To date this has been a great autumn for grass production and utilization. The fine weather and dry grazing conditions also reduce the risk of grass tetany in cows. The weather can 't hold for ever and once the showers start grass intake will reduce as a result of poaching , pasture soiling and lower grass dry matter. This will lead to a loss of body condition and an increased risk of grass tetany if weaning is delayed in the spring calving cows.

There are a number of things that have to be factored in; age of the calf , body condition of the cow , grass crop and quality , soil conditions and culling intentions. As the suckler is only required to provide enough milk to rear a good calf , ideally the calf should be seven to eight months old at weaning.

Suckling beyond late October usually isn 't an option due to grass shortage , so in that case the May -born calf will usually be five months old at weaning and weighing around 220 -230kg. If grazing conditions are good , you can delay weaning until late November , but they make sure the calves get around 1kg per day of creep ration. A magnesium supplement should also be fed to prevent staggers.

If your silage is of good quality and the cows are in good condition , feel free to house both cows and calves in a creep housing arrangement where calves have access to the cows for about two months and are gradually weaned.

If lighter calves are weaned early , they separate them from the stronger calves and give them a bit of extra feed. If you neglect to do this the stronger calves will bully the weaker calves and they will not make their target weights.

As with culling , a cow 's condition at weaning is very important. Cows should be in good body condition at weaning (condition score 3 ) which allows a sub -maintenance diet to be fed for part of the winter , thus saving on winter feed. Early weaning , the provision of good grass plus 2 -3kg meal /day could get your suckler cows into slaughter condition. When grass growth declines , delayed weaning will knock condition off cows and result in a feed costs later.

When a suckler cow is weaned , her daily feed requirement cost is reduced by 25 -30 %. Therefore , it is more efficient to wean the calves and give them access to the best grass plus 1 -2kg meal /day than attempt to keep good grass with cows and calves. Any left over grass will provide adequate grazing for weaned calves for several weeks but can be totally consumed by a herd of cows and calves.

Phased weaning reduces stress and disturbance at weaning. During phased weaning , cows and calves are put into a well -fenced sward of good grass. Cows are then removed gradually at weekly intervals. Cows can be housed or taken away to another paddock on the farm.

Phased weaning enables only part of the herd to be disturbed at any one time and the presence of a couple of cows with the young calves has a calming effect on the weanlings. When it comes to the last group of calves to be weaned , the first group is already completely settled and this feeling quickly spreads to the late weaned calves. For this to work well , calves should be on creep either by means of a creep feeder or access through a creep gate to another paddock , as weaned calves cannot be trough -fed in the presence of some cows.

A key to good weaning is to have as little changes as possible to the surrounding areas of the calves. It is always better to remove the cows to a house or other area , as calves will always attempt to get back to the place where they were separated from the cows.

Another method is to separate cows and calves by means of a well-powered electric fence. (Up to three strands may be needed ). After a few days the cows can be taken away to another area.

Where possible do not use paddocks on either side of a road as the young calves may dart across the road. Some nasty road accidents have been caused as a result of bad weaning management. If cows are housed the calves can be put in the field or paddock nearest to the house , which means that even if they break they will not do much damage.

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