weaning

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wv mud river

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about what age do you start weaning calves mine will be about 6 months in dec. is the cold weather a factor? thanks
 
you can wean them at 6 or 7 months old.since itll be winter youll be feeding them extra feed an hay.
 
I want my calves at least 120 days old, but,perferrably 180 to 200 days. All that is based on are the mothers first calf heifers and how well the cow herself is holding up. Sometimes my first calf heifers I will help them out with some with feed. But normally how I wean calves, is bout a month before I wean I put out a creep feeder and keep it full. Then when it's time to wean it's alot easier on the calf and cow, cause they have started to slow down on the nursing some. I keep them were they can be nose to nose across a good fence for three days and then move the calves to different locale. Normally when I move them they have already stopped bawling. I personally worry bout hot weather more than cold. In Dec. if you work them with Vira Shield 6 and Alpha 7 you should be just fine. I try and wean mine for a least 45 days. I hope I've helped. Good luck. B&G
 
You can wean as early as 90 days, prefer not before that unless you have the time and facilities to manage the calves. U of I has been doing trails of 60-75 day wean, and have had excellent performance gains......but it is management intensive, and you cannot keep heifers that are weaned before 90 days. I wean at 5-6 months because I finish the calves out so its a space issue more than a preference. I'd also second the cold being easier than the hot, especially if cold and dry the calves just seem to transition better.
 
Why would anyone wean at 90 days. That means for 9 months the cow wont have a calf on her. If I have a cow that will not have a calf on her for 9 months she will go to the slaughter pen.
 
wv mud river":h94uhy7x said:
about what age do you start weaning calves mine will be about 6 months in dec. is the cold weather a factor? thanks
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For me it's usually anywhere from 5 to 7 months of age. I work towards not having calves that age in Dec. Father n law calved year round years ago and yes, there were calves coming off that time of year with no problems. My main concern is for my cow and her condition as she is with me for the long haul.

fitz
 
Whatever you do, it is best to wean on dates the almanac tells you to wean on. Grandad always did. Dad always did. I always have. Never had the problems I read about in this forum when it came to weaning.
 
backhoeboogie":2xcy7apr said:
Whatever you do, it is best to wean on dates the almanac tells you to wean on. Grandad always did. Dad always did. I always have. Never had the problems I read about in this forum when it came to weaning.
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Old Farmer's or is there a specific almanac?
 
Taurus":31tnx6ij said:
clayknob":31tnx6ij said:
Drought strategy, cows eat less without a calf at the side.
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And your calves won't grow that much.....
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If I can find the link, I'll post it. U of I has been researching 75-90 day wean for 5 years now at the Dixon Springs Research station. They are seeing 2.2+ adg out of the calves with the right ration......and they are getting the calves to slaughter sooner with less feed. The whole theory behind it is that the rumen isn't hardened off yet (i.e. not switched over to forages mode so its easier to get the calves stomach to adjust to a grain based diet than after the rumen starts developing). Yes its not for everyone, its management intensive and bucks conventional wisdom in a way......but a few larger operators (200 or so cows) in this area have tried it and the early wean IS out performing the standard wean (I have not asked whether it is more cost effcient or not in all fairness). The locals guys doing it thought it was nuts untill they tried it.
 
clayknob":21lay6pb said:
backhoeboogie":21lay6pb said:
Whatever you do, it is best to wean on dates the almanac tells you to wean on. Grandad always did. Dad always did. I always have. Never had the problems I read about in this forum when it came to weaning.
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Old Farmer's or is there a specific almanac?
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My grandmother always said to wean when the signs are in the knees.

The Almanac link below says October 2, 7, and 12. (nothing left for September)

http://www.almanac.com/bestdays/timetable
 
if you are going to wean at 90 days, what would be the point of having cows. just buy young calves & you won't have to feed a dry cow for 9 months.you could keep a lot more calves. if my cows can't do their job (raising a calf) they won't be here
 
jerry27150":2of9y7ua said:
if you are going to wean at 90 days, what would be the point of having cows. just buy young calves & you won't have to feed a dry cow for 9 months.you could keep a lot more calves. if my cows can't do their job (raising a calf) they won't be here
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The local extension office was advising people to wean early during last year's drought. We had the worst drought in history locally. Bear in mind people talk about the 50's dought and they had more rain and flowing springs back then. We no longer have flowing springs anywhere in this area and haven't for years. The drought changed everyone's plans including my own.

I would prefer to cull the herd and keep calves on wet cows versus weaning early.

Anyway, I heard many "expert" advisor on the radio, on television, and in person telling folks to wean early. It was purely a drought measure and not a long term plan.

So the popint in "having cows" in these cases would be to continue their business into the following years.
 
The standard used by the breed associations for weaning measurements is to wean at 205 days of age. Obviously they are not all born the same day so there are adjustments used to correct all calves to 205 days for comparison.

I questioned why 205 days myself. After a few years experience it seems like 205 days of age was chosen as the weaning standard because it balances the needs of the cow with the needs of the calf.

205 days provides the calf a lot of time to nurse the cow but still leaves the cow about 160 days to recover and put her resources into the next calf before calving again on the same day as last year.

This assumes a "normal" year as far as forage availability. While there may be reasons to wean much earlier, I guess I am not convinced of the economics of very early weaning at least in my location and conditions. If its dry and there is no grass you have to put out hay. I can't see that weaning and feeding them separately changes the equation much.

In the end I think weaning around 205 days is probably the goal.

Jmho. Jim
 

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