As part of our five-week weanling series, this week we take a look at weaning strategies on farms and how to minimise stress and maximise animal performance during this period.
The weaning period is one of the most stressful periods an animal will go through during its life. Because of this, calves are open to other disease challenges on the farm, such as pneumonia.
This is no different than yourself being stressed around calving and then getting sick with a cold or flu as a result. The stress isn’t the cause. However, it lowers the immunity levels and increases the chances of animals becoming ill.
On many farms, unvaccinated weanlings are taken off a cow the morning of a sale, transported to a mart, spend a day in the mart mixing with other cattle and other disease challenges, transported to the buyer’s destination and into a new environment and new diet, and then we wonder why these calves get sick.
Having a more planned process would have benefits for both the seller and purchaser. High stress levels will also mean reduced performance where animals don’t eat for a number of days and this growth check can be substantial where the weaning process isn’t carried out properly.
This can be detrimental in a young bull finishing system, where animals need to be performing every day of their life to hit target weights in this system. Reducing this growth check will mean earlier finishing in any system. Managing weaning and looking after weanlings over the next few months is critical to the success of any beef system.
Reducing stress levels
Weaning should be carried out as stress-free as possible. You are never going to be able to cut out all stress, but you can do a number of things to help reduce it.
Creep feeding: feeding weanlings some ration prior to weaning will help smooth the transition of the diet from milk to solid feed. Reduced intake around weaning means less energy intake and reduced performance. If an animal is already consuming 1kg to 2kg of a high-energy ration, this will mean the growth drop shouldn’t be as big. Weanlings should be fed four to six weeks prior to weaning. Feeding levels will depend on the route to market of the stock.
Creep grazing: forward-creep grazing calves ahead of cows can help reduce the cow-calf bond and in turn reduce stress levels at weaning. Calves can be encouraged into the next paddock to graze via a creep gate, rising the fence in one place or by feeding some ration in troughs in the next paddock. This also means they are getting the best possible grass ahead of cows.
Vaccination: where there have been previous issues on the farm with pneumonia, vaccination is a must and will help reduce the incidence of pneumonia. Remember to start this process early, as some treatments require booster shots given four to six weeks apart. Full cover won’t be achieved until the second shot is given.
Method 1: Case study – QuietWean nose tags
Kildare farmer Heinz Eggert has been using QuietWean for the past two years after seeing the nose tags online and ordering them from the UK for just over €4 each delivered. QuietWean works off the principle of two-stage weaning.
First stage
By inserting a plastic paddle into the calf’s nose, the calf is prevented from sucking the cow, but allowed full social and physical contact. Calves are still able to graze and eat properly. This helps prepare both cows and calves for life after weaning and allows them to wean off milk without the stress of separation from their mothers.
Second stage
After the calves have worn the paddle for five to seven days, the nose flaps are removed and cows and calves are separated. Calves roar less, spend less time walking in search of their mother and spend more time eating. The risk of illness is reduced by about 75% after weaning, according to research carried out at Western College of Veterinary medicine at University of Saskatchewan.
“There is little or no sickness after weaning. We didn’t treat any calves last year, whereas we normally have at least five or six sick calves after weaning,” said Heinz. “To be honest, I would not like to wean calves without the QuietWean tags.”
Seven out of 100 calves lost the paddles last year. Heinz said: “Try to avoid putting calves in fields with an abundance of walls or trees in them after stage one as it increases the risk of calves rubbing against them and losing them.”
The paddles are 100% reusable, but should be washed and disinfected before reuse. Calves generally walk on average 25 miles after weaning in search of their mother. A study carried out in the USA showed that when the two-stage weaning process was used, calves generally only walk an average of 10 miles. This significantly reduces the likelihood of respiratory diseases post-weaning.
Pros
The risk of illness after weaning is reduced.Calves also eat 25% more after weaning than traditionally weaned calves.Calves are much calmer and are less likely to break through fences after separation.Cons
Calves have to be handled twice – once inserting the paddle and again removing the paddle. If paddles are left in for longer than five days, the calf’s nostrils may become irritated.Calves may also lose them.Method 2: Staggered weaning
Many of the country’s beef farmers wean by intermittently removing a small number of cows from grazing groups of cows and calves. For example, in a group of 25 cows and calves, five cows could be removed every five days. Ideally, these cows go on to a bare paddock or into a shed out of sight and sound of their calves.
Before using this method, calves should be afforded the chance to graze under the wire ahead of cows for at least a fortnight in order to begin weakening the cow-calf bond and reduce stress when weaning time comes.
Calves can be weaned at six months of age, but focus on your cows when selecting what to wean. Look to wean young cows first, particularly any under visible pressure.
This will pay dividends in the long run from fertility and longevity points of view. Thin cows should also be weaned early for the same reasons. If they get a chance to put on condition at grass prior to housing, there is a potential saving on winter feed costs.
With heavy rain falling in the last couple of weeks, many farmers are reporting that ground is under pressure. Hence, it might make sense to wean your biggest cows too.
Lock freshly-weaned cows in for a number of days on straw diets and monitor for mastitis. Some farmers choose to administer dry cow tubes while cows are in. Once things have settled and if ground conditions allow, these cows can go back out, but should remain well away from their calves.
Avoid removing cows from groups on the eve of a bad forecast, as the inclement weather represents an additional stressor on calves. Also, although the temptation is there when animals are being handled, avoid dosing or vaccinating calves when their dams are being removed from a group.
Pros
Tried and tested by many.Calves settle easier with other cows and calves remaining in the group.Cows can be monitored easily in the days post-weaning.Con
Labour-intensive – lots of handling.Sometimes calves can become unsettled with this method.Calves can also be weaned indoors in a short space of time, where housing layout allows. As with all weaning methods, ideally calves would be creeping ahead of cows into fresh grass for at least a fortnight prior to weaning and some producers will use this separation to offer meals to calves. While this will help the transition, it is not entirely necessary for successful weaning.
Ideally, when weaning inside, use two side-by-side bays in the shed connected with a creep gate. Bring all cattle into one of the pens (wean no more than 10 pairs at a time). Separate calves into the adjacent pen using the creep gate and lock them in.
The calf’s pen should be straw-bedded and they should have access to fresh, good-quality silage and 1kg to 1.5kg of meal, split in two feeds. Cows should be heavily restricted (straw and/or moderate-quality silage).
Let calves in to suckle cows every second day for six to eight days and wean once you are content that they are healthy and eating up meals.
Ensure that sheds are cleaned out before each batch of calves come through and remain well-ventilated during the process.
Once weaned, turn calves back out to grass and continue to offer 1kg of concentrates.
Calves should be vaccinated against respiratory disease before indoor weaning and should not receive any medical treatments shortly before or during the process.
This method is good for minimising stress, as cows and calves are side by side and can touch, but calves cannot suck cows through pen barriers.
Pro
Labour at weaning is condensed.Animals are easily monitored.Cons
Sheds required.Housing and dietary change (grass to silage) are potential stressors on calves.The science behind weaning stress
The reality is that a lot of the bugs that cause respiratory disease in weanlings are commonplace in their environment. When fully functioning, their immune system can keep them at bay with relative ease. But stressors weaken their immune systems and afford these bugs a chance to get in and cause illness. Weaning is a huge potential stressor for calves.
Research from Teagasc Grange, published in the Veterinary Ireland Journal, showed a marked increase in stress-related blood metabolites where calves were weaned abruptly versus unweaned calves.
As well as a suppressed immune system, an animal exhibiting a physiological response like the one in Figure 1 will be diverting nutrients away from maintenance and growth towards its immune system. Even if there are no symptoms of illness, production will have stalled in the days following weaning.
To creep or not to creep
After our creep feeding debate, we ran a Twitter poll on whether to creep or not. Over 300 people participated in the poll and 62% of respondents were in favour of creep feeding, while 38% where in favour of no creep.
NEXT WEEK
Sale preparation
As part of our five-week weanling series, this week we take a look at weaning strategies on farms and how to minimise stress and maximise animal performance during this period.
The weaning period is one of the most stressful periods an animal will go through during its life. Because of this, calves are open to other disease challenges on the farm, such as pneumonia.
This is no different than yourself being stressed around calving and then getting sick with a cold or flu as a result. The stress isn’t the cause. However, it lowers the immunity levels and increases the chances of animals becoming ill.
On many farms, unvaccinated weanlings are taken off a cow the morning of a sale, transported to a mart, spend a day in the mart mixing with other cattle and other disease challenges, transported to the buyer’s destination and into a new environment and new diet, and then we wonder why these calves get sick.
Having a more planned process would have benefits for both the seller and purchaser. High stress levels will also mean reduced performance where animals don’t eat for a number of days and this growth check can be substantial where the weaning process isn’t carried out properly.
This can be detrimental in a young bull finishing system, where animals need to be performing every day of their life to hit target weights in this system. Reducing this growth check will mean earlier finishing in any system. Managing weaning and looking after weanlings over the next few months is critical to the success of any beef system.
Reducing stress levels
Weaning should be carried out as stress-free as possible. You are never going to be able to cut out all stress, but you can do a number of things to help reduce it.
Creep feeding: feeding weanlings some ration prior to weaning will help smooth the transition of the diet from milk to solid feed. Reduced intake around weaning means less energy intake and reduced performance. If an animal is already consuming 1kg to 2kg of a high-energy ration, this will mean the growth drop shouldn’t be as big. Weanlings should be fed four to six weeks prior to weaning. Feeding levels will depend on the route to market of the stock.
Creep grazing: forward-creep grazing calves ahead of cows can help reduce the cow-calf bond and in turn reduce stress levels at weaning. Calves can be encouraged into the next paddock to graze via a creep gate, rising the fence in one place or by feeding some ration in troughs in the next paddock. This also means they are getting the best possible grass ahead of cows.
Vaccination: where there have been previous issues on the farm with pneumonia, vaccination is a must and will help reduce the incidence of pneumonia. Remember to start this process early, as some treatments require booster shots given four to six weeks apart. Full cover won’t be achieved until the second shot is given.
Method 1: Case study – QuietWean nose tags
Kildare farmer Heinz Eggert has been using QuietWean for the past two years after seeing the nose tags online and ordering them from the UK for just over €4 each delivered. QuietWean works off the principle of two-stage weaning.
First stage
By inserting a plastic paddle into the calf’s nose, the calf is prevented from sucking the cow, but allowed full social and physical contact. Calves are still able to graze and eat properly. This helps prepare both cows and calves for life after weaning and allows them to wean off milk without the stress of separation from their mothers.
Second stage
After the calves have worn the paddle for five to seven days, the nose flaps are removed and cows and calves are separated. Calves roar less, spend less time walking in search of their mother and spend more time eating. The risk of illness is reduced by about 75% after weaning, according to research carried out at Western College of Veterinary medicine at University of Saskatchewan.
“There is little or no sickness after weaning. We didn’t treat any calves last year, whereas we normally have at least five or six sick calves after weaning,” said Heinz. “To be honest, I would not like to wean calves without the QuietWean tags.”
Seven out of 100 calves lost the paddles last year. Heinz said: “Try to avoid putting calves in fields with an abundance of walls or trees in them after stage one as it increases the risk of calves rubbing against them and losing them.”
The paddles are 100% reusable, but should be washed and disinfected before reuse. Calves generally walk on average 25 miles after weaning in search of their mother. A study carried out in the USA showed that when the two-stage weaning process was used, calves generally only walk an average of 10 miles. This significantly reduces the likelihood of respiratory diseases post-weaning.
Pros
The risk of illness after weaning is reduced.Calves also eat 25% more after weaning than traditionally weaned calves.Calves are much calmer and are less likely to break through fences after separation.Cons
Calves have to be handled twice – once inserting the paddle and again removing the paddle. If paddles are left in for longer than five days, the calf’s nostrils may become irritated.Calves may also lose them.Method 2: Staggered weaning
Many of the country’s beef farmers wean by intermittently removing a small number of cows from grazing groups of cows and calves. For example, in a group of 25 cows and calves, five cows could be removed every five days. Ideally, these cows go on to a bare paddock or into a shed out of sight and sound of their calves.
Before using this method, calves should be afforded the chance to graze under the wire ahead of cows for at least a fortnight in order to begin weakening the cow-calf bond and reduce stress when weaning time comes.
Calves can be weaned at six months of age, but focus on your cows when selecting what to wean. Look to wean young cows first, particularly any under visible pressure.
This will pay dividends in the long run from fertility and longevity points of view. Thin cows should also be weaned early for the same reasons. If they get a chance to put on condition at grass prior to housing, there is a potential saving on winter feed costs.
With heavy rain falling in the last couple of weeks, many farmers are reporting that ground is under pressure. Hence, it might make sense to wean your biggest cows too.
Lock freshly-weaned cows in for a number of days on straw diets and monitor for mastitis. Some farmers choose to administer dry cow tubes while cows are in. Once things have settled and if ground conditions allow, these cows can go back out, but should remain well away from their calves.
Avoid removing cows from groups on the eve of a bad forecast, as the inclement weather represents an additional stressor on calves. Also, although the temptation is there when animals are being handled, avoid dosing or vaccinating calves when their dams are being removed from a group.
Pros
Tried and tested by many.Calves settle easier with other cows and calves remaining in the group.Cows can be monitored easily in the days post-weaning.Con
Labour-intensive – lots of handling.Sometimes calves can become unsettled with this method.Calves can also be weaned indoors in a short space of time, where housing layout allows. As with all weaning methods, ideally calves would be creeping ahead of cows into fresh grass for at least a fortnight prior to weaning and some producers will use this separation to offer meals to calves. While this will help the transition, it is not entirely necessary for successful weaning.
Ideally, when weaning inside, use two side-by-side bays in the shed connected with a creep gate. Bring all cattle into one of the pens (wean no more than 10 pairs at a time). Separate calves into the adjacent pen using the creep gate and lock them in.
The calf’s pen should be straw-bedded and they should have access to fresh, good-quality silage and 1kg to 1.5kg of meal, split in two feeds. Cows should be heavily restricted (straw and/or moderate-quality silage).
Let calves in to suckle cows every second day for six to eight days and wean once you are content that they are healthy and eating up meals.
Ensure that sheds are cleaned out before each batch of calves come through and remain well-ventilated during the process.
Once weaned, turn calves back out to grass and continue to offer 1kg of concentrates.
Calves should be vaccinated against respiratory disease before indoor weaning and should not receive any medical treatments shortly before or during the process.
This method is good for minimising stress, as cows and calves are side by side and can touch, but calves cannot suck cows through pen barriers.
Pro
Labour at weaning is condensed.Animals are easily monitored.Cons
Sheds required.Housing and dietary change (grass to silage) are potential stressors on calves.The science behind weaning stress
The reality is that a lot of the bugs that cause respiratory disease in weanlings are commonplace in their environment. When fully functioning, their immune system can keep them at bay with relative ease. But stressors weaken their immune systems and afford these bugs a chance to get in and cause illness. Weaning is a huge potential stressor for calves.
Research from Teagasc Grange, published in the Veterinary Ireland Journal, showed a marked increase in stress-related blood metabolites where calves were weaned abruptly versus unweaned calves.
As well as a suppressed immune system, an animal exhibiting a physiological response like the one in Figure 1 will be diverting nutrients away from maintenance and growth towards its immune system. Even if there are no symptoms of illness, production will have stalled in the days following weaning.
To creep or not to creep
After our creep feeding debate, we ran a Twitter poll on whether to creep or not. Over 300 people participated in the poll and 62% of respondents were in favour of creep feeding, while 38% where in favour of no creep.
NEXT WEEK
Sale preparation
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