Weaning could also be one of the crucial traumatic instances in a calf’s life. Calves might devour much less feed and water, which leads to poor diet. The stress may depress the immune system, rising the chance for illness or loss of life. Any alternative to scale back the stress contributes to improved well being and efficiency of calves, each throughout and after weaning.
Typical weaning involving the abrupt removing of the calf from the cow will create a extremely traumatic scenario. Any weaning course of that makes the separation extra gradual will scale back the stress and probably enhance the calf’s well being and efficiency. Examples of low-stress weaning strategies embody fence line and two-step weaning.
Fence-line weaning
Fence-line weaning strategies are most steadily utilized in a pasture to lower stress on the calves. Analysis in Utah indicated that fence-line weaned calves vocalized much less, spent extra time consuming and had higher weight beneficial properties in comparison with calves that had been abruptly separated from their dams. The elevated weight acquire was maintained by means of a 10-week timeframe post-weaning.
Analysis in Michigan supported the elevated efficiency for the primary 14 days and decrease serum haptoglobin ranges on the fifth day. Nonetheless, this efficiency didn’t proceed by means of the examine, and there have been no sustained efficiency variations based mostly on the weaning methodology. Haptoglobin is an indicator of stress and is usually current within the blood following a traumatic occasion. Thus, decrease serum haptoglobin in fence-line weaned calves signifies they had been much less pressured after weaning.
A further examine in Michigan evaluated calf habits and located that the fence-line and two-step weaning strategies look like much less traumatic on calves in comparison with abrupt weaning strategies.
For fence-line weaning to be efficient, observe these steps:
- Place pairs in pasture the place calves will stay after weaning in order that they’re acquainted with fences and water.
- Upon weaning, place cows in adjoining pasture for calves to see, hear and scent them, however not nurse.
Modifications to fences could also be wanted to make sure the cows and calves stay separated. Fencing might be:
A easy five-strand barbwire fence or a barbwire fence with a single offset electrical wire to make sure calves can’t attain by means of and nurse.
It could be beneficial to put a cull cow or yearling with the calves to lower the quantity they stroll fences. After just a few days the cows and calves will transfer farther away from the fence and never be as involved about being weaned.
2-step weaning
Two-step weaning is another choice for reducing stress on the calves. The two-step course of makes use of plastic nostril tags that forestall the calves from nursing whereas they’re in the identical pasture as their dams. The calves are nonetheless capable of eat forage and drink water.
The 2 steps to this course of are:
- Place plastic nostril tags in all calves for 4 to seven days. Guarantee tags are positioned accurately.
- After that interval, take away the plastic nostril tag and transfer the cows to a distant location.
Analysis from Canada reveals that calves with nostril tags don’t bawl or stroll any greater than calves with out nostril tags. In addition they spend as a lot time consuming every day through the time the nostril tags are in. When the dams depart, bawling or strolling by calves doesn’t enhance in comparison with step one, or previous to inserting the nostril tags.
In the meantime, contemporaries that had been abruptly weaned within the Canadian research displayed dramatic will increase in bawling and strolling through the weaning course of.
As indicated above, analysis in Michigan discovered two-step weaning as much less traumatic than abrupt weaning. Whether or not this lowered stress results in long-term enchancment in well being and efficiency seems to be unknown and requires further analysis.
Much less traumatic weaning not solely is an enchancment for the calves, but in addition could also be much less traumatic for cattle producers by having quieter cattle.
Supply: South Dakota State College Extension
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