Fenceline weaning is growing in popularity as a way to relieve stress on calves when separated from momma cows. Fall calving is also becoming more popular; the calves go to market at a different time than the year’s main crop. Can the two techniques be used together?
Dr. Shane Gadberry, a professor of animal science with University of Arkansas Extension, said whether it’s a fall born calf that’s going to be weaned in the spring or a spring-born calf that’s going to be weaned in the fall, the calves have to be weaned onto high-quality pasture for fenceline weaning to work Gadberry told Ozarks Farm & Neighbor, “I think many times it may be more advantageous on that fenceline weaning forage quality aspect for the fall-born, spring weaned calf, because as we look at the growth curve of many forages that we use in the Southeast, a lot of our higher quality production is going to come in that late spring-early summer timeframe.”
Gadberry said fall-born, spring-weaned calves are typically weaned in early May and tend to be a little older at weaning time than spring-born calves. However, he said calves don’t necessarily have to be weaned at a particular age. “We can definitely wean at a younger age,” he said, “but my perspective is higher quality forage becomes even more important as we think about the nutrient requirements of a much younger calf who needs a higher protein level in the diet compared to a little bit older, more mature calf at the point of weaning.” As long as calves are physiologically mature enough to utilize forage in their diet, he said, they’re of suitable age for weaning.
While the opportunity for nose-to-nose contact between dam and calf is supposed to produce a low-stress weaning environmental and therefore better performance by both animals, Gadberry noted studies have shown the calf’s performance can be just as strong when it is relocated away from its mother to a pasture or dry lot. “It really boils down to diet quality,” he said. “If we fenceline wean a calf on marginal quality pasture, there may be a lack of available forage out there. Then, that calf that’s confined off site and fed a higher quality diet has the potential to grow just as well as, or potentially at an even greater rate than, that calf that’s fenceline weaned” over, a 28-40 day period.
Dr. Patrick Davis, livestock specialist with the University of Missouri Extension office in Cedar County, noted the research demonstrates reduced stress on the calves. He told OFN, “Price et al. (2003) reported in the days following weaning fenceline weaned calves on pasture spent more time eating, less time walking, more time laying down and less vocalization than calves totally separated from dams on pasture.” When placed on pasture, fenceline weaned calves gained more weight than those isolated from their dams. Another study (Boyles et al. 2005) showed reduced incidence of bovine respiratory disease during the 4 week feedlot receiving period in calves fenceline weaned for 30 days prior to feedyard shipment, compared to calves totally separated from dams and shipped directly to the feedyard or maintained in drylot for 30 days prior to shipment.
Gadberry added fenceline weaning is all about the bottom line. He concluded, “Generally, if we can fenceline wean those cattle on pasture, that’s going to be a lower cost weaning scenario in comparison to confining that animal.”
