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May 26, 2004 Early Weaning, Drought Management and More With dry conditions in April and May, North Dakota pastures suffered an average 25 percent loss in growth, according to Kevin Sedivec, North Dakota State University Extension rangeland specialist. Sedivec says that this percentage will continue to grow if June precipitation is limited. Consequently, North Dakota State University experts are advising beef cattle producers to consider early weaning. “Traditionally, calves are weaned at six or seven months of age,” says Greg Lardy, NDSU Extension Service beef cattle specialist. “In typical spring calving herds in the Northern Plains, this is usually October or November. However, during drought, forage is generally limiting and early weaning should be considered as a management tool.” Lardy explains that weaning early eliminates the nutrient requirements for lactation, allowing cows to maintain or increase body condition prior to the fall and winter feeding period. Some experts feel that the purpose of early weaning extends far beyond crisis management. Early weaning is an option that most producers could take advantage of every year, according to Doug Landblom, beef cattle specialist at the NDSU Dickinson Research Extension Center. Landblom says that preliminary research results from a three-state study indicate that weaning in mid-August (140 days) compared to the first week of November (215 days) can result in biological advantages for the cow, calf and forage. In a cooperative effort with South Dakota State University and the University of Wyoming, Landblom investigated the body condition of cows in an early weaning program versus cows in a normal weaning program. Cows grazing native range in western North Dakota under early weaning conditions gained 52.2 pounds by the normal weaning date, whereas cows not yet separated from calf lost 197.4 pounds. Fat depth and body condition score were also measured in the three-state study. “North Dakota cows that had calves weaned early in August had twice as much fat depth and scored 1.5 greater body condition score (5.9) than cows weaning calves in November,” Landblom says. Calves also may benefit from early weaning. “Early weaning, coupled with a high concentrate diet, has resulted in increased quality grade at slaughter, according to research conducted at several universities,” Lardy says. In a summary of backgrounding performance using early and normally weaned North Dakota and South Dakota steer calves, average daily gain and feed efficiency were more desirable among early weaned calves, according to Landblom. Steers evaluated in the early weaning study gained an average of 3.31 pounds per day, while the calves weaned in November gained 3.02 pounds. Early weaned calves required 3.6 pounds of feed per pound of gain compared to normally weaned calves that required 4.25 pounds of feed. Animal health is always a concern when calves are weaned; however, Landblom observed substantially fewer health problems with early weaned calves and no death loss. Finally, early weaning provides the remaining cattle on pasture with more forage, since demand is reduced. As a result, grazing is less intense and future forage production may be enhanced. “Forage disappearance was reduced by 26 percent on pastures used in our early weaning trial,” Landblom says. “Forage that is spared can be managed in a variety of ways that meet producer management goals.” Early weaning does have its disadvantages, Lardy admits. “Early weaning requires more labor as well as greater attention to proper health, nutrition and management practices,” he says. Early weaning can also result in increased cash costs. Instead of pasture and their mothers’ milk, early weaned calves eat high quality grains, hays, protein supplements or commercially prepared feeds. However, Landblom
notes that calves weaned early are efficient converters of feedstuffs,
and a variety of feeding methods are available through Extension educators
that can be adapted to most producers’ facilities. When dry conditions prevail, producers may wonder how early is too early to wean. Lardy says April and May born calves are best weaned in late July or early August, although calves have been successfully weaned as early as two months of age. For additional information on early weaning, contact Lardy at (701) 231-7660 or Landblom at (701) 483-2072. Information can also be obtained at www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/drought/ds-8-97.htm. ### Sources:
Greg Lardy, (701) 231-7660, glardy@ndsuext.nodak.edu |
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