Weaning method?

nz dexter · Post by **nz dexter** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 1:12 am

How do you go about weaning your calves. We weaned ours yesterday, put the mamas a fair distance away (out of sight)and the calves into a paddock which I thought was well fenced. Well lots of noise from the babies all night, so I thought that they were still safe, however looking out the window they were in the next paddock and 2 had trotted down the race and through another fence and were happily in with their mamas. They had gone through a fence which had 2 hot wires and 5 non hot, funny thing is that they were put in with someother calves and it was only the Dexters and a Angus cross and 2 white faces that were also running with the mob that got out all the rest were still in the correct paddock. After much running around in the rain and wind we have at the moment we gave up and they are all back in with their mamas. The problem is that the mamas are running with the bull and I do not want the heifer calves in calf, last time the bull got taken out, but for ease of stock management I want to run the bull all winter with the cows. What do others do???

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 1:26 am

Most of my calves are born in spring, and I wean them in autumn when the cattle all come in for the winter - I just put the calves in a different pen in the shed, usually adjacent to their mothers, and there is remarkably little fuss. Most cows should be back in calf by the time any heifer calves are old enough to be coming in season, so I do not leave the bull with any cows and heifer calves if I can help it for very long. Bulls will often run together outside quite happily, or with a steer or two for company.

Duncan

moomin · Post by **moomin** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 11:32 am

Thats the way I do mine too Duncan. It is the kindest and least stressfull for both man and beast! It is the way the soil association recommends and it is really common sense. Wouldn't any mother go mad if her baby was taken away and she didn't know where it had gone? The mothers can still see and lick their calves, but they cannot feed them. I maybe have some noise in the morning for a couple of days. When the cows milk has dried up she will loose interest and wander off.
You can learn a lot about your cows just by sitting amongst them and watching them.
My cows live in family groups within the herd. We have watched cows being "midwife " to their daughters. With young calves you will find they will be left in a creche with a cow in charge or a teenager while the rest of the herd goes off to feed. Sometimes a steer gets left in charge and I always think they look embarassed, not a man thing!
Cow behaviour is really fascinating, find time to stand and stare.

Sylvia · Post by **Sylvia** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 1:13 pm

We weaned a group of steers into a pen adjacent to their mums when they came in with remarkably little fuss. We then noticed that cows were still feeding them by standing alongside the barrier while the babes put their heads through. No wonder everyone looked so contented! There was considerably more fuss (from mums and babes) with the second group who went to the other side of the barn but they had settled down after a few days.

nz dexter · Post by **nz dexter** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 12:58 am

It sounds so easy when you keep them in a barn for the winter, ours are out 365 days a year as our winters are not too harsh. However in saying that even down south where they can get alot of snow, the cows stay outside too and are fed on hay and silage.

Martin · Post by **Martin** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 8:14 pm

I wean at about 6 months and take calves away some considerable distance. Although mums and calves are unsettled for a couple of days, they do get used to being apart. This year calves where taken at least two miles away, and they stood in the corner of the field closest to where their mums would be and blared for a while, I am sure both groups could hear each other. Even when housed I like to keep my bull with a couple of cows, as he seems more content that way.
Martin

Jo Kemp · Post by **Jo Kemp** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 9:42 pm

Why wean at 6 months? I leave mine together till about 9 months unless the cow is needing TLC before the next calving .... not happened yet! I have one Hereford X Dexter cow which won't lose weight so her calf is still with her at 10 months. They wean naturally at this time so fewer probs with mastitis etc.
I take the cows away and leave the calves in the field they know with an older cow to be 'Mummy'. the cows rarely call much and the heifers/steers are not all that bothered either.
They are within earshot and sometimes eyeshot and the cows know the young are OK
Jo

Kathy Millar · Post by **Kathy Millar** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 5:49 am

Ha, I put the approximately 6 month old calves on one side of the fence and the moms plus yearling steer on the other and got NO sleep that night! In fact, the steer screamed just as loud as the others. And here I thought I'd got it all figured out

Kathy

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Sun Mar 19, 2006 4:20 pm

The "Milk Sucking Preventer" might work, they can be got in plastic or metal, usually with some adjustment for fit of nose. They are mostly used by dairy farmers with problems with heifers suckling other cows, so you shoul check first if the nose piece is small enough for a Dexter. If it is not tight enough in the nose the calf will just get it off.

The other way out is to do nothing at all. I have twice left the previous years calf with its dam right through to calving and there was no problem - they seem to wean themselves just in time. I certainly would not keep separating them with a jumpable fence - just training for the high jump in the future.

Duncan

marion · Post by **marion** » Sun Mar 19, 2006 5:14 pm

Previous years, after Christmas I have kept the spring-born calves together in a pen for about three weeks. Their moms just outside the door. A bit of mooing the first day only. (No bull to worry about, I have been using AI.)
This winter I used the oval plastic weaner rings with spikes. (Plastic, not metal as in this cold climate metal could freeze onto the lips). I found one brand that was more 'Dexter-size' than some others. They worked really well. I did leave one calf nursing all winter, as she was rebred much later than the others, feeding a bit of grain to keep her in condition, but I only got away with it as this winter was much milder, so no chapped teats...marion Canadian :D

Martin · Post by **Martin** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 9:42 am

Di, there are very few stupid questions when it comes to stock keeping. It is always better to ask than to try to strugle on blindly trying to gain experience. There is a wealth of experience and years of stockmanship looking regularly at this site, the stupid thing would be not to take advantage of it.

oliver1921 · Post by **oliver1921** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 11:51 am

We have tried a milk suckler preventer without any joy with Dexters and it seemed to cause distress all round. I would suggest keeping them together if you have no room to split to wean. From our experience as soon as the new calf is born the first one will stop suckling anyway and becomes the childminder for mother. we have never been able to stop dexters with electric and wire fences - they seem to work for other breeds but not for Dexters - the only fencing i think is suitable is is post and net or 5 rail post and rail (4 rail is questionable with small calves and if they do get through all hell is on - we had a bull push down a 4 rail to get the calf back to its mother)

Good luck

Inger · Post by **Inger** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:59 pm

We seperate the cows and calves by a couple of paddocks. They can still call to each other (we wear earplugs at night) and know where each other are, but can't reach each other. Neighbouring paddocks don't work as they just feed through the fence. If one or two do get through the fence, we just seperate them again.

We feed the calves with calf moosli for a few weeks to tide the over until they settle down to being grass eaters completely. You'll need to keep them seperated for many months to ensure that they don't resume feeding off mother. Dexters have long memories and will graze in family groups. Especially when mother and daughter both have calves. I've had calves that have been apart from their mums for 3 months, make a be-line for their mother's udder when they got mixed in with the herd accidently.