Ways of weaning sucklers

Conelan

Just wondering what do people feel is best way of weaning sucklers. "Out of sight ,out of sound" worries me as we live near busy road and would be afraid of cows or calves breaking out-even with electric fence. Have done fence line weaning in the past, supposed to be less stressful but not so sure. Saw an old post on "boards" from man who houses cows and gradually extends time that calves are out of shed until fully weaned, sounds like good idea but is it recipe for mastitis. Would be grateful to hear of what works best for others.
PS Out of respect to buyers I don't want to go down road of loading em in a trailer on morning of mart but am I mad for not doing so???

yellow50HX

Conelan wrote: »

Just wondering what do people feel is best way of weaning sucklers. "Out of sight ,out of sound" worries me as we live near busy road and would be afraid of cows or calves breaking out-even with electric fence. Have done fence line weaning in the past, supposed to be less stressful but not so sure. Saw an old post on "boards" from man who houses cows and gradually extends time that calves are out of shed until fully weaned, sounds like good idea but is it recipe for mastitis. Would be grateful to hear of what works best for others.
PS Out of respect to buyers I don't want to go down road of loading em in a trailer on morning of mart but am I mad for not doing so???

We leave the calves in the shed and the cows in the field. Not much you can do about the roaring. It just takes time. They settle down after a few days.

mf240

Conelan wrote: »

Just wondering what do people feel is best way of weaning sucklers. "Out of sight ,out of sound" worries me as we live near busy road and would be afraid of cows or calves breaking out-even with electric fence. Have done fence line weaning in the past, supposed to be less stressful but not so sure. Saw an old post on "boards" from man who houses cows and gradually extends time that calves are out of shed until fully weaned, sounds like good idea but is it recipe for mastitis. Would be grateful to hear of what works best for others.
PS Out of respect to buyers I don't want to go down road of loading em in a trailer on morning of mart but am I mad for not doing so???

No your not mad, its nice to be decent and also the men that buy your calves will buy them again.

Put the cows on slats with just staw so they will go dry. and leave the calves where they can see cows but cant suck. ideally on a straw bed.

If you could have calves going well on the creep ration before you start this it will make it easier on them.

Can you hold off untill weather gets colder?

RobinBanks

I weaned by accident this year. I was forward grazing the bulls so they could eat meal from troughs and get the better grass. I have only 5 of them but it never worked out better for me. I was wondering what I would do. Take a cow away every week until all done but what I done by accident one day after moving the fence down the field a bit was forget to raise it up at the end for the calves to get back to the cows. It was the next morn when I went to feed that I noticed the fence was down blocking the calves from going back into the cows. There was no looing from cows or calves.

I let them back in by lifting the fence and every morning after that day I dropped the fence after them when they came out for meal. I done this for a week or so and before I knew it they weren't bothering to go back in. When they did go back in the cows were kicking some of them away and others just weren't interested in sucking. It's all over now and some of the calves were born early march so not that old either.

Maybe you could try something similar?

poor farmer

I just take away one or two cows every couple of days .
I have been doing this for years .I bring away the cows to a shed on an outfarm.

Bizzum

poor farmer wrote: »

I just take away one or two cows every couple of days .
I have been doing this for years .I bring away the cows to a shed on an outfarm.

We do this up and down too. The calves hardly miss the cow.
Like posted earlier too, the forward grazing or forward creep feeding is a great way to break the bond.

munkus

Put cows on shed and calves in different shed. Feed the cows fu&k all silage so they don't produce milk, not starving them but reduced. After four days they're all grand. Never had mastitis from this.

whelan1

have calves ona good bit of meal before weaning, leave calves in shed and cows out in field, weaned 8 the week before last all grand and calves went back out yesterday

bbam

We would have housed both but cows only got good straw and water for three days. Dried off instantly.
Calves back out after a week.

onyerbikepat

Wait untill the weather is dry. Far less pneumonia then.

reilig

Everything goes into the shed for 2 or 3 days. Calves into 1 pen and cows into another pen so as the calves can't suck through the gates. saves a lot of roaring from both the cows and the calves. After 3 days, the calves don't miss the milk and we let them out to opposite sides of the farm. try to minimise stress on man and beast.

hugo29

similar method to reilig, all into shed cows one side, calves the other, after 3 days calves away to open yard for a day and then out to fresh grass with meal,
(calves would have been forward creeping on meal for a few weeks prior)
cows on bad silage for week (rushy bottoms cut specifically for weaning)and then out to clean out paddocks

otisleeomal

poor farmer wrote: »

I just take away one or two cows every couple of days .
I have been doing this for years .I bring away the cows to a shed on an outfarm.

this works best for us too. only a couple of calves unsettled at any given time and once they don't have a load of comrades in the same boat they settle down very fast. Heifers always seem more attached to their cows than bulls for some reason.

Conelan

Thanks a million for the replies. Great to hear what works for others. Must get in a bit of straw. Used to give them hay when drying off but its probably too good for the job. thanks again

just do it

reilig wrote: »

Everything goes into the shed for 2 or 3 days. Calves into 1 pen and cows into another pen so as the calves can't suck through the gates. saves a lot of roaring from both the cows and the calves. After 3 days, the calves don't miss the milk and we let them out to opposite sides of the farm. try to minimise stress on man and beast.

A man wouldn't go too far wrong by just copying everything rellig does

Rellig
Have you them used to meal before you wean?