Weaning and Milk Nutrition

[Alan]

I'm curious about what age some of you guys wean your calves. I've been weaning at 6 months, but this year I weaned when the calves where between 4+ and 5+ months they're doing great. Alot of horse breeders wean their foals at 3 to 4 months, part of their argument is because they believe the mares milk loses much of its nutritional value after about 3 months of nursing, foals are always in great shape as they grow (as they are well into adulthood). Milk production taxes the mares system too much for the amount of nutrition the foal gets, on top of that, a mare carrying another foal is a real tax on her system while she is nursing. Any different with cattle?

What age do you wean calves and your thoughts on the nutritional value of the milk as nursing goes beyound three months?

Thanks
Alan

 

[TheBullLady]

We've weaned between 4 and 6 months.. depending mostly on when we decide to haul some to the auction or feed them out. Weaning them early will save "wear and tear" on the cow, but if you're not shipping them off, you have to consider the price of feed to put on as much weight as the calf would on the cow.

 

[dun]

When looking at dairy cow records, it appears that the milk BF, etc. decreases around 6-7 months. It's a little loweer after 3-4 but not significantly so.

dun

 

[rgv4]

I wean from 5 to 6 months or weights of 550 lbs. and up. Whichever comes first.

 

[hillbilly]

Its the cows job to wean as heavy a calf as possible.
I'm not worried about next years calf untill the last trimester.
We don't wean untill 8 months plus.
If I could pull the calf early and feed it and wind up with as good a calf at 8 months...I'd still be out the feed.
If your cows aren't milking into the eighth month, breed for more milk.

Hillbilly

 

[greenwillowherefords]

Its the cows job to wean as heavy a calf as possible.
I'm not worried about next years calf untill the last trimester.
We don't wean untill 8 months plus.
If I could pull the calf early and feed it and wind up with as good a calf at 8 months...I'd still be out the feed.
If your cows aren't milking into the eighth month, breed for more milk.

Hillbilly

Well said! I try to shoot for within two weeks of the official 205 day weaning age.

 

[G&L Cattle]

What should the weaning age be of a heifer that we intend to keep for a replacement? 5mos.? Thank you all! Glen

 

[dun]

What should the weaning age be of a heifer that we intend to keep for a replacement? 5mos.? Thank you all! Glen

We wean everything at the same time. Our calving season runs around 35050 days tops so some may be a little younger at weaning. Doesn't hurt them any, the grow out just like those that are older. They're just a little smaller as yearlings but by the time they calve they've pretty much caught up

dun