jedstivers
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Just wandering what are weaning ages for all the parts of the world? I know drought will affect it some but aside from that what would be normal? Here in E. Arkansas it's 6-8 mo.
What age does everyone wean
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I luv herfrds
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First of October. About 6 months.
1982vett
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Depends more on weight and the price in a weight range as I wean with a trailer. Lighter weight calves wean at about 5 1/2 months. Heavier weight calves wean at 6 - 7 months. Only time one goes much over 7 months is because I haven't been able to trap it.
SRBeef
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As this is my first calf crop this year, I experimented and weaned them all at once right about 7 months old on Nov 1.
The last month however took a LOT out of the cows. Next year I'm going to wean right about Oct 1 (calves at about 5-1/2 to 6 months old as suggested above) and give the cows an extra month to put on condition before winter.
The last month however took a LOT out of the cows. Next year I'm going to wean right about Oct 1 (calves at about 5-1/2 to 6 months old as suggested above) and give the cows an extra month to put on condition before winter.
I usually wean at 7 months, atleast that's when the official weaning weights are taken. Conditions will make me wean as young as 4 months in a drought or as late as 9 months if the grazing is good and the cows fat.
Nesikep
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if you weren't concerned with the cows condition (our cows are fat pigs), would you wean any later? our calves are born march/april, on lush grass in may, weaned mid october, and hay for the cows usually starts early december.. would anyone keep the calves on the cows longer?
Angus Cowman
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I start calving the 15th of Aug and usually am done by the 15th of Oct and Iwean in April
sometimes the 1st of April sometimes the end of april so my calves ar 6 -8 months when I wean
so that gives my cows atleast 90 days break between weaning and calving
sometimes the 1st of April sometimes the end of april so my calves ar 6 -8 months when I wean
so that gives my cows atleast 90 days break between weaning and calving
grannysoo
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Around 6 months. Give or take a week or two or three.
HOSS
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On first calf heifers I wean at 6 months (if I have alot of first calvers I wean them all with no distinction to first calf heifer or experienced cow, it just makes it easier that way) and I wean calves off cows at about 7 months. Of course drought and feed conditions alter this some.
Nesikep":mh2xlan3 said:
If your cows are fat and your market can tolerate heavier calves it does no harm to either to nurse longer provided that the cow still has 45-60 days of rest before she calves again.
If you have cows that tends to go a bit obese when not suckling a calf and you have the grazing its better practice to rather let the cow work for longer than to try and put them on a diet.
bigbull338
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wean at 8 to 10 months old.
Aaron
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7-8 months. Have done 300 day weaning in the past and really like it...would recommend it to anyone that doesn't have proper facilities to wean young aggressive calves that try to find holes in fences. Very low stress on weaning at 300 days. :cowboy:
Angus Cowman
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That 300 day weaning might work for a while and be less stressful on the calves but what happens when you are stressing that cow and she is trying to raise a calf inside her
here is what happens you stress the cow over and over again she burns out quicker and has less production long term rebreeding becomes and issue and also long term productivity the calf growing inside her is usually gonna be smaller and have a harder time and the cow herself has a harder time
all of the vets and cowmen I have brought this topic up to says a cow needs atleast 90 days to recoup from weaning to birthing
Take care of your cow and she will take care of the calf
here is what happens you stress the cow over and over again she burns out quicker and has less production long term rebreeding becomes and issue and also long term productivity the calf growing inside her is usually gonna be smaller and have a harder time and the cow herself has a harder time
all of the vets and cowmen I have brought this topic up to says a cow needs atleast 90 days to recoup from weaning to birthing
Take care of your cow and she will take care of the calf
I have 3 contracts I have to fill every year. The primary one says I have to wean between 160 to 200 days. The other 2 contracts want 180 to 220 days; they don't get what the contract wants but when they come to look at the cows they don't care about the weaning age. I do list all the cows that don't fall under the contract and make them sign it so I don't get the shaft.
Aaron
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We started doing the 300 day weaning a year or two before the research from the New Liskeard Research Station in Northern Ontario came out on the option to use a 300 day weaning protocol. Their research on it agrees with our findings that cows, fed properly, suffer no ill effects from suckling calves for 300 days as opposed to 200 days.
Here is my post from a couple years ago,
"Well Sidney, last year we left our spring calves on the cows for 9 months. We found that if you are going to leave the calves on the cows for 7 months, you might as well keep them on for another 2. Gained about another 100 pounds on the calves and they were more prepared to be weaned as they did not lose much weight due to stress. Cows didn't suffer much and all with calves weaned on December 29th calved with healthy calves again.
New research coming out of a research station working with beef cattle in our province has found that keeping calves on cows for 300 days has no long term impacts on the cows and is quite beneficial for the calves. I will try to see if the article is online or not. Some researchers are now starting to suggest that the 205 day standard for weaning weight should be changed to about 250 or even 300 days...as 205 reflects a time when calves that are weaned are susceptable for lost potential gain.
That's why we left the calves on for 10 months this time around. No problem for the cows or the calves. Looking to continue doing this 300 days weaning as it makes everything much simpler."
I wasn't able to find the article and accompanying research, but I know I have it in a cattle magazine around here somewhere. :cowboy:
Here is my post from a couple years ago,
"Well Sidney, last year we left our spring calves on the cows for 9 months. We found that if you are going to leave the calves on the cows for 7 months, you might as well keep them on for another 2. Gained about another 100 pounds on the calves and they were more prepared to be weaned as they did not lose much weight due to stress. Cows didn't suffer much and all with calves weaned on December 29th calved with healthy calves again.
New research coming out of a research station working with beef cattle in our province has found that keeping calves on cows for 300 days has no long term impacts on the cows and is quite beneficial for the calves. I will try to see if the article is online or not. Some researchers are now starting to suggest that the 205 day standard for weaning weight should be changed to about 250 or even 300 days...as 205 reflects a time when calves that are weaned are susceptable for lost potential gain.
That's why we left the calves on for 10 months this time around. No problem for the cows or the calves. Looking to continue doing this 300 days weaning as it makes everything much simpler."
I wasn't able to find the article and accompanying research, but I know I have it in a cattle magazine around here somewhere. :cowboy:
I agree with Aaron, in the few and far between good years I have also left calves suckle for 10 months with no ill effects at all and cows that didn't get overfat, but still remained in very good condition.
If your cowherd is the type that milks themselves to a bag of bones to chase that extra bit of "performance" for the sake of chasing numbers or are just struggling to maintain themselves while nursing a calf, it will probably not work for you, but to those who have the right type of cows and the right grazing conditions there is alot of benefits. Your management just needs to be flexible if conditions or the cows' condition don't allow it that specific year.
If your cowherd is the type that milks themselves to a bag of bones to chase that extra bit of "performance" for the sake of chasing numbers or are just struggling to maintain themselves while nursing a calf, it will probably not work for you, but to those who have the right type of cows and the right grazing conditions there is alot of benefits. Your management just needs to be flexible if conditions or the cows' condition don't allow it that specific year.
Angus Cowman
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Over how long a period did they do this Research?
Also I see you are weaning in the winter and having to feed the cows did you increase the feed intake on the cows or did you figure the intake based on the cow and also on the calf ?
say 30lbs a day for cow and 15lbs a day for calf ?
I wean in the spring therefore the cows go out on good grass and the calves also have good grass and rye pasture and get feed just wondering what kinda gain they had on the cow from say 220 to 300 I would like to see this info also like to see what kinda added inputs cost they had
Like I have said before being in different regions can make a difference and also give you new ways to look at things
Also I see you are weaning in the winter and having to feed the cows did you increase the feed intake on the cows or did you figure the intake based on the cow and also on the calf ?
say 30lbs a day for cow and 15lbs a day for calf ?
I wean in the spring therefore the cows go out on good grass and the calves also have good grass and rye pasture and get feed just wondering what kinda gain they had on the cow from say 220 to 300 I would like to see this info also like to see what kinda added inputs cost they had
Like I have said before being in different regions can make a difference and also give you new ways to look at things
They actually gain very well from 8 months onwards if the grazing is good. The milk is just a supplement at that stage, kinda like giving a few lbs of grain to get them past the weaning shock. You just replace the grain with milk.
If you have to put any extra inputs in to allow this I don't think it would be economically feasible, it's a luxury for the good times only.
