Weaning

[smallrancher]

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my weanlings to keep. And if I die before I wake, at least I won't have to listen to this god forsaken !@#$%^^^^. Anyone hear me on this one?

 

[HerefordSire]

Sounds like you need to suck it up with all the big money you are making. :mrgreen:

 

[msscamp]

Oh yeah! :lol2: :lol2: :lol2: It was very weird the first September (we weaned in September, usually) after we sold out to not hear the calves raising holy hell out there. It took a lot of getting used to!

 

[cypressfarms]

I know what you mean smallrancher; Most of the time I put weanlings in the farthest paddock from the house. Our land isn't wide, but it's over a mile deep. It may not help the weanlings, but is sure as heck helps me sleep!

Have you ever considered fenceline weaning? You'd have to have a fence of hog wire type, but there would be no bawling involved. :nod:

 

[dun]

Neighbor is over half a mile away and just weaned a bunch of calves. I get my fill of bawling from them

 

[nap]

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my weanlings to keep. And if I die before I wake, at least I won't have to listen to this god forsaken !@#$%^^^^. Anyone hear me on this one?

Been there done that. I have recently switched to fence weaning using using electric wire. It seems to cut down on a lot of stress and noise.

 

[Roadapple]

Go to Quiet Wean.com, buy however many you need, put'em in and go back to bed.

 

[hillsdown]

Ear plugs..I fence line ween and they still bawl (cows and calves) for a couple of days.
Sweet dreams, I hate when the bawling incorporates itself into your dreams.. :lol2:

 

[smallrancher]

I know I should try fenceline weaning as Dun and others have so often talked about, it just seems I'd have calves getting under fences. Is the main objective to have them able to see each other?

 

[hillsdown]

Yes, they can have some contact through the fence and can even sleep side by side but are unable to nurse. It is much less stressful on both the cow and the calf.
Edit to reiterate>>>>>>>there is still some bawling but... It is much less stressful on both the cow and the calf.

 

[SRBeef]

I know I should try fenceline weaning as Dun and others have so often talked about, it just seems I'd have calves getting under fences. Is the main objective to have them able to see each other?

I tried fenceline weaning on Nov 1 and there was remarkably little bawling.

There was a 5 wire barb fence with one additional electric wire on the calf side at about calf nose height.

I had a neighbor about 1/2- 3/4 mile away who sold some calves out of the pasture and right off of the cows last week and could hear the cows bawling from inside my shed.

Fenceline appears to be the way to minimize the noise. Here are a couple pics. You can see the electric wire on the calf side of the lane fence. Its been 30 days of this nose to nose. I'll be moving the calves to a pasture further away in a week or so. They seem to be much less focused on each other recently even though they still share the waterer.

View attachment 1

 

[dun]

I tried fenceline weaning on Nov 1 and there was remarkably little bawling.

There was a 5 wire barb fence with one additional electric wire on the calf side at about calf nose height.

We only leave them sie by side for 3-4 days then move the cows to another pasture

 

[1982vett]

I know what you mean smallrancher; Most of the time I put weanlings in the farthest paddock from the house. Our land isn't wide, but it's over a mile deep. It may not help the weanlings, but is sure as heck helps me sleep!

Have you ever considered fenceline weaning? You'd have to have a fence of hog wire type, but there would be no bawling involved. :nod:

I don't buy that with your dime. Seen them stand face to face across a fence and bawl the voice out for days. Probably have better success using Jogee's moon charts. :lol2:

 

[msscamp]

Have you ever considered fenceline weaning? You'd have to have a fence of hog wire type, but there would be no bawling involved. :nod:

Yes, there is. We've done the fenceline weaning, and the calves still raised holy cain - as did the Moms. Anytime you put a physical barrier between a Momma and her baby, or a baby and it's Momma, there WILL be very vocal protests from both sides, trust me on this! :lol: :lol:

 

[dun]

Have you ever considered fenceline weaning? You'd have to have a fence of hog wire type, but there would be no bawling involved. :nod:

Yes, there is. We've done the fenceline weaning, and the calves still raised holy cain - as did the Moms. Anytime you put a physical barrier between a Momma and her baby, or a baby and it's Momma, there WILL be very vocal protests from both sides, trust me on this! :lol: :lol:

They make some noise the first night and maybe a little the next morning, but that's the cows. The calves don;t make hardly any. But where we fenceline wean the calves are familliar with and used to the area. Calves don;t go off feed or spend hours walking the fence.

 

[Bez+]

Well, you may not get much sleep - but if you wean 400 at a time and it gets real quiet at night - that makes you wake up real fast.

And you will get no sleep for about the next two days.

I suspect you do not need to ask how I know!

I LOVE the sound of cows and calves hollering - that means everything is as it should be.

Bez+

 

[SRBeef]

They make some noise the first night and maybe a little the next morning, but that's the cows. The calves don;t make hardly any. But where we fenceline wean the calves are familiar with and used to the area. Calves don;t go off feed or spend hours walking the fence.

This has been my experience so far too. And they are definitely not off feed - mine are mostly on hay in a feed ring right now with mineralyx and some occasional grain to tame them. But they took right off on their own.

View attachment 1

My biggest surprise is how quickly the cows picked up condition after weaning the calves off of them. I gave the cows some new grass along a fence in the woods about 2 weeks ago.



Probably the last green they are going to see for awhile. snowing steadily tonight, couple inches accumulation so far. Cows and bull are about 1/2 hay 1/2 grazing standing corn yet.

 

[bigbull338]

the bawling of calves dont bother me.we wean on the trailer an they dont bawl much at weaning.

 

[msscamp]

Have you ever considered fenceline weaning? You'd have to have a fence of hog wire type, but there would be no bawling involved. :nod:

Yes, there is. We've done the fenceline weaning, and the calves still raised holy cain - as did the Moms. Anytime you put a physical barrier between a Momma and her baby, or a baby and it's Momma, there WILL be very vocal protests from both sides, trust me on this! :lol: :lol:

They make some noise the first night and maybe a little the next morning, but that's the cows. The calves don;t make hardly any.

Apparently someone forgot to explain something to our cows and calves. They didn't raise as much cain as they did when the calves were pulled and the cows left in the pasture, but they raised cain for several days.

 

[Angus Cowman]

MS you didn't do it when the signs were right