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Take The Stress Out Of Weaning
Weaning is an annual event in the life of a cattleman, but it is an event that tends to be stressful for both farmer and cattle. Cows and calves lose weight; losses that can take a considerable amount of time and money to restore. As such, weaning that minimises loss of production is critical for successful beef cattle production.
The timing and method of weaning have a significant impact on the profitability of beef herds. Apart from influencing the weaning weight of calves, it affects cow condition and has an indirect influence on reconception rates.
Wean to keep production going
The first rule in beef production is to produce as many calves as possible. Weaning gives the cow a chance to get back into condition so that she will reconceive easily and build reserves to carry her through the next pregnancy and calving.
The length of time between calving and reconception is a function of cow condition at calving. The calf should be weaned before the cow loses too much condition. To produce a calf every year, the cow should calve at body condition score (BCS) 3 or more to maximise the chance of reconceiving within 75 days post-calving.
The right time to wean a calf depends on cow condition rather than on the age of the calf. Calves should be weaned before cow condition falls below BCS 2,5. To maximise weaner production, however, calves need to stay with their dams for as long as possible to get maximum benefit from the mother’s milk.
Achieving a balance between weaner production and cow condition is the goal at weaning. Ideally, calves are weaned between seven and eight months. Under normal conditions, this allows the pregnant cow to recover her body condition before she calves again.
Weaning during drought
Early weaning (at about six months) in times of drought is an option to reduce the nutritional stress on cows as grazing quality and quantity declines. When milk production stops, the cow’s nutrient requirements are reduced, allowing her to recover condition. This reduced feed requirement is the equivalent of feeding the cow 2kg grain or 3kg fortified
molasses a day (Meat and Livestock Australia, 2012).
“The nutritional and separation stress of weaning affects calves of all ages; it leads to production losses and has an impact on profitability.”
The dry cow will be able to maintain
her weight with little or no supplement;
she may need a protein supplement but
no extra energy supplement.
Reducing stress
The nutritional and separation stress of weaning affects calves of all ages; it leads to production losses and has an impact on profitability. The older the calf at weaning, the lower the nutritional stress, as milk loss has roughly a 10% effect on calf weaning weight at seven months. Separation stress is the greatest stressor during weaning, and it affects both cow and calf.
Methods and ideas on how to wean calves abound. Most are determined by the type of operation and the facilities available. Using a weaning device, such as an EasyWean® NoseRing® , is the most stress-free method. If nose rings are fitted
to calves while they are still with the cows, the calves can adjust to life without milk while staying in the comforting presence of their mothers. It also gives the cows the opportunity to maintain or improve body condition for the next calving season. The secret to this stress-free method of weaning is that it is a gradual, two-step weaning process.
Using a nose ring allows the calf to be weaned alongside its mother before being separated. Nose rings are fitted onto the calves before returning them to their mothers. When the calf tries to suckle, the nose ring not only makes it physically difficult for the calf to suckle the teat, but also provides slight discomfort to the cow’s udder, causing her to nudge the calf away and thus wean the calf herself over a period of several days. After gradual weaning, the nose ring can be removed and the calves separated from the cows.
A nose ring is a simple plastic device fitted onto a calf’s nose. It does not pierce the inside of the nose but hooks into the nose and is then tightened by a fastener, as required. It is easy to fit and to remove after weaning. Unlike the conventional method of weaning by abruptly removing calves from cows, using nose rings means that calves can keep gaining weight. With gradual weaning, less feed is required to grow out young stock as they are not ‘checked’ and simply continue to thrive.
For more information,
contact Judy Richardson
on 053 927 4999/082 459 9451
or judy@nosering.co.za.
Additional advantages
Optimal rangeland management is a prerequisite for livestock production. Additional advantages offered by using nose rings at weaning include easier management of planned grazing and of herds. If weaners needn’t be separated from the cow herd it makes herd management, and therefore grazing management, so much easier.