weaning a steer & separating a heifer

[pauline]

I have two situations here. I have a young heifer who is only 1 year old. We have separated her from the main herd, which is being bred by the bull. All by herself on her own pasture, the young heifer is bawling all day long.

I have also got a steer who was born on Sep 12, 2007 (6 months old). We plan on selling him and keeping his mama.

I would like to put the steer with the young heifer to keep her company and wean him at the same time so that his mama can take a break from him and nourish the fetus inside her.

My husband, however, wants to keep the steer with his mama as long as possible so that he can nurse on mama and feed on grass to grow as big and heavy as he can when we sell him. The heifer will get used to be alone by herself for two months then we'll put her with the bull.

Which way to do it better?

 

[bigbull338]

id leave the heifer alone in her pasture.she will calm down in time an be ok.an id leave the steer on his momma till i sent him to the sale.an wean him on the trailer.

 

[Sir Loin]

Pauline,
Let me put this as gently as I can.
As I see it, your husband's decision is based on a sound business practice as yours seems to be based on emotion.
Gue$$ which one I would do.
Are you in the cattle bu$ine$$ for the bucks or for the fish? Specifically the halibut!
SL
:tiphat:

 

[Wewild]

I have a young heifer who is only 1 year old. We have separated her from the main herd, which is being bred by the bull. All by herself on her own pasture, the young heifer is bawling all day long.

Can you put a bred cow with her?

 

[rockridgecattle]

When are you planning to sell the steer?
If his momma is bred, she will need time to recoup and gain for the next season.

How far along is she bred, 3 months? Hw old is the cow? What shape is she in?

My suggestion is the calf should not be on the momma more than 7 months at the most. Otherwise, it's to draining on the cow. You need to look ahead at the big picture. Leave the calf on too long and it could pose problems for the next calf.

If you wean the steer now, and not ship it the same day, you need to condition it before you sell. Selling less than 45 days post weaning is not in your best interest. A calf looses in excess of 50 # when you wean. At three # a day gain if on a grain ration, that is 17 days to regan the weight lost. Add in the one week of loosing the weight and you are looking at 24 days to be at the same weight as what he was at the time you weaned. If you do not feed the grain, it can take 30 days. Clear as mud?
We wean on the truck, not the best but what works for us.

 

[msscamp]

I have two situations here. I have a young heifer who is only 1 year old. We have separated her from the main herd, which is being bred by the bull. All by herself on her own pasture, the young heifer is bawling all day long.

That is understandable - cattle are herd animals, and she has gotten used to being with the other cattle. Depending on her temperament - she may adjust to being alone, or she may go through the fence to get back with the herd.

I would like to put the steer with the young heifer to keep her company and wean him at the same time so that his mama can take a break from him and nourish the fetus inside her.

My husband, however, wants to keep the steer with his mama as long as possible so that he can nurse on mama and feed on grass to grow as big and heavy as he can when we sell him. The heifer will get used to be alone by herself for two months then we'll put her with the bull.

Which way to do it better?

When are you planning to sell the steer? What is the going price for truck-weaned calves vs back-grounded calves in your area? Milk production takes a lot out of a cow, and his mother needs a couple of months without the burden of nursing a calf in order to recuperate, get back into condition, and be able to fully support her growing calf. Although there were exceptions, we generally weaned at roughly 7 months of age. Weaning can be successfully done sooner, but you're probably looking at feed costs - depending on the time interval between weaning and selling, the size of the calf, and how he responds to weaning. I wouldn't do it much later or you run the risk of the cow being too depleted to support the growing fetus, and deliver a strong, healthy calf without expensive supplementation.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

Put the steer and his mother in with the heifer for a month or so then pull the cow back out. When are you wanting to sell the steer?