August 18, 2003

 

Early Weaning Can Help Producers With Short Pastures Improve Their Herds

Producers facing dry fall pastures may find that early weaning will help to improve cow body condition provide relief for stressed pastures, according to North Dakota State University beef specialists.

Traditionally, calves in North Dakota are weaned at six to seven months of age, usually in October or November. Producers facing dry pastures as a result of dry conditions the last two years might want to consider early weaning as a management tool. Early weaning will have impacts on cow and calf performance as well as the condition and productivity of pastures, according to NDSU beef specialists Karl Hoppe and Greg Lardy.

"Usually adequate stocking rates on pastures in normal years may be stressing pastures this year," Hoppe says. "Last year’s drought and dry conditions in several areas in North Dakota have producers facing short pastures. Not only do they have to address the cattle’s needs, but also the condition of the pastures themselves."

In North Dakota, early weaning means weaning calves at about five to six months of age, which would mean late August or September. Despite these earlier dates, most of these calves will be more dependent on feed than milk. "The calves’ nutritional needs are shifting, and they can perform quite well on feeds with the proper supplements to replace mother’s milk," Hoppe says. "Early weaning increases the forage available to the remaining cows, decreases some of the stress on the pasture, and has other important advantages as well."

"The main benefit to early weaning is in improved cow body condition," Lardy says. "Lactation is the nutritionally most demanding function for cows. Early weaning can decrease the nutritional demand of the cows by one-third to one-half. They will also have more forage with the calves removed from the pastures. Cows will be able to maintain or even improve their body condition going into the winter."

Another advantage with early weaning is improved calf performance. "During drought years or years with short pastures, calves may not be able to successfully compete with cows for forage," Lardy says. "By weaning early and providing a highly nutritious diet, calves can reach their growth potential. Studies have shown that early weaning coupled with feeding a high concentrate diet, has resulted in increased quality grade at slaughter."

There are disadvantages to early weaning. "Management requirements can increase substantially," Hoppe says. "Producers will have to pay attention to proper health, nutrition and other management issues. There will also be increased cash costs. Calves will require high quality grains, hays protein supplements or commercial feeds. In addition, producers will have to have their own facilities to feed calves or hire a custom backgrounder or feedlot to do this work."

"Ideally, calves should be castrated and dehorned ten to 14 days prior to weaning, "Lardy says. "The calves need to be vaccinated for clostridial (7-way) and viral (4-way) infections. Local veterinarians should be consulted to develop a specific program, and producers need to follow the label instructions and booster the vaccine as indicated on the label. All vaccinations should be administered in the neck area to avoid injection site blemishes. Calves also need to be treated for internal and external parasites, protected from flies and provided with a good quality trace mineral and vitamin (A,D,E) supplement. A good quality, clean water source is vital, and all watering equipment needs to be cleaned on a regular basis. The calves also need to bee monitored daily for symptoms of respiratory illnesses, digestive disturbances, scours, coccidiosis and intake level."

A breakeven calculator and closeout analyzer are available at http://www.chaps2000.com/calfweb/index.htm.  Additional information can be found in the following Extension Service bulletins:

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Sources: Karl Hoppe, (701)652-2951, karl.hoppe@ndsu.nodak.edu
Greg Lardy, (701)231-7660, gregory.lardy@ndsu.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701)231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Writer: Scott Lowell, (701)231-8371, slowell@ndsuext.nodak.edu