How old is a weaner cow

Therefore these are not recommended for very young weaners. Decisions and plans need to be made in a timely manner to avoid being caught by rapidly deteriorating conditions without the appropriate resources on hand.

In extreme conditions, it is possible to successfully wean calves from 4 - 6 weeks of age without a milk replacer, provided appropriate management is applied. Calves 3 - 4 months of age are easier to feed and manage than younger calves. Early weaners should be segregated into management groups where the group spans across more than one category.

See also the following section 'Feed Mixes for Early Weaners'. The number of calves weaned voluntarily at this age in a beef herd is small, however it sometimes becomes necessary, and there may be a few orphans as well. At this age, the rumen micro-organisms and digestive enzymes of calves are not developed sufficiently to enable them to survive on a non-milk diet.

Consequently a milk replacer is required. It is critical for the long term health of the calf that it receives sufficient colostrum and therefore antibodies from the cow in the first six or so hours of life. Where possible, calves should be left on the cow for several days post-calving.

As the calves will have to progress to other feeds, it is advisable to allow them free access ad lib. Intakes of these will be small. Intakes of feed other than milk will usually be very low, but access to them allows the calves to become accustomed to the feeds and to develop their digestive systems. Most weaners will weigh between kg at weeks and kg at 10 weeks.

At this stage, there is generally no need for a milk replacer. To ensure normal development and performance later in life, the target weight gain should be as close as possible to what would be achieved on milk in a normal season.

This is often around 0. The minimum target weight gain is around 0. On a macro mineral scale, vegetable protein meals are regularly low in calcium or low relative to the phosphorus level. Some vegetable protein meals fed as a major component of the diet may cause digestive upsets and are far better suited as a key ingredient in a ration.

Molasses based diets are also not preferred for these very young weaners as their digestive systems are typically not well enough developed, thus causing scours. However, if other options are not available, or the molasses mix is only a component of the diet, it can be used.

Urea, while a cost-effective way to increase protein content of rations, cannot be utilised by very young calves and may potentially be toxic. Therefore urea should not be used in diets for very young weaners. See the later section on feed mixes for further information. The nutritional requirements of weaners weighing kgkg are somewhat less stringent in terms of quality, but intakes will obviously increase if fed ad lib. Grain-based mixes can be continued for these older calves if it is more convenient or cost effective.

At the same levels of feeding, higher growth rates could be expected. The total protein level in a grain mix could be dropped a little compared to a mix suitable for younger weaners, and a low level of urea could be included to provide some of the protein and reduce the ration cost. Whole cottonseed fed at restricted levels e. Weaners of this age are regularly fed at higher levels, but responses are extremely variable because the high oil content regularly causes digestive upsets that in turn cause large variation in daily intake.

Straight vegetable protein meal is also an option, but again the cost if fed as the sole source of concentrate feed may exceed other options. Typically weaners in this category are considered 'normal' weaners and the level of management required is therefore reduced. However, supplementary feeding is still likely to be required if drought conditions have persisted. Suitable options include molasses mixes, grain mixes, straight protein meal and whole cottonseed. It would be preferable to still target weight gains of around 0.

Addition rates of ingredients are described as 'percentages by weight'. That is, the percentages of all the ingredients in a mix must add up to For all dry ingredients, the process is quite straight forward, however feeds like molasses are often measured by volume rather than weight. For ration calculation, volumes need to be converted to weights.

The younger the weaners, the better quality the ration should be - particularly the energy and protein content. For very young weaners e. Some commercial products will contain low levels of urea, e. Molasses alone provides energy only but is not as good as grain on an as-fed basis , i. In the absence of urea, the challenge is to achieve reasonable protein levels by mixing vegetable protein meals into molasses. Whether mixing by hand or mechanical mixer, there is a limitation to how much dry material can be mixed in.

From a nutritional perspective, the more protein meal and perhaps also grain that can be mixed in, the better. Variations of these mixes can be used. As the rumens of young weaners develop, they are better able to both utilise urea and to avoid toxic effects. Extra phosphorus may be desirable. Suggested levels of feeding are typically aimed at higher levels of performance. Early weaners are more susceptible than other animals to a scouring condition called coccidiosis.

The condition causes ill-thrift, scours and in acute cases, death. Blood stained faeces scours , straining and dehydration are typical signs of the disease. If calves survive the days of the disease, they do become immune, but severely affected calves will remain poor doers.

Prevention of coccidiosis through adequate hygiene, nutrition and the use of Rumensin active ingredient monensin sodium is always the best approach. While Rumensin has many favourable attributes, it can be toxic if not mixed evenly. There are some other rumen modifiers on the market which will serve the same purpose i. Scours can also be caused by other microorganisms and digestive upsets. It is important to provide adequate hygiene and to treat affected animals promptly.

A female adult is a maiden ewe until they have produced a lamb, which will then be a ewe. A male adult is a ram unless they have been neutered, which will then be a wether. All Collections.

Individual Animal Management. Written by Elena Yao Updated over a week ago. Did this answer your question? It is commonly believed that early calving can seriously retard the growth of heifers. However, as Table 1 indicates, calving at two years has practically no effect on the mature bodyweight of cows. More detailed experiments have shown that early calving may delay body development for up to 12 months, but almost the same mature size is reached.

This effect can be minimised if the heifers are fed well after calving. Heifers, particularly those calving at two years, take considerably longer after their first calving to return to heat. In many cases, heifers may become pregnant late or fail to conceive altogether. This can be overcome by ensuring that only well grown heifers are mated, that the heifers calve down in good body condition, condition score 3 , and are well fed after calving to be joined at condition score 2.

Joining heifers a month earlier than the main herd is a management option that enables the heifers more time after calving to begin cycling before the start of mating. Young cows calving at two years produce less milk and wean lighter calves than older cows, but can still produce good calves if calved in good body condition and are well fed after calving. Although the calves of yearling joined heifers are lighter at weaning, following calves are as heavy as if the heifers had calved at three years.

The first calf of yearling joined heifers, although lighter, therefore represent an extra year of production and genetic gain, as opposed to heifers calving at three years of age. The two main advantages of mating heifers as yearlings instead of two- year-olds are: heifers mated as yearlings produce an extra calf during their life in the herd high producing mothers can be identified earlier, which allows for a shorter generation interval and hence, quicker genetic progress The main cost of mating heifers as yearlings is the need to feed weaner heifers so that they achieve a minimum liveweight at mating.