Weaning calves and fencing...

Jackie · #21 09/11/12, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheryl aka JM

Have you already sold the bull? I'd draw some blood and make sure them cows are pregnant first if I were you. I have two cows that were running with the bull that sired their first calves for about 5 months post calving. I sold the bull and a third cow, figuring all three cows would be bred by that time. I took the two cows I had still in to the vet get them palpated find out due dates so I could be ready......
They were both open!
I called the fellow I sold the bull and the third cow too....the third cow was pregnant and gave him a beautiful heifer calf about the time I imagined all three cows would be due. The last two cows that I had kept (both jersey/holstien cross) got lute shots to get them cycling again and left in with a bull calf (as it happens last years calf from the cow I sold!) and we've been drawing pregnancy tests on them sending in to biotracking. NOW both cows are pregnant and the bull calf is going to processor Oct 2nd.

Lesson learned.....
Make sure the cow is pregnant before you get rid of the bull!

All my cows got pregnant within 3 weeks of my bull showing up last year...actually one cow had a calf 2 weeks earlier than what my calendar said...and I didnt even have the bull then. She must have gotten pregnant the day he showed up. The bull isnt gone yet. I was going to let him go on sunday but i chickened out thinking that might not have been long enough for my cows to be bred back. Guy I am selling him too doesnt actually need him until next year so he is going to pick him up sometime in october. I am not familiar with the blood test pregnancy thing...I didnt realize you could do that with cows. can you just do it yourself?

G. Seddon · #22 09/12/12, 07:46 AM

Yes, you can; I believe you get results fairly fast. Read all about it here:

Home | BioTracking.com

Cliff · #23 09/12/12, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jackie

I have seriously never ever heard of a cow weaning her own calf. I have always been told/read that you need to wean them to let her dry up for at least 2 months before the next calf is due. I have thought it would be more of a remote possibility that she would actually care to wean the calf. But I guess I will take everyones word for it and not bother building a fence.

Actually I think the 2 month thing is more a guideline for drying up dairy cows who milk so heavy. I personally wouldn't care if a beef calf on pasture was weaned up to the point that the colostrum came in for the new calf. Even then I've had it happen where they weren't weaned a couple times in the last few years, like I said, (and mind you this is out of anywhere from 50-70 mama cows) and everyone was fine. When I realized it was happening I did pull the older calves out of concern that the new calves wouldn't get enough. In one of the cases though, we realized a 2 year old heifer was still sneaking sips when nobody was looking. The next years calf did fine and grew well. We definitely pulled her though because that could turn into a real mess with the cow pregnant again.

Regarding your fence though, it never hurts to have an area that you can lock up a cow away from the others for other reasons besides weaning.

Cheryl aka JM · #24 09/12/12, 08:08 AM

The link G Seddon put up~ thats what I've been using. Draw the blood (get the cow pinned in good in a head catch or between a couple gates and do a tail draw. I think there are links on Biotracking how to do the blood draw) The test costs $2.50 the blood does not have to go overnight so is only about $5 to ship, I send it on a Monday and have results by Friday in my email.

I also agree with Cliff~ if you have the fence and the time might as well build the pen...just fence in a corner of the existing pasture...then if you don't need it fine, leave the gate open and the cows can come and go, but if you do need it great you've already got it!

PaulNKS · #25 09/12/12, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jackie

I have seriously never ever heard of a cow weaning her own calf. I have always been told/read that you need to wean them to let her dry up for at least 2 months before the next calf is due.

Some do and some don't. You don't have to wean but it is best. Personally, I think leaving the calves until the new calves are born is poor management. BUT, I do understand that some people either don't have the space or resources to wean and leave the calves on the cows. Also, weaning can be just separating the calf from the cow, or like many stockmen do, just hauling the calves to town when it's time to wean.

Cliff · #26 09/12/12, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulNKS

Some do and some don't. You don't have to wean but it is best. Personally, I think leaving the calves until the new calves are born is poor management. BUT, I do understand that some people either don't have the space or resources to wean and leave the calves on the cows. Also, weaning can be just separating the calf from the cow, or like many stockmen do, just hauling the calves to town when it's time to wean.

It will very rarely happen that a cow will allow a calf to stay on her till the new calf is born. If you routinely wean you wouldn't know that I guess. We prefer to let nature take it's course and intervene if necessary instead of routinely interfering. It's just not necessary in the great majority of cases and creates unnecessary stress on the animals and a lot of work for the humans. We will carry well grown wean-able age calves to market if the prices happen to be good at that point, but the weaning of them isn't the point, the selling of them is

PaulNKS · #27 09/12/12, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cliff

It will very rarely happen that a cow will allow a calf to stay on her till the new calf is born. If you routinely wean you wouldn't know that I guess. We prefer to let nature take it's course and intervene if necessary instead of routinely interfering. It's just not necessary in the great majority of cases and creates unnecessary stress on the animals and a lot of work for the humans. We will carry well grown wean-able age calves to market if the prices happen to be good at that point, but the weaning of them isn't the point, the selling of them is

In the past I've had many that didn't get weaned early enough and there are a lot of times that the cow will NOT wean the calf. I've been around cattle all my life. Like I said earlier, some will wean and some won't.

Cliff · #28 09/12/12, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulNKS

In the past I've had many that didn't get weaned early enough and there are a lot of times that the cow will NOT wean the calf. I've been around cattle all my life. Like I said earlier, some will wean and some won't.

So have I. What is "early enough?"

RockyRidgeFarms · #29 09/12/12, 01:13 PM

We also let nature do the work. With Dexters, they are such good mothers, that weaning for any reason other than milking, puts major stress on them. Their desire to keep and protect that calf is stronger than some of the other breeds we've had. However, they do seem to always know when it's time to cut 'em loose and fend for themselves. At that oint it's usually just the calf that's stressed. That little trick from an earlier posts work good at that point, keep a grain or alfalfa in a special spot for the claves to keep their mind off it.

One thing to try though, if you don't have room, is to drive around the area and maybe find someone who has the fencing and equipment still set up from an old operation and see about borrowing/renting for a month of so.

FarmerDavid · #30 11/28/12, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by linn

We have had really good results using calf weaners that go in the calf's nose. DH gets the calves up and runs them through the chute, putting a weaning ring in each nose and giving a blackleg booster at the same time. It is less stress on the cow and calf as they don't need to be separated and you don't have to worry about extra fencing.

Calf Weaner - ANIMART

Do you pull these out after a few weeks or do they eventually fall out or just leave them in?

gwithrow · #31 11/29/12, 06:46 AM

I second the calf weaners....the ideal is to vaccinate, put the weaner thing in, and leave if for 6 weeks or so, then back thru the chute, remove the weaner and revaccinate....putting them in was easy...taking out should be easier..they do not go thru the nose, just grip it on either side...

so far they have worked well...we did have one cow who weaned her own calf....before, she got a weaner thing anyway....but that one cow will be the last to go, she is a keeper...and keepng the herd together is much easier...then you can separate later and sell or put up or whatever....no bawling...safer here for everyone to stick together as well.....and you can use the fencing as you need it later on....

Hexe · #32 11/30/12, 09:23 AM

I was in the same position as you when I started out and I ran into the same issue. Some research suggested that calves should be "manually" weaned and so I did. Lots of bawling, some success, some not so successful (so I thought) until I realised that the cows weaned the calves themselves IF they were bred. They'll do it about 60-90 days before calving. However, they always calve in spring and my theorie is that at that time (winter) they start to dry up anyway due to time already spent nursing, diet (hay only) and temperatures. I have Dexters and a Highland, the only time they've let the calves nurse longer is when they are open and you can tell that there is not a whole lot of milk, it seems that the calves nurse out of habit and comfort mostly.

ycanchu2 · #33 11/30/12, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hexe

I was in the same position as you when I started out and I ran into the same issue. Some research suggested that calves should be "manually" weaned and so I did. Lots of bawling, some success, some not so successful (so I thought) until I realised that the cows weaned the calves themselves IF they were bred. They'll do it about 60-90 days before calving. However, they always calve in spring and my theorie is that at that time (winter) they start to dry up anyway due to time already spent nursing, diet (hay only) and temperatures. I have Dexters and a Highland, the only time they've let the calves nurse longer is when they are open and you can tell that there is not a whole lot of milk, it seems that the calves nurse out of habit and comfort mostly.

I have tried natural weaning this year for the first time ever. I'm keeping back about 20 heifers in 2 different herds. One herd of about 21 cows are already calving....about half have calved so far. There are 10 heifers still with them from last year and all of them are weaned. In the other herd there are 11 heifers that I am going to keep and I think they are mostly weaned too, but their mamas won't calve untill mid Febuary. I seen one trying to nurse yesterday but when I got closer she was actually just licking one of the teats it was only for a moment then her mama lifted her leg as if to tell her to stop and she did. I think its the way to go.
I had never thought about what you said about...IF they are bred....because if they weren't they would probably never dry up. Good post.