Many considerations can go into the decision of when to wean calves, and they can all affect your bottom line.
Dr. Patrick Davis, Livestock Specialist and Cedar County Program Director for the University of Missouri Cooperative Extension Service, told Ozarks Farm & Neighbor the producer should take the calf’s weight and sale time and the condition score of its mother into account. “Depending on feed resources, lactating cows may be approaching body condition score 4 or less,” Davis said. Calves that are at least 60 days old and nursing a cow in body condition score 4 or less should be considered either for creep feeding, either via hand feeding or supplementation with a corn based ration separately from the cows, or for early weaning and placement on a preconditioning ration. He said this will help the cow return to the optimum body condition score 6 before calving, and provides the calf optimum nutrition for performance and promotion of marbling deposition
Body condition is measured on a scale of 1-9, where 1 is very thin and 9 is very fat; on a 4, the ribs and backbone are showing, while a sleek animal gets a 6. Dr. Tom Troxel, associate head-animal science for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, explained that spring-calving cows can be a little bit thin when the calf is weaned off. “Cows will lose body condition to the summertime,” Troxel told OFN. “What we recommend is, maybe this fall, deworm the cows and as we get our fall rains and our pastures pick up and grow, we’ll quite commonly see the body condition of our cows pick up; they’ll go from a 4 to a 5, and hopefully calve at a 6.” With good grass this late summer, fall calvers are in good shape; Troxel believes those cows should already be at a score of 6, and ready to calve in September and October.
If weaning is not dictated by cow condition, the calf should be weaned at about 45 percent of their finish weight or at 550 to 600 pounds instead of the typical 205 days; Davis said the milk nutrient profile may not be adequate for target performance and stimulation of marbling deposition at heavier calf weights. “After weaning, the calf should be preconditioned at least 45 days prior to sale,” he said. “This preconditioning period allows the calf to get over weaning stress and get used to a feed bunk and waterer.” It can also lead to premiums that average $5-6/cwt over the prices received for non-preconditioned calves.
Preconditioning diets include such components as a corn-based ration with corn and soybean by-products, coccidiostat and ionophore to reduce digestive problems, and whatever vitamins and minerals the calf needs. In addition to high-quality hay or pasture, the supplementation should meet the animal’s nutrient requirements for 2.0-2.5 pounds of average daily gain. A clean water source is also important during preconditioning, so calves don’t get dehydrated.
Before being weaned, calves should be vaccinated and treated for both internal and external parasites, and they should be identified with a tag, tattoo or brand. Davis said, “This identification will follow the calf the rest of its life, aid in record keeping – which is useful in making management decisions that improve the performance and quality of the herd – and aid in reducing cattle theft.”
Forage quality should also be evaluated prior to weaning, to ensure it meets the needs of both the cow and the calf. Troxel explained, “If you want to retain ownership for your calves, you want high-quality forage so those calves continue to gain for a period of time to improve the weight on the calf and hopefully improve the market value of those calves, and get a higher total price.” The prices were humming all summer; as of August 9, the price of a 500 pound calf was $1.60/lb. Troxel said that was up 6 cents from the previous week, and 20 cents over a year ago; he said, “Producers are seeing some good calf prices, and that certainly is going to influence their decision.”
