Question on nursing rings

Karen in Alabam · #1 01/22/12, 09:16 AM

I have seen that some of you use nursing rings, and I would like to know more about them.

My Sissy is ready to calf in a few weeks. I don't really have a place to keep a calf and I want Sissy to raise it, not me anyhow. I do plan to milk Sissy.

What are the pros and cons of the rings?

Also can you put them on and say take them off after you are done milking and let her on Momma, or will that be too traumatic to put them off and on all the time?

Last year, I let Rita nurse off of Yo, and got next to nothing till I completely took her off and sent her to my sister's--she was 7 months old then.

**gone-a-milkin** · #2 01/22/12, 09:49 AM

Do you mean 'weaning rings'?

I have only ever seen them used on older calves when you dont want them to suck at all anymore.

They are really meant to just be put in and left there, not off and on every day.
I sure wouldn't want to have to wrestle a calf that often.

With the amount of cattle you have now, it might be a very good idea to put together some type of a smaller pen made of cattle panels or something.
It just comes in so handy for weaning/ isolation/ doctoring, etc.

Cindy in KY · #3 01/22/12, 10:24 AM

I looked at those EasyRings, those are neat. I don't like to separate either.

Our bull calf is about 7 weeks old and huge. We lock him up in his stall with hay and feed next to Jersey at night and we get all the milk in the morning. Then he goes with Mama all day. It is working very well. She was giving us 5 gallons a day right after calving. Doing it this way, we are getting for us about 3.5 gallons a day. We get 2.5 gallons in the morning and 1 gallon at night milking. So big baby is drinking 1.5 gallons a day.

Mama can see him in the stall next to her and she is fine with that. He has even learned to go in there, under the creep board, to sleep and eat during the day. It is his space.

We just close his little stall door at night.

myersfarm · #4 01/22/12, 11:07 AM

never seen one small enough to fit a week old calf....i would also think it would cause a lot of stress on the calf..AT THAT AGE.

springvalley · #5 01/22/12, 05:04 PM

As others have said, invest in four cattle panels and put them in a shed and fasten them well and make it home for the calf at night. A weaning ring should not be used on a new calf, I sure would hate to deal with that problem every day. And the older the calf gets the more it will drink, it would take it all in time. > Thanks Marc