to listen to the
bawling...lasts about three days.
You should get some good responses, everybody has their own method....good luck.....dave mc
certherfbeef
Well-known member
I try to wean mine at 6 months. Show prospects get weaned at 4 months. I check the almanac to make I'm good with the moon first.
BUT, alot factors into when to wean. First, espically this year look at the condition of the pastures and the BCS of the cows.
My pasture took a hard hit just the past 2 months. Pulled the calves to give the cows a little longer break. Some extra time to bounce back with some condition before the winter.
On a year with adequate moisture, I would have left the calves a little longer. Cow won't eat as much if she isn't working twice as hard. Look at your feed supply for the winter. If you have more than enough, maybe keep the calves a little longer.
Look at the weights of the calves. Compair their weights to the prices at the sale barn. Sell at the best price for the weight.
I wean on the trailer, so I have no extra feed in them. There was a thread not to long ago that discussed the different possible techniques for weaning.
Hope I havn't confused you even more.
BUT, alot factors into when to wean. First, espically this year look at the condition of the pastures and the BCS of the cows.
My pasture took a hard hit just the past 2 months. Pulled the calves to give the cows a little longer break. Some extra time to bounce back with some condition before the winter.
On a year with adequate moisture, I would have left the calves a little longer. Cow won't eat as much if she isn't working twice as hard. Look at your feed supply for the winter. If you have more than enough, maybe keep the calves a little longer.
Look at the weights of the calves. Compair their weights to the prices at the sale barn. Sell at the best price for the weight.
I wean on the trailer, so I have no extra feed in them. There was a thread not to long ago that discussed the different possible techniques for weaning.
Hope I havn't confused you even more.
preston39
Well-known member
certherfbeef,
What moon sign do you use for weaning?
We use the sign in the leg going down for knife castration and it sure makes a difference in bleeding and healing. Or it seems so.
What moon sign do you use for weaning?
We use the sign in the leg going down for knife castration and it sure makes a difference in bleeding and healing. Or it seems so.
certherfbeef
Well-known member
Preston,
As long as the sign doesn't hit the man on a major organ I'm good.
But I will not wean, dehorn, casturate, etc, etc with out looking at the almanac first.
Call me old fashioned. That is how grandpa did it. He won't even plant unless the almanac says its ok.
As long as the sign doesn't hit the man on a major organ I'm good.
But I will not wean, dehorn, casturate, etc, etc with out looking at the almanac first.
Call me old fashioned. That is how grandpa did it. He won't even plant unless the almanac says its ok.
oljim
Active member
Excellent question bobrammer,,some mighty good info already given. I bet there's a lot of others who may be interested in the answer to the same question.
BC
Well-known member
What is magical about weaning at 205 days. That was used to make adjustments so that you could compare a calf crop. If I have grass and the cows are in good shape, I leave the calves on their mothers. Goal is to weigh 700+ coming off the cow with no creep. That is the goal - 630 to 660 is more reality.
Bama
Well-known member
I use the 205 as a referance. If conditions are right I'll let them go longer. If I'm trying to wait on some more to catch up I'll let some go past that until the others in the bunch are ready. I like to wean several at a time.
We start calving the middle of March, we wean somewhere between the end of September and the end of October. Usually the pairs are brought in from summer pasture and the cows go in one corral and the calves go in another and I listen the the cacophany of the bawls/bellering for the next few days. Last year the calves were brought home and the cows remained on pasture so I only had the calves to listen to.
BC":3ermh3o0 said:
Quit trying to make sense with this weaning thing! :lol: :lol:
There are two many people on the boards that report for Assoc. purposes, and they have to play by the rules.
..sorta I do think however that weaning as soon as practical can sometimes help with the efficiency at which cows convert the available forage. Ex: If she she is being hayed in the winter while nursing. Pulling the calf off the cow will reduce the amount of nutritional intake required to maintain the cow, and those winters can get hard. It might also allow you to use some poorer hay. ;-)
Just wondering how many commercial producers have birthdates on calves and calculate 205 day adjustment weights?
If not, How would you make culling decisions/heifer retention decisions in order to improve your herd beyond the obvious visual imperfections?
If not, How would you make culling decisions/heifer retention decisions in order to improve your herd beyond the obvious visual imperfections?
Cert, why do you wean show calves ealier? In order to have extra time to work with them, get them in shape, etc? Just curious, I have one show heifer this year, and am weaning the whole herd except that one in a few weeks. So now I am wondering if I am doing it backwards?
MikeC":mjlsujrt said:
I would bet BC runs a tight calving group. If not, then that is how you do it w/o knowing birthdates...with a limited exposure time of the bull!
That way you know that all the calves are within say, 45 to 60 days of each other. If the cow don't get bred in your window, cull her. Get a weaning weight average..assuming you wean them all on the same day, and see who excceeds average. The older ones that do poorly would not make the average and therefore be culled anyway, ...despite not knowing the calving date. Just need to record which cow is not cutting the mustard, season after season to know which ones to cull. The cows with higher fertility should stand out in this type management too, as they will always calve earlier and therefore have the best chance at the bigger calves, unless they don't milk, then you know she ain't doing it there. So in the end you will have the cows which milk, raise a big calf and breed back on time. ;-)
So you're saying averaging it is as good as measuring it?
A 600 lb. calf at 205 days would have a WDA of 2.92 lbs/day.
A 600 lb. calf at 145 days would have a WDA of 4.13 lbs/day.
Assuming you have a 60 day breeding season, and these two calves are in the "Average" you would be "Fooled" by nearly a nearly 50% difference!
I'm sorry, but your methods wouldn't be enough info for me.
A 600 lb. calf at 205 days would have a WDA of 2.92 lbs/day.
A 600 lb. calf at 145 days would have a WDA of 4.13 lbs/day.
Assuming you have a 60 day breeding season, and these two calves are in the "Average" you would be "Fooled" by nearly a nearly 50% difference!
I'm sorry, but your methods wouldn't be enough info for me.
MikeC":24ae1kfb said:
First of all, I didn't say it was my method. I was pointing out how it could be done.
Secondly, if they are both average, then I am still keeping 700 lb'ers...right? so how am I losing here? I would think a 600 lb'er would be a keeper anyway, but it depends on what criteria you make for yourself. If I say 650 plus makes the cut, than I still get the best, and I don't care if the calf gained 4.13. She didn't make the cut! This is where the momma should have been more fertile and bred back sooner! Commercial cattleman can be brutal, but their system works!
MikeC":igzrpao4 said:
Maybe I'm off base here, but to me it can be measured. A bred-back cow with a calf at her side can be measured in her body condition. She is supporting a nursing calf, as well as a developing calf. She is going to need a whole lot more nutrition than can be provided by the average pasture to do both, especially if that nursing calf is left on her more than 6-7 months. I don't see how any cow cannot lose condition with a nursing calf beyond 6-7 months plus feeding a developing calf unless you are supplementing the hell out of her. Even then it's going to show up in a couple of years.
