Managing the suckler cow around weaning time

At this stage of the year, weaning is in full swing on many farms around the country and recent weather conditions have increased the number of farms starting to wean in the west.

While the focus is usually around reducing stress in the weaned calf, the cow can also be under some stress at this time. Diet changes, housing and weaning can all have an impact on the cow around this time.

Gradual weaning

Gradual weaning is by the far the best way to reduce stress on both cows and calves.

Abrupt weaning will increase stress, with the cow becoming agitated calling for her calf.

Breaking the cow-calf bond beforehand through creep-grazing or twice-a-day sucking can have a positive effect on the process.

The weaning process itself should be carried out in a staggered fashion to allow cows adjust to the calves being taken away.

Dry cow feed

Normally cows will be fed poor-quality silage, hay or straw to dry off. Cows shouldn’t be left hungry during this time as this can increase stress. After the drying-off process has ended, cows should be fed according to body condition score (BCS). This may consist of ad-lib silage/straw mix or back out to grass until housing.

How to measure BCS in pictures

Where hay or straw is fed around weaning, it’s important that it isn’t fed for too long as it may cause cows to lose condition. If straw continues to be fed due to a shortage in silage supply, the average cow will need 3kg of concentrates with minerals to maintain condition. Grass tetany can occur around weaning outdoors or indoors.

Outdoors, if the cow is weaned abruptly, the cow can roam around for the night not eating.

This will lead to a reduction in the magnesium availability of the diet and can bring on grass tetany. During the dry off period and for one to two weeks afterwards cows should be supplemented with magnesium to avoid the onset of grass tetany.

Identify culls

Weaning time can be a good opportunity to take a look at under-performers in the herd in terms of breeding performance, calf quality and calf liveweight gains.

Under-fleshed cows should be investigated as to the reason they are carrying less flesh. It could be a variety of factors including age, feet, fluke or worm issue or just too long sucking a heavy calf.

On the other hand, if a cow is carrying excess flesh, examine the calf weight to see if she is looking after herself too much at the expense of her calf.

Cull cows – what to do?

Some farms will scan cows prior to weaning so cull cows and empty cows can be batched together. Empty cows should be removed from the main herd as soon as possible and avoid the temptation to keep for one more year or worse again start an autumn-calving herd with a group of low-fertility spring-calving cows.

Selling cows live directly after weaning probably won’t realise the maximum price possible, but where fodder is short or grass is tight it may prove the best option on some farms.

In some cases, where cows are very short of flesh, it may be a good option to separate and feed concentrates for five to six weeks to “warm up” prior to selling.

Alternatively, cows can be built up for intensive feeding over a few months and then slaughtered.

On weanling-producing farms where relatively low numbers of animals are slaughtered, this can be a good opportunity to follow up animals to see if the fluke management protocols are working on the farm.

First-calved cows/heifers

First-calved cows or heifers which have calved at 24 months for the first time need preferential treatment around weaning.

On some farms where heifers are all calved at 24 months, these will be the cows that will be weaned first to allow them regain some condition before housing.

Its important to remember that these heifers are still growing and need to be fed accordingly.

These heifers should be given priority access to grass and preferably fed on their own or with a group of low-condition weaned cows.

Where condition score is less than 2, these heifers/cows should be fed 2-3kg per day to allow them gain condition.

Body condition score

Weaning time is a critical time to body condition score cows. Ideally a spring-calving suckler cow should be condition score 3 at weaning.

This will allow some restriction to take place over the winter feeding period and reduce feeding costs. Target condition at calving is 2.5.

Due to recent poor grazing conditions, many cows were struggling to meet their requirements for milk and maintenance with the result that many have lost condition over the past month.

Body condition score build up can be completed at grass or indoors but it will be cheaper to do it outdoors at grass.

Cows should be grouped and fed accordingly over the next four to six weeks to build up condition. It’s important that this is completed early in gestation and well before calving as trying to increase condition shortly before calving could lead to calving issues.

Ploughing Demonstrations

Come along to the Irish Farmers Journal stand next week and have your say with the Journal livestock team on topics such as two-year-old calving, dairy calf to beef systems, and important points when finishing animals this winter.

Demos are in association with Bord Bia and ICBF and discussion and debates will take place at 10am, 12pm and 2pm.

An interactive poll is available on www.farmersjournal.ie that can be completed by readers over the next week to form the conversations at the demos. Sheep and winter feed demos will also be run over the three days.

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