Weanling trade recovery? 

Now that we are firmly in the depths of autumn, many suckler farmers will turn their attention to the sale of weanlings over the coming weeks. The current market is not overly promising for suckler farmers but the weanling trade has enjoyed a small revival recently, with marts reporting a gradual increase in sale prices across the country. Therefore, it is essential that we do what we can to enhance calf performance in the run-up to sale day. The strong our weanlings, the better the price! 

Care needed at weaning time

At this point in the year, strong calves should be taken off the cow in preparation for sale. Calves that are coming in at around a quarter of a tonne are more than ready for weaning. At this point, milk is not making up the bulk of their nutritional needs.

However, this is not to say that calves undergoing weaning don’t need considerable care. Weaning places huge stress on the young animal and, if they are not properly cared for, they will lose ground. If they are to continue to thrive post-weaning, they will need to receive priority treatment. Studies indicate that strong weanlings should gain about 1kg per day, if an appropriate regimen is applied.

Meal feeding

If weanlings are to continue to thrive in the absence of daily milk, their diet will need to be supplemented by meal. Feeding meal to weanlings should not be viewed as a waste of money by definition. Contrary to what some farmers may say, most young animals are very efficient at converting feed to weight gain. Research indicates that weanlings from strong beef breeds will gain about 1kg in live weight for every 6kg of meal you feed them.

Generally speaking, you should start your animals off with small amounts of feed concentrate per day (as little as a third of a kilo for smaller heifers and a little over half a kilo for larger bull calves!). Over time, you may increase the daily feed ration to about 1.5 kilos for heifers and 2.5 kilos for bulls.

Stress management

The other key to successful autumn weaning is stress management. It is difficult to overstate how traumatic the experience of separation from the dam is for calves. No doubt we have all experienced the near-constant lamenting of cows and calves that have been recently separated – a phenomenon that can drag on for days. This stress can place enormous pressure on the calf’s immune system, leading to the development of potentially fatal illnesses like pneumonia. Therefore it is very important to keep an eye on newly weaned calves, being particularly vigilant for signs that they are unwell.

Mitigating risk

To mitigate the risk of stress-related disease, always wean calves in spaces that are familiar to them (preferably in a field!). You should also apply a gradual approach to weaning, as this prevents the likelihood of calves experiencing severe shock. You can soften the blow of separation in the following ways:

·       Creep grazing

·       Introducing calves to small amounts of concentrate pre-weaning

·       Daytime separation of calf and cow (to prevent daytime sucking)

·       Removing the cows from the field for 2-3 days at a time