Having a planned weaning strategy will help reduce health issues, minimise weight loss and ensure that your weanling are in a heathy condition when sold/housed. This week, we detail the steps that should be carried out six to eight weeks prior to weaning.

Establish weaning date

Where weanlings are being sold, the first thing you need to establish is the market you are targeting. Most farmers will target a percentage of their weanlings at a special show and sale.

Now is the time to find out the date when these sales are being held and work back accordingly.

Even where weaned calves are being carried over the winter, it is still useful to put a date in the diary as to when you intend to wean. This should tie in with your autumn grassland management plan.

There is little point in keeping calves that are over 280kg suckling cows when weather conditions become difficult in autumn. You will get much better grass utilisation by removing cows from the grazing block and grazing the remaining covers out with light weaned calves. Therefore, on heavy farms the aim should be to have the majority of calves weaned by late September/early October.

Get the lungs healthy

The focus of a successful weaning strategy is two-fold, firstly to minimise stress levels during the weaning process and, secondly, to ensure calves are in a healthy condition in advance of weaning.

The lungs are the organs most under attack during the weaning process. It is, therefore, essential that they are in a healthy condition prior to weaning. This involves much more than simply dosing a few days before you wean. In fact, this will actually increase the risk of a pneumonia outbreak as the animal will have the added stress of discharging the dead worms from the lungs.

When the animal is treated for lungworm, it must discharge the dead worms from the lungs by coughing them up and then swallowing them into the stomach where they are ingested and passed out in the dung.

Where a calf with a heavy worm burden is dosed, the coughing up of a large number of dead worms can actually cause long-term damage to the lungs and airways and, therefore, leave it more susceptible to an outbreak of pneumonia during high-stress periods – eg weaning. The key to ensuring that lungs remain in a healthy condition is to put a summer dosing programme in place, which ensures a heavy worm burden is not allowed to build up at any stage.

While the long dry spell we have had over this summer means a reduced worm burden compared to other years be aware with recent rainfall and high temperatures burdens could spike. Talk to your vet if you are in any doubt.

Where spring born calves have received a mid-summer dose, a further treatment at least two week prior to weaning is recommended. This will ensure the lungs are in a healthy condition in advance of the high stress period. The cost of treating calves for worms twice during the grazing season will be minuscule compared to the potential loss of production. Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish!

Vaccination programme

Some farmers can successfully wean calves without implementing a vaccination programme. Other farmers view it as a vital part of the weaning procedure.

There is no doubt a vaccination programme is an excellent insurance policy that should be considered where weaknesses have been identified in the weaning strategy – eg where it is not possible to keep calves out on grass post-weaning, or where there has been a previous disease outbreak, such as scour or pneumonia, that may have weakened calves respiratory/immune system. However, be warned, no vaccination will cover all strains of pneumonia and at no time will a vaccine make up the difference for poor

If you decide that you are going to vaccinate your calves it is important that you start the process in time to ensure maximum immunity is achieved. With the entire vaccination programme taking up to six weeks to deliver maximum cover, planning ahead is essential.

If planning a vaccination programme for the first time its worthwhile sitting down with your vet to identify the best protocol for your farm needs. Make sure to read the storage instructions carefully when purchasing vaccines. They must be stored at the correct temperature. Be aware of leaving vaccines in cars or jeeps for any length during the warm weather as it can cause the active ingredients to fail. Once you have broken the seal the majority of products must be used within 10 hours.

Creep grazing

The key to reducing stress levels at weaning is to try and weaken the bond between the cow and calf. This can be achieved by allowing calves to graze ahead of the cows from eight weeks prior to weaning.

It will also improve the performance of the calves as you can ensure they are being offered top-quality grass right up to the point of weaning. Placing a creep gate, similar to what is on the front of a creep feeder, at the entrance between two fields will allow calves to pass through and yet restrict the cows.

When fitting a creep gate, ensure that the vertical bars are spaced far enough apart to allow muscular caves to pass through without getting hurt or stuck at the hips. Placing a horizontal bar in front of the vertical bar at around 14 inches off the ground will prevent cows from trying to crawl through.