Weaning is an essential process in cattle management for both the cow and the calf. It teaches the calf to be independent and allows it to go out on its own, often like sending our kids off to college. For the cow, weaning allows the reallocation of nutrients away from a nursing calf, giving the gestating cow the necessary energy to grow the calf inside of her.
Deciding when to wean cattle depends on several factors, including the breed of cattle, production goals, cow-calf health, and environmental conditions.
Supporting Ranchers with Superior Know-How
At BioZyme®, makers of VitaFerm®, we believe in care that comes full circle. There is no other time that calves feel as much stress as at weaning. They are no longer being mothered. Calves are converting from a milk-based diet to a forage-or grain-based diet and learning to live life on their own. It’s often similar to sending your kid to college or kindergarten and expecting them to fend for themself for the very first time.
That’s why our team has created this guide about when to wean cattle and how to make weaning calves as stress-free as possible for the calf, the cow, and the producer.
Cattle Nutrition Experts
VitaFerm® is an established brand of vitamin and mineral supplements designed to maximize energy and forage utilization for successful beef production. Our products support cattle producers looking to maximize their operations. Best of all, VitaFerm products ensure balanced nutrition for livestock.
The VitaFerm brand is the flagship brand of BioZyme® Inc., a leading fermentation company pioneering advancements in animal nutrition and health. Through innovative research and high-quality manufacturing, BioZyme creates powerful solutions that improve animal performance and support producer profitability in the agricultural industry.
Our mission: undeniable positive impact on the health and wellness of your animals and your business.
Typical Weaning Age
6 to 8 Months
This is the most common weaning age for calves in typical cow-calf operations. By this age, calves have generally begun to eat solid food, and their rumen is well-developed to process forage and grain.
Early Weaning
4 to 6 Months
Early weaning can occur in specific scenarios, such as when the cow’s health is at risk, there’s limited pasture, or environmental conditions are poor. It can also be used to manage the cow’s body condition or improve reproductive efficiency.
Advantages
Early weaning can improve cow body condition, reduce stress on the cow, and increase breeding efficiency.
“If you have a cow that is losing weight or one you want to keep from getting too thin, you pull that calf off early because there is nothing that will suck the condition off of a cow faster than a really big, heavy old calf on her side,” said Chris Cassady, Director of Beef Technical Sales.
Although the lactating cow trying to breed back greatly benefits from early weaning, the calves can also benefit from it.
Some studies suggest that early weaning and feeding the calf directly, rather than through the lactating cow, can help increase weight gain efficiency and put on intramuscular fat.
Challenges
Early weaned calves may require more intensive management and supplemental feeding to ensure proper growth and development. Both of these can cost more in times of financial resources and labor.
Keep ‘em Eating, Drinking
Regardless of when you decide to wean, keeping them drinking and eating are the two keys to keeping them healthy and growing. Animal health and nutrition work synergistically, and that is why it is so important to keep them healthy.
We know that 70% of the immune response starts in the gut. Therefore, if we keep the gut healthy and properly functioning, the animal should stay healthy. That is why as the makers of VitaFerm, powered by AO-Biotics® Amaferm®, we encourage you to process your calves with VitaFerm® Cattle Drench.
Give your Calves a Healthy Start
VitaFerm® Cattle Drench is the first step to successfully weaning your calves. This drench for cattle is designed to support digestive health before, during and after challenges. Contains AO-Biotics® Amaferm®, a prebiotic research-proven to enhance digestibility.
Cattle Drench also contains MOS (mannan oligosaccharides) helps normalize the gut microflora and supports the immune system and enzymes to generate a more rapid digestive response.
Using this drench as you process the calves at weaning helps keep their gut healthy and functioning.
“Besides birth, this is the time that will really set a calf up for performance potential for the rest of its life. Keep them on a positive plane of nutrition. If too much damage is done, you’ll always have a chronically sick calf. You will constantly be behind and be spending money on more feed for it. That is where Amafem’s technology is so crucial and helpful in that transition period,” Cassady said.
Get Your BioZyme Products Today!
Are you looking for animal health solutions when to wean cattle? Look no further than VitaFerm Cattle Drench. It’s actually the first step in the Gain Smart® 3-Step Weaning Program.
You can buy VitaFerm Cattle Drench or any BioZyme product from one of our dealers. Find a BioZyme dealer near you.
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