EARLY weaning proved a valuable tool during the past drought, with producers honing the practice to maintain the condition of valuable animals and make the most of what pasture and feed was available.
Reports are that many are keen to retain it as an ongoing strategy and advisors certainly say it allows for better allocation and use of pasture in all seasons, not just during drought.
The practicalities and advantages of early weaning cattle and the associated animal health issues was the focus of the first Gippsland Ag Chat session for the year, held online last week.
Agriculture Victoria livestock extension officer Fiona Baker outlined key reasons to wean early, including maintaining herd fertility, better utilising any available pasture and better allocating it to different classes of cattle, targeting animals that need better quality pasture and getting more bang for your buck from supplementary feeding.
The practice also allows cull females to be sold earlier, and possible water savings from not having lactating animals, which have high water requirements, she said.
Condition
The ideal fat score for breeding cattle is 3. That allows the breeder to start cycling again and be ready for joining and gives her fat availability should feed turn off quickly.
A fat score 2 stands out visually, Ms Baker said, so if you notice animal's losing weight it is good to start thinking it might be time to wean.
Fat score at calving affects days to first heat. At fat score 3, on good quality feed, it will take 30 days from calving to first heat. On poor feed, it will take 70 days.
Even on good quality feed, a fat score 2 means it's an extra 10 days. On poor quality feed, a fat score 2 takes 90 days.
"That's a big impact and a reason to think about taking calves off, because as soon as her energy requirement is reduced, the cow goes back to just maintenance-only requirements and is able to stay in a good condition," Ms Baker said.
Better use of feed
Ms Baker presented the example of a 500kg cow with a seven-month-old calf at foot weighing around 240kg.
That cow-calf unit needs 150 megajoules of energy a day. If a producer knows feed in the paddock is 9 megajoules of energy per kilogram of dry matter, that would be a requirement of 16.7kg of dry matter per day.
Once weaned, the cow energy requirement drops to a maintenance level of 55 megajoules of metabolisable energy per day, or 6.1kg dry matter feed.
The calf, to grow at .5kg/day needs 50 MJME a day, or 5.5kg dry matter of the feed.
Managed together as a cow/calf unit, the requirement is 16.7kg DM/day but as individuals they need 11.6kg (6.1 for the cow and 5.5 for calf).
Over 100 cow-calf units, it is a saving of 1.7 bales of hay per day. At current hay prices, that works out to be a saving of $2800 per month.
But it's not just about energy and Ms Baker urged producers to be aware of protein requirements.
The requirements of a lactating cow is about 10pc crude protein. The calf has high protein requirements but is receiving it via the milk.
If the calf, once weaned, is growing at half a kilogram a day, it needs 11 to 12pc crude protein.
The dry cow now only needs 6pc crude protein.
"So if you have a fodder crop mid-summer, it could be perfect for putting those calves on. And if you have a dry standing feed paddock, that could perfect for the cows," Ms Baker said.
"There is no point putting those dry cows on the summer fodder crop that's green with high energy and protein when she doesn't really need it.
"This is where the differences in feed allocation come into play."
Yard weaning
Yard weaning is best because it allows for calves to be contained and their diet intake to be monitored for the first few days.
"Yard weaning allows young stock to acclimatise to human interaction generally making them easier to handle as they mature, resulting in less stress to both stock and handler," Ms Baker said.
It was important to supply good quality hay in a hay ring or bunker to help the transition from pastures and encourage fibre intake, she said.
Introduce concentrates slowly, ideally at 300 grams per head per day in a trough or feeder and increase by 100g a day.
Always provide access to a fibre source, whether it be hay or paddock feed.
Weaned calves need at least 35pc neutral detergent fibre, 12pc protein and 12 MJ of energy.
On the infrastructure side, a few hints are to allow four square metres per head, ensure there is shade and quality fresh water at a flow rate of 1.5 litres per second and avoid rattling yards and clanging gates.
"In addition, it's important to spend time with the stock, training them to use the yards so they are easier to handle in the future," Ms Baker said.
"There are a range of animal health issues including pinkeye that farmers also need to look out for."
ALSO IN BEEF:
Shan Goodwin
Shan Goodwin steers ACM’s national coverage of the beef industry. Shan has worked as a journalist for 30 years, the majority of that with agricultural publications. She spent many years as The Land’s North Coast reporter and has visited beef properties and stations throughout the country and overseas. She treats all breeds equally. Contact 0427686187. E: s.goodwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Shan Goodwin steers ACM’s national coverage of the beef industry. Shan has worked as a journalist for 30 years, the majority of that with agricultural publications. She spent many years as The Land’s North Coast reporter and has visited beef properties and stations throughout the country and overseas. She treats all breeds equally. Contact 0427686187. E: s.goodwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
