weaning age

[ann]

Just wondered what age most people wean their calves as i noticed one only 4mths old on the for sale site. Unless they are very well grown I never wean mine before they are 9mths old, am i an exception as quite often i let the dams make up their minds unless the calf if pulling them down.

[Mark Bowles]

Wean at 11 months if I need to as most of my cows are on a 12 month calving cycle, usually the job is already done, never wean unless there is a problem.

[Duncan MacIntyre]

Like Mark I wean at about 11 months - I try to keep the calving season tight, and take the calves away less than a month before the next lot are due to start. I feed only grass and hay or silage, never any concentrate. Earlier weaning may be ok if you are starting the calves on creep food and continuing to suppliment grass or silage after weaning.

But it is not just the calf to consider - assuming the cows will be about a year before calving again 4 month weaning means far too long a holiday for the cow - I do not think this is good for them - too fat, metabolism too inactive, more prone to milk fever, dystocia etc.


There could be all sorts of reasons for early weaning which we are not aware of in this instance of course.

Duncan

[SteveM]

We aim to calve indoors in February, and wean when they come back in for winter as late into november/december as weather and ground conditions allow so normally wean around 9 months.

Any late calvers would be housed with calves and weaned before turnout in march

[Louisa Gidney]

I wean at c. 6 months if they are heifer calves to be sold separately from their dams. Otherwise spring born calves get weaned at housing and late summer born calves get weaned at turn out.