it really is and how to make it work. “For most ranchers, fence-line weaning is leaving
calves in the corral with the cows outside in the pas- ture. To me, the true concept of fence-line weaning is leaving calves and cows in pastures with just a fence between them. Technically, both practices are fence- line weaning but the costs, management requirements and benefi ts are very different between the 2 methods.” “Pasture fence-line weaning works very well when
calves are weaned at the normal age of 6 to 8 months,” continues Gill. “If calves are weaned early, before they develop the ability to derive a signifi cant portion of their diet from forage, they will need a supplement to replace their mother’s milk. Supplemental feeding is more convenient in a lot and young calves are easier to contain in a corral than in a pasture. Early-weaned calves, 6 to 8 weeks old, are like trying to pen a bunch of cats. They can slip through almost any type of fence to get back to their mothers.”
Weaning management in preconditioning Rick Machen with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Service says, “Weaning management is critical to the success of preconditioning programs. There are a couple of recommended protocols available for weaning calves. The least stressful, if done properly, is fence-line wean- ing. For fence-line weaning to work, cows and calves need to be separated as quietly and quickly as possible.” “Removal of a calf from its mother is second only to
birth in creating stress,” states Clyde Lane, Jr., professor emeritus of animal science at the University of Tennes- see. “Stress can be reduced by letting calves become familiar with the area where weaning will take place. “This can be accomplished by moving the cows
and calves into the weaning pen a few days before the process begins. During this time calves can learn from their dams where feed and water are located. Calves can also learn from their dams that it is all right to eat the feed and drink the water. At weaning, remove the cows from the area and leave the calves in place,” Lane says. “On weaning day, no additional processing such as
castrating, dehorning, vaccinating or branding should be done to the cows or the calves,” continues Machen. “These practices should be completed at least 3 weeks before weaning and preferably before the calves are 3 months of age. If additional work is done at weaning, it will lead to increased stress and anxiety, making it much more diffi cult to keep the cows and calves sepa- rated once they are turned back to pasture.” MORE
tscra.org August 2014 The Cattleman 81
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