After the calving season, there is a lot you need to be prepared for as a cattle farmer. First, you have to consider what means you are going to wean your calves. The reason is that it affects the weaning mass of calves and the cow’s condition, especially if it’s beef cattle. So here is how to wean these calves.
The Black Angus calves are weaned at 7 to 8 months. However, you can wean calves early in cases of:
- Shortage of feeds or in events of severe droughts
- If the cow’s health deteriorates before the right weaning time
Note: If you wean your calves early at less than five months, they tend to experience severe setbacks like digestive problems and extreme death.
When time to wean comes, you should know the best method that suits your calves.
Weaning Methods
When it’s time to wean your Black Angus calves before sale, the circumstances of your farm determine the appropriate method to wean your calves. Here are some methods you can use:
- Put the calves in a well-fenced camp or kraal and put the cows to a faraway camp.
- Remove the cows temporarily from a camp and then move the calves to another camp. It will prevent cows from breaking out to look for the calves.
- Exchange the calves from two different herds. It means they will have the company of cows, although cross suckling is bound to happen.
- You can separate the cows and calves using a strong wire fence, and this can reduce weaning stress as the cows can break it down.
- Lastly, you can fit the calves with nose plates, either commercial or homemade, for 7-14 days. It helps prevent suckling even if the calves and cows remain in the same shed. Then when you remove the nose plates, it’s easier to separate the cows and the calves.
Black Angus calves are born strong, but they also need weaning. So, it’s always good to sell them after weaning as they are ready to feed on feeds like oats Willer Timber Ridge.
