Weaning

jconner2088 · Dec 25, 2020

Whats the earliest anyone would wean a calf? I have a cow that i just can not get weight back on until i pull the calf. Seems like ever year its soon and sooner. Usually wean her calves bout 5mnths. But she has a 3 month old and really thinking of weaning him .Not shipping her. She has put calves in our sales every year and they are dang good calves. So not asking for all that debate just whats the earliest

shortybreeder · Dec 25, 2020

I've heard 90 days. When I did that one year, it took a while for the 90 day weaned heifer to catch up to the 110 day weaned heifer for what it's worth. She didn't get sick and did get plenty big eventually.

GoWyo · Dec 25, 2020

When we get droughted out we will pull calves early to make it easy on the cows and take pressure off the pasture. I like to have them to 4 months minimum. They can keep up with grass hay and a creep ration at that point and do pretty well.

Steve123 · Dec 26, 2020

I thought the Simmental Assoc. did a big study on early weaning calves but I couldn't find it on their website. A couple of good articles from UNL and Penn State are linked below.

https://beef.unl.edu/cattleproduction/earlyweaning#:~:text=Weaning%20beef%20calves%20as%20early,start%20of%20the%20breeding%20season.

https://extension.psu.edu/early-weaning-strategies

mbigelow · Dec 26, 2020

I don't think their in business anymore but camp cooly ranch used to wean all their calves at 90 days and put them in a feedlot. They did it because it was the only way to get the cows to rebreed in their environment. Seemed pretty crazy to me. What's the cow for at that point? If it works for you then great. Should not have any issue's we all have bottle calves that we feed from day 1 and they are weaned from mom at that point and survive. Just give it some calf manna or equivalent.

WinterSpringsFarm · Dec 27, 2020

jconner2088 said:
Whats the earliest anyone would wean a calf? I have a cow that i just can not get weight back on until i pull the calf. Seems like ever year its soon and sooner. Usually wean her calves bout 5mnths. But she has a 3 month old and really thinking of weaning him .Not shipping her. She has put calves in our sales every year and they are dang good calves. So not asking for all that debate just whats the earliest

I weaned a show calf at 90 days a couple years ago. She did really well that year as a calf, but as a bred I am less than enthused with her. Not sure if I can blame the weaning early and hard feeding on her look as a bred or not.

CAB · Dec 27, 2020

90 days is my minimum age also and I have weaned several at that age through the years. If they are eating some feed ahead of that you won't notice much of delay in those calves. Competition from bigger calves will be as hard on them as anything else so fit you have a separate pen to sort a few smaller calves off with them they will respond to the extra care well.