I weaned calves from their dams. How long should I keep them apart to dry the cow up and be able to manage the cows and their calves together?

We have weaned calves for 4 days, 8 days, and 12 days then turned the calves and dams back together. Calves weaned at 4 days, 8 days, and 12 days all mothered-up and began suckling their dams. We measured milk production and all cows that had their calves at 4 days, 8 days, and 12 days produced milk after the calves were returned.

Milk composition didn't change much depending on whether cows had their calves weaned for 4 or 8 days, but when calves were weaned for 12 days, milk composition was slightly different indicating that the cows that had their calves weaned for 12 days were beginning to dry up.

So the answer to your question is that I think you will need to have calves weaned for at least 30 days to "dry" the cow up then cows and their calves could be co-mingled.

We are planning to put weaned calves (500-550 lbs) on irrigated grass. Dry hay, salt, and mineral will be available free choice. Do we need to supplement them with any other feeds?

The question you asked is a good one. We don't have data on spring-born calves grazing irrigated pastures in the fall after they are weaned. You didn't indicate what the pasture mix consists of. If there is alfalfa in the mix, then manage the calves so that bloat is not a problem. Also, grass tetany can occur in the fall, so if you are in a grass tetany prone area, supplement the calves with a mineral mix that includes magnesium oxide (MgO). You can get this at the local feed supply store. Follow label directions. Provide salt.

We do have data on calves grazing meadow and the calves were in that 500 lb range. Our meadows are mostly cool-season grasses. I would point you toward research by Lardy that was done at Gundmundsen and is reported in the 1998 Beef Report: Escape Protein Supplementation and Weaning Effects on Calves Grazing Meadow Regrowth (PDF 53KB). In this research study, they supplemented calves on meadow regrowth and calves gained 1.94 lb. per day. The important thing here is the type of supplement. The supplement they used was a high by-pass supplement and fed 2.0 lb/head daily.

So, it depends on what kind of gain you want to achieve. Without supplementation, you might expect an ADG of 1.5 to 1.75 lb, with supplementation ADG would be close to 2.0 lb. The supplement needs to be higher in by-pass protein compared to degradable protein. A cube or pellet that is high in distillers grains would work because distillers are high in by-pass protein. Looks like about 2 lb per head per day of a pellet that is about 75% distillers grains. The nice thing about using grain co-products is that we don't see the negative effects on forage digestion that we see with grains. If you decide to use a supplement that has distillers, you will need to have a mineral that is high in calcium because distillers are high in phosphorus.

If you supplement with hay, the hay will be substituted for the grass and the result will be reduced ADG. I think it will be difficult to get the calves to eat hay once they are on the pasture. I would recommend filling the calves up on grass hay before turning them out especially if calves are going to be weaned, then dry-lotted for a period of time, then turned out. If they are going from the dam directly to pasture and the pastures are similar, then filling them up with hay is probably not needed.

If you decide to supplement the calves, offering the calves the supplement 3 times a week, two weeks before they are weaned and still on the dam, will make the transition smoother.

What is the earliest age that I can wean calves?

There are data that indicates that beef calves can be successfully weaned from their dams when they are 45 days old. So when the youngest calf is between 45 to 60 days old, you could consider weaning them from their dams. It is important that waters and feed bunks are at a level that calves of this age can easily access them. Also, consult your veterinarian as to herd health strategies. Calves at this young age are still responding to passive immunity that they received through colostrum. Your vet will help you with this component. Diets fed to early weaned calves must be comprised of high quality feeds that are highly digested. These calves have a small rumen and to keep them growing at an acceptable rate, the diets need to be well designed. Also, these diets need to be high quality, dust free, and particle size needs to be uniform so that calves cannot sort the rations.

If you are a seed stock producer, contact your breed association as to the earliest date that calves can be weaned and their data not be compromised.

Should calves be weaned earlier on first-calf-females?

Good question. The answer, I think, is "it depends". If first-calf females have access to an abundant amount of forage and appear to be in adequate body condition, then weaning calves from this group of females ahead of the time that you would wean calves from the rest of the herd is likely not necessary. If the amount of forage is not adequate (drought conditions) and/or quality of the forage is low when these young females are still in a part of their lactation curve where they are producing a lot of milk, then early wean calves from this group of females would allow them not to get in poor body condition or if they have, you could regain body condition without much supplementation.

That being said, I know of producers with spring-calving herds that routinely wean calves from first calf- females ahead of the mature cow herd. Body condition at calving has the greatest impact on reproductive performance the next breeding season. By weaning calves (calves 160 to 180 days of age) early the nutrient needs of these females decreases a bunch and they are able to graze themselves into good body condition before calving and reproductive performance is really good for these females the following spring/summer.

If you early wean these calves, you will need to retain them to get weight of them. They will be light and although price per pound is high, usually dollars generated is not enough to cover cow costs. Make sure that you can supply the early weaned calves with a diet that will allow them to continue to gain about 2 lb/day. Also, work with your veterinarian on a vaccination program for these calves.

If I were to wean calves at 2 months old, would I have to keep them out of sight of the mother or is it better to keep them in a fenced area in sight of the mother?

I don't think it matters, but I would do some training and management before weaning. First, work with your veterinarian on a health program. Second, before weaning, expose calves to feed. We know that the sooner calves consume feed after weaning, the lower the morbidity and mortality. This may mean that two to three weeks before weaning, start calves on a creep feed or offer cows a couple pounds of cubes three to four times a week. Calves will learn to eat alongside their mothers and then when they are weaned, considered starting them on a pelleted ration for the first 14 to 21 days.

Instead of weaning the calves to a dusty lot, maybe fence-line wean the calves in a pasture. Train the cows and calves to an electric fence and have the fence separating two adjacent pastures. Have enough straight fence-line that, when separated, calves can stand across the electric fence from their dams. The first day, calves and cows will stay at the fence, after four days, they both will be content in their pastures. Continue to feed the calves or have the creep feeders available for them. You might want a "baby-sitter" cow to remain with the calves for two to three weeks.

We are thinking of weaning calves at 3 to 4 months of age. We calve April first for 65 days. My question is if a cow is lactating heavily with good grass and we wean the calves will it hurt the cow udder for next year? Will we have to give the cow anything or take her off grass to dry her up?

I talked with Dr. Dan Faulkner who has conducted a number of early weaning trials. He indicated that they have "dried" up early weaned females on pasture or in a dry lot and both have worked fine. He also indicated that they have not documented any negative relationship between early weaning and udder quality or subsequent milk production, although he did indicate that the udder got quite full while females were drying up. I think in his work they early weaned calves as early as 65 days post-calving.

Peak milk production would occur at 70 to 80 days post-calving. I do think, but I have no data to support this comment, but if you weaned calves around the time of peak milk production and if cows had a high potential to milk and teat and udder quality of the females was already less than average, then this might further cause a decline in udder quality.

Getting ready to wean. Is it better to vaccinate with a killed virus and leave the calves on the cows and then pull them off in 2 to 3 weeks and revaccinate with modified live virus or pull them off and vaccinate with a MLV and then revaccinate?

The concern about using modified-live virus (MLV) vaccines in pre?weaned calves is that pregnant cows (the dams of these calves) might abort following exposure to the vaccine virus. This very rarely happens and many thousands of calves receive MLV vaccine prior to weaning without adverse effect to the cow herd. Vaccinating cows prior to breeding, using the same product, further minimizes this risk. However, vaccine manufacturers often warn of the possibility of problems on the label - and if they don't want to assume any liability, then I don't either - so follow the label directions.

The period of viral shedding following MLV vaccination could be many days, so removing the calves from the cow herd on the day of vaccination doesn't avoid the problem. If you have concerns about vaccine virus causing problems when you vaccinate calves prior to weaning then use killed virus vaccines. Consult your veterinarian.

Overview of Weaning Calves

Weaning time can be a stressful time for calves. Weaning calves at home and selling after the seasonal price pressure subsides can increase profitability. Reducing separation and handling stress, providing proper nutrition, and preconditioning against disease increases the value of the calves and improves their performance when they enter the growing and finishing period.

Calf health & other procedures at weaning

Using low-stress handling techniques to ease calves away from their mothers boosts the vaccinations calves were given before bull turnout. Vaccines should include:

• Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) virals including IBR (Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis), BVD (Bovine Virus Diarrhea), and BRSV (Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus);
• a BRD bacterial vaccine (examples include; Presponse, Pulmo-Guard, One-Shot, etc.); and
• a Clostridial such as a 7-Way Blackleg.

Calves are very susceptible to parasites and an effective dewormer should be given as well.

A growth implant approved for weaning calves will improve growth during the next 45 to 60 days post weaning for cattle not intended for replacement breeding stock.

Methods of separation

Separating calves from their dams causes behavioral changes that lead to stress. Vocalization, walking fences, and reduced intake can all result in reduced performance and health concerns. Producers should choose the separation method that works best for their operation while taking as many precautions as possible to maintain performance and reduce illness.

Traditional weaning

Traditional weaning is defined as separating the cows and calves abruptly without any residual contact. Calves may be moved away from the ranch, or they may be confined to a dry lot or a small pasture while the cows are taken away from the immediate area. Traditional weaning results in vocalization and fence walking which can last up to 3 days.

Fenceline weaning

Fenceline weaning (placing cows and calves on opposite sides of a fence) has been shown to result in fewer vocalizations, less fence walking, and more weight gain postweaning compared to traditional weaning of calves.

Fenceline weaning works best using a tight, 4-5 strand barbwire fence, reinforced with woven wire or electric fence. However, successful fenceline weaning has been accomplished with two strands of electric fence.

One key to successful fenceline weaning is ensuring the adjacent pastures share a fence long enough for the cows and calves to spread out and maintain relatively close physical proximity.

The process takes about 5-7 days. Fenceline weaning is best accomplished by removing cows from the pasture the pairs were occupying rather than moving the calves to a new pasture because the calves are accustomed to the watering location and feeding facilities. Introducing pairs into the weaning pasture about 1 week prior to weaning is sufficient for calves to become familiar with the pasture.

If calves are going to be supplemented, consider supplementing the pairs three days a week beginning about three weeks before weaning. This will teach the calves to eat supplement and familiarize them with the supplement truck.

Two-step weaning

At the time of preconditioning, a plastic nose piece (sometimes called a “weaner”) is placed in the calf’s nose which allows the calf to graze and drink water, but prevents nursing (step 1). Calves are then returned to the cows for 10-14 days. After day 10 to 14 placement of the plastic nose piece, calves and cows are separated (step 2). Research has shown this method decreases vocalization and walking by cows and calves. At the time of dam and calf separation, calves and cows can be handled like that described in the “traditional” weaning method.

Nutrition

Nutrition is a key element in the weight gain and immune response of weaned calves. Milk is rich in energy, protein, and vitamins and minerals and needs to be replaced with high quality forage and possibly supplement to maintain preweaning nutrient intake. Fortifying the pre- and post-weaning diet with vitamins and minerals can contribute to improved immune function and reduced post- weaning sickness.

Unlimited access to fresh, clean water is essential for weaned calves. If the post weaning water source is unfamiliar to the calves, make accommodations to familiarize the calves. Allowing the water source to overflow for a brief time may help calves find the water.

Weaning on grass

If calves are allowed to continue grazing after weaning, consider the nutrient content of the forage. Native range in the fall is in a state of declining nutrient content. Weaned calves grazing native range in the fall may require supplemental feed depending on the targeted weight gain.

Weaning in dry lot

Calves moving from grazing to dry lot for weaning must learn to eat from a bunk. Bunk space needs to be adequate (1.5 – 2 ft/hd) for the number of calves being weaned. Adding fill dirt around bunks and water may be necessary to ensure small calves can reach water and feed.

Reduced intake typically results in poor weight gain and depressed immune function. Therefore, maintaining feed intake is crucial. Feeding long-stem high-quality grass hay the first two or three days post-weaning, works well to start calves on feed. After two or three days, begin adding some energy feeds to the diet. The diet can be delivered as a total mixed ration or the energy feed can be top-dressed on the hay.

Fermented feeds such as silage should be avoided until calves are eating well, as it is not highly palatable to them. Additionally, energy is important but energy sources high in starch such as corn should be limited to 50% or less of the dietary dry matter.