Beef calves weaning advice

[NorfolkK]

Hi all, hoping for some advice please. We keep around 100 continental store cattle on the farm, bought in in autumn and over-wintered in barns, turned out in April and sold the following autumn.

To try something different we’ve just bought some in-calf cows with calves at foot. One cow has twin 7 month old calves and is due to calve again in November. They’ve all been turned out onto marshland with plenty of grass and I’m looking for advice on the best way to get the calves off her. Someone suggested electric fence between calves and cow for a couple of days before taking the calves to a different field out of sight, others say just to take calves straight off. Worried if the calves go onto another field they or the cow will try and escape to get back to each other (public footpaths between all the marsh fields so an escaped cow would be a nightmare). Any suggestions on how best to do it please?
Also what about feeding the calves once off the cow - should they have a creep feeder or will grass be enough?
Thanks in advance

 

[egbert]

Some folk swear by the plastic nose guard thingies. Put em on, and calfie can't drink, but is still with mum, and calm.
Then move em.

I'm old skool...just shut calves indoors for a few days - out of earshot of dam if fencing isn't up to speed.
Either will seek out the other if they can.

Weaned calves, once quieted down, should live perfectly well on half decent summer grass, ready to start a bit of corn as nights close in, if that's your thing

 

[som farmer]

just bought 80 odd calves, all on milk, from a dairy farm, weaned half straight away, took them 4 days to stop bawling, quiet now though, and are fine. Not so sure about our posh neighbours. They are 30 metres from that shed............... she didn't wave when she drove by me.................... Then spread some very ripe FYM, in the field next to them, ploughed in now !

 

[sticky]

If they’re within earshot of each other they will break down fences and cross ditches to get back to one another. The only safe way to do it imo is to shut the calves up for a week.

 

[NorfolkK]

Thanks all

 

[Nearly]

There are some mini one way gates on fb marketplace. I've been wanting to make some for a while so saved the pics.
Ideal for fastening open for a while then separating the calves off into another small pen or field. Then into a shed for a week plus.

 

[devonbeef]

shut them in a shed ,with high gates and cows either in shed far away or in a very well hotlined field, and prepare for a noisy week

 

[crashbox]

So it's out on the marshes, no sheds.

What about calves in pddocknnext door, two very good hot wires 1m apart.

They will bawl at each other but mum will see calves are fine and settled quicker.

Opposite to what most say here.

We like to shut calves inside with mother outside so she can see calves and get used to knowing they are fine, the odd occasion we have done it.

 

[twizzel]

Shut ours in a shed, and shut the cows in too. The last time we shut the calves in and put the cows in the furthest field away out of sight and sound, they pushed through perfectly good hedges to get in lesson learnt. Always shut the cows in too

 

[AGN76]

I'd leave them on for the summer and bring them in September time. Bit of a mastitis risk this time of year

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

The calves don’t need taking off until October if the cows aren’t due until November. Presumably you’d want them home for calving so take the calves off then and have them either side of a gate in a shed for a few days. As said above, it’s a bad time of the year to wean calves for mastitis

 

[Jackov Altraids]

All good advice.
There is no wrong or right, you just have to work out what holds the highest risk for you and what options are possible.
Just make sure you are on the premises for at least the first 24 hours when you decide to wean to keep an eye on proceedings.
There is an endless list of possible problems that might need your immediate attention.
Although it should be fine.

 

[som farmer]

So it's out on the marshes, no sheds.

What about calves in pddocknnext door, two very good hot wires 1m apart.

They will bawl at each other but mum will see calves are fine and settled quicker.

Opposite to what most say here.

We like to shut calves inside with mother outside so she can see calves and get used to knowing they are fine, the odd occasion we have done it.

just separate them with a very good fence between them, that seems to be how a lot of American ranchers do it. Both have sight and sound of each other, works well.

shut them in a shed ,with high gates and cows either in shed far away or in a very well hotlined field, and prepare for a noisy week

not sure about the hot line
we turned a bunch of calves out, 1 took off, straight through the stock fence/hedge, and shut the A303 for 30mins. Police reckoned it was real 'country' policing, they all had their truncheons out, what the hell for

 

[Beames]

This year I shut the cows and calves in separate sheds with a yard between them. They shout and bawl for 4-5 days then it quietens down. Turned out the cows into a field next to weaned calves on day 6. they can see each other through a gate and nobody was bothered at all.

 

[Rich_ard]

Hi all, hoping for some advice please. We keep around 100 continental store cattle on the farm, bought in in autumn and over-wintered in barns, turned out in April and sold the following autumn.

To try something different we’ve just bought some in-calf cows with calves at foot. One cow has twin 7 month old calves and is due to calve again in November. They’ve all been turned out onto marshland with plenty of grass and I’m looking for advice on the best way to get the calves off her. Someone suggested electric fence between calves and cow for a couple of days before taking the calves to a different field out of sight, others say just to take calves straight off. Worried if the calves go onto another field they or the cow will try and escape to get back to each other (public footpaths between all the marsh fields so an escaped cow would be a nightmare). Any suggestions on how best to do it please?
Also what about feeding the calves once off the cow - should they have a creep feeder or will grass be enough?
Thanks in advance

You don't want to wean autumn calves too soon. Couple weeks before they calve is better.

 

[NorfolkK]

Thanks all, appreciate the advice. Think we’ll leave them alone until September and separate them once they’re back in the barn.

 

[crofteress]

was going to say, why not let the cow wean them herself, if she's back in calve she will.

 

[crashbox]

You don't want to wean autumn calves too soon. Couple weeks before they calve is better.

In dairy we recommend 2 month dry period.

Sucklers might be different.

But I guess, in the wild, the cows kick the calves off!

 

[ladycrofter]

@NorfolkK Not a fan of complete sudden separation, I think it's inhumane, sorry. For cow and calf. And the poor cow is suddenly left with an enormous bulging aching udder swinging around and attracting flies for a few days FFS. Another case of unnecessary human interference for convenience sake. Let the cow kick the calf off, she knows when it's time. I only ever had one try to start sucking again once when new calf came and the nose spikes work if they don't remember their mother's back foot in their face . For those with no regard for the emotional well-being of cattle but purely the monetary, it enables a gradual drying up of the milk and less chance of mastitis.
Yes calves will jump any fence to return to their mothers, who wouldn't? They get more from their mother than just milk. My bull used to wait in a queue to get his face washed by his mother, their family bonds are very strong.
Yes you can shut them all in a shed with good gates in between, adjacent to each other. They pine less and will be more likely to start eating ration, especially when their mothers are in cudding. Put the cows back out after a week but they let them come to the shed when they want, to get away from flies or heat or at night. Also makes it easier to keep an eye on their udder health.

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

It will also reduce calf stress if you have been giving them creep before weaning