Putting Heifer and Weaned Calf together

[spinandslide]

Since my BC is officialy "weaned" and off the bottle, Im starting to think about when I can put her in with my heifer.

The calf is approx 4 months old. I am prob going to bring the heifer up and keep her in a lot for the winter, to give the pasture a rest. Will do this when it gets cold..early to mid-november Im thinking.

Calf will be 6 months then. Is that a reasonable age, where she can hold her own with the heifer, regarding feed and hay?

 

[Limomike]

It will hold its own as long as you provide plenty of hay and feed.

 

[spinandslide]

roundbale and grain in seperate feeders.
Pen is 200x200

 

[hillsdown]

I agree she should be fine at six months as long as you are supplying lots of feed.

You will be amazed at how soon the little ones learn to eat as much as they can when the grain comes.. :lol2:

Also it will be good for both to be together.

 

[TexasBred]

roundbale and grain in seperate feeders.
Pen is 200x200

Just put plenty of distance between the two feeders so as not to encourage "big mama" to go steal Jewel's food.

 

[2/B or not 2/B]

We weaned a bottle calf and put her in with some cows and heifers. She immediately began trying to nurse them. Most wouldn't stand for it, but one or two of the heifers allowed it and we quickly had to separate them again. We ended up putting the calf in with some steers instead. If we had done what you are doing, by letting the calf wean completely for a couple of months first I don't think it would have been a problem.

 

[spinandslide]

thanks all.

TNMBP-Figured there would be some pecking order figuring out..just dont want any major injuries.

Hillsdown, this calf loves her feed. We put the horses on a new feed, as its cheaper in bulk and its alfalfa pellets mixed with corn, barley and oats. She goes crazy for it and licks her pan clean. That feed really helped her transition off the bottle well. and of course, she eats her hay and grass. Just needs to realize that feed time means eat..the heifer eats like a cow thats been with others her entire life, woof it down or someone else will get it.

Richard, if Big Mama wants to be really bad about stealing feed, Ill get hubs to divide the lot..but Im hoping they can get along well enough, think they both would appreciate some bovine company. although my neighbor is convinced the old lady will try to trample any other cow that shes with. Im going to give her abit more credit then that. shes been interested in the longhorns 3 pastures down from her here lately.

2B-That is why Im wanting this calf to have plenty of time weaned before I put her in with the heifer. I was afraid she would try to nurse off the heifer as well..and this heifer may be bred..due in Feb. I dont want the BC messing anything up with her milk supply. That must have been a super headache for you!

 

[grand chaser09]

the calf should do ok. but like people before me have said make sure there is pleanty of feed for both of them. and make sure that the heifer doesn't beat on the calf too much. i've had a heifer cripple a calf before and it wasn't good.

 

[Nowland Farms]

My dad, The old feller that he is comes up with idiotic Ideas all the time. I reckon it is cause he is old and doesnt know any better.......He calls me to come help him. I said no I told you I wasnt going to. I said perhaps this will be a lesson to you.....

Another fine example of a son respecting his parents even if he doesn't agree with them.

Kid, sooner or later you will learn that everyone makes mistakes and should be able to depend on family to help correct the problem.

 

[CKC1586]

I wish my Dad was still around, wouldn't matter if he made stupid mistakes, I would be there to help him....
I sure miss him.

 

[dun]

I wish my Dad was still around, wouldn't matter if he made stupid mistakes, I would be there to help him....
I sure miss him.

This past wednesday was 30 years to the day since my dad died, still miss him and think of him daily.

 

[hillsdown]

I am grateful to have both my parents still in my life to annoy me.

It is debatable if I annoy them more than they annoy me. :lol2:

That is where I am off to right now ,have to give my mom a call.

 

[ROCKSPRINGS]

It takes a real sorry low down SOB to talk about your elderly dad like that on the internet. And he just can't figure out why everyone picks on him.

 

[msscamp]

My dad,


The old feller that he is comes up with idiotic Ideas all the time. I reckon it is cause he is old and doesnt know any better. He weaned some heifers at his place a week or so ago. He moved all this cows and the bull calves to another part of the farm and put the heifers in the weaning pen. The heifers will have been weaned for 1 month on 8-20-2008. Well yesterday he asked me to help him move the heifers out of the corrall and into a pasture by themselves and put the bull calves in the pen. I told dad it was not a good idea to move the heifers just yet. He said why I told him I didnt think they had been weaned long enough yet. I advised him that I was not going to play rodeo that if he moved them and any got over on the neighbor or got back to their momas not to call me and ask to help as I have better things to do than play rodeo. Well after moving the bull calves into the pen to start feeding out he goes out there and finds his heifers have gotten through the fence and back with moma and the main herd bull. He calls me to come help him. I said no I told you I wasnt going to. I said perhaps this will be a lesson to you. I still do not know if he got em up or not. I havent talked to him today.

You are such an ass!

 

[dun]

Since my BC is officialy "weaned" and off the bottle, Im starting to think about when I can put her in with my heifer.

The calf is approx 4 months old. I am prob going to bring the heifer up and keep her in a lot for the winter, to give the pasture a rest. Will do this when it gets cold..early to mid-november Im thinking.

Calf will be 6 months then. Is that a reasonable age, where she can hold her own with the heifer, regarding feed and hay?

If you can build or sperate off an area that the calf can reach but the heifer can;t, there would be no reason to keep them apart. A creep gate setup is easy to build, an opening just a little wider then the calf and a solid bar (4x4 works) fastened a couple of inches higher then the calves back. You can feed the grain in there and even put hay in for the calf.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

My dad,


The old feller that he is comes up with idiotic Ideas all the time. I reckon it is cause he is old and doesnt know any better. ...........

He calls me to come help him. I said no I told you I wasnt going to. I said perhaps this will be a lesson to you. I still do not know if he got em up or not. I havent talked to him today.

You are such an ass!

:nod: :nod: :nod: :nod: :nod:

Katherine

 

[Limomike]

I wish my Dad was still around, wouldn't matter if he made stupid mistakes, I would be there to help him....
I sure miss him.

Same here.. I lost my Dad in a tragic car wreck Sept 2nd 2005. Never have gotten over the loss. He made mistakes when he got older, but I always just kind of smiled and helped him correct them. Lord knows, I made plenty that he helped me correct.

Back to the subject at hand:
The heifer and weaned calf will do fine together. Either do what dun suggested, or eventually they will work things out.

 

[spinandslide]

My dad,


The old feller that he is comes up with idiotic Ideas all the time. I reckon it is cause he is old and doesnt know any better. He weaned some heifers at his place a week or so ago. He moved all this cows and the bull calves to another part of the farm and put the heifers in the weaning pen. The heifers will have been weaned for 1 month on 8-20-2008. Well yesterday he asked me to help him move the heifers out of the corrall and into a pasture by themselves and put the bull calves in the pen. I told dad it was not a good idea to move the heifers just yet. He said why I told him I didnt think they had been weaned long enough yet. I advised him that I was not going to play rodeo that if he moved them and any got over on the neighbor or got back to their momas not to call me and ask to help as I have better things to do than play rodeo. Well after moving the bull calves into the pen to start feeding out he goes out there and finds his heifers have gotten through the fence and back with moma and the main herd bull. He calls me to come help him. I said no I told you I wasnt going to. I said perhaps this will be a lesson to you. I still do not know if he got em up or not. I havent talked to him today.

TN-I hope you come to realize that even though family may make descions we dont like, they still are family...Be thankful your dad is still around and you have common interests. I havent a clue where my dad is now and he never took a very big interest in any of my livestok activities, save feeding my horse a carrot now and then..being he was cityfolk. Be thankful your father is still around and is involved in an industry you enjoy.

 

[spinandslide]

the calf should do ok. but like people before me have said make sure there is pleanty of feed for both of them. and make sure that the heifer doesn't beat on the calf too much. i've had a heifer cripple a calf before and it wasn't good.

That is what Im worried about and would like to avoid. Thanks

 

[Boldcat]

This thread reminds me of a time when I was going out of bison and into beef that I put a mature red Angus bull in a pen of 4 yearling bison heifers .
The heifers immediatley attacked him (he was a wimp for an angus) and I had to get him out before he lost an eye.
I've got another red angus bull with tons of attitude that I will soon be shipping.This spring I put him in a paddock with 4 yearling heifers I've kept for meat and he took after them and scared the snot out of them. That's one of the reasons he's hitting the road, he's snarey in the head and passes it to his offspring. In fact in the last 3 years I've used him as clean up I havn't kept one of his daugters.