BY: Peter Smith
WA Dept of Agriculture- Karratha
Beef Development Officer
Ph: (08) 9144 2065
pcsmith@agric.wa.gov.au

A program designed to:

• Improve the survival and reproductive rate of lactating breeders
• Improve weaner survival and development
• Ensure cows become pregnant again more quickly
• Improve enterprise gross margin and profitability

The practise of weaning calves is one of the key cattle management practices that can be used in cattle herds in extensive areas to improve breeder herd productivity. To achieve optimum benefit from weaning requires careful thought and management.

Numerous on property demonstrations and research trials have been conducted on weaning (the practise of removing the calf from the cow) and weaner management (the management of that calf) over a number of years all around northern Australia. The findings of this work can be summarized into a few points:

• Permanently removing a calf from a cow (weaning) dramatically improves the performance of the cow. Non lactating (dry) cows require only about 60% of the nutrient intake of a similar lactating (wet) cow.
• Cows which were in lactation anoestrus (lactating but not pregnant and not cycling) and had their calves weaned commenced cycling sooner than cows which were still lactating.
• Weaning calves improved the reproductive rates and survival of breeders.
• Weaned calves of different ages and weights need different management and feeding for best results.
• Calves less than 120 kg at weaning require good nutrition and good management to ensure their continued growth and well being.
• Well managed weaning and weaner management in extensive herds resulted in improved gross margins and profitability.

Given the current poor seasonal conditions, or drought, being experienced in much of Australia, lactating breeders will struggle to survive in some areas well before the season breaks. Due to the extensive nature of many properties the practicality and cost benefit of feeding many of these breeders to improve their survival might be questionable. But weaning will definitely improve breeder survival rates and subsequent reproduction rates.

Any breeder feeding operation to ensure survival is unlikely to improve the lactating cows nutritional intake by 30-40%. Weaning their calf will achieve precisely that – by reducing their nutrient requirement.

Weaner Management

The aim of good weaner management is to ensure the survival and continued growth and well being of the weaners. Without a mother to provide a good supplement (milk) and to protect them (dingoes etc) wearers can be vulnerable animals. Weaning management therefore requires some time input and a considerable degree of planning to ensure that the full benefits of weaning are realized. Weaner managers need to be ‘mother’ as well as provider for these ‘juvenile’ cattle.

The benefit of weaning to the cow is universally accepted by cattle managers as being a "good thing" for the cow. The benefit of weaning on particularly younger and lighter calves is not so well accepted. "I tried weaning younger and smaller calves and ended up with a lot of pot bellied, stunted weaners", is a common story where the management and nutrition of weaners could have been better.

The younger the animal the better quality diet is required to ensure adequate growth and development. All animals apportion nutrients in the growth sequence of bone, muscle and finally, if there is any left over, fat.

Hence the observation that calves usually lose their ‘milk bloom’ (some fat) soon after weaning. Skeletal measurement of calves in research trials, however, reveal that calves continue to grow, (bone) and providing the diet is good enough develop muscle as well following weaning. Older or mature animals do not require a diet of the same quality as they have ceased to grow and only require nutrients for muscle and finally fat development.

Weaner Feeding

Calves may only be getting a small amount of milk from a cow but it is a very high quality supplement and they are usually getting their own personalised supply. This quality supplement is obviously very important for calves grazing generally poor quality grass. Following weaning even the best of supplements seldom approach the nutritional value of ‘mothers milk’ and individual weaners have to compete with each other for their share of the supplement.

By the time calves are 3-4 months of age they have a fully functional rumen with a population of rumen ‘bugs’ that can break down poor quality pasture. A source of Nitrogen (N) and Sulphur (S) is required to maintain a healthy population of these ‘bugs’. This N & S is supplied by good quality pasture. Unfortunately by the time weaning usually happens pastures are long past their prime and supplementation of N & S is required to maintain a healthy rumen and a good through put of feed.

In addition to maintaining a good intake of dry feed younger weaners require a better quality diet including some energy to ensure they continue to grow and develop.

Segregating and caring for weaners

Weaners should be drafted into groups according to size to help ensure smaller weaners get their share of the supplement being fed. It is often convenient and a good idea to keep the smaller (less than 120 kg) weaners in hand in cooler yards and fully hand feed them until they settle down and are eating well.

Weaners less than 100 kg require very special attention. It is strongly recommended that these calves are kept in hand and basically ‘feedlotted’ until they grow to at least 100kg. These very young calves require a high quality concentrate diet containing 18 – 20% protein at around 1kg a day in addition to good quality hay or shipper type weaner pellets.

Weaners in the weight range 100 – 120 kg should receive a good quality supplement of around 16% protein in addition to access to a urea and S based supplement if tailed or turned out into paddocks. Useful supplements to use include a combination of 1 kg a day of 16% protein weaner pellets or concentrate and ad lib shipper type weaner pellets.

Weaners 120 – 150 kg will benefit from a supplement of a protein meal in addition to a urea & S supplement when turned out. While cottonseed meal is widely fed in eastern states, lupin meal fed every 2 - 3 days is suggested as a suitable substitute in this area.

Weaners over 150 kg should be supplemented with a urea & S supplement until rain is received. Intake of supplement should be carefully monitored to ensure these weaners achieve a target intake of around 25 – 30 gms. of urea a day during the dry season. (70 kg of 30% urea blocks for 100 weaners each week).

It is important to get weaners onto feed as soon as possible following removal from their mothers to reduce the stress of weaning. Weaning stress has been demonstrated as a major contributing cause to Coccidiosis or black scours which usually doesn’t appear until 4 – 6 weeks after weaning. Coccidiosis can cause intestinal damage, loss of condition and sometimes death. Invariably a high percentage of infected and untreated calves will be poor doers. Good weaning management including getting weaners onto feed and good water as soon as possible will greatly reduce the incidence and seriousness of Coccidia infection.

A good rule of thumb is "get the feed out before the horses (bike, helicopter etc) are caught to go mustering for the day".

Conclusion

As weaning is probably the single most important management tool available that will increase the performance of breeder herds in extensive areas the practise is worthy of careful management and attention to detail if it is to demonstrate its full potential to improve the bottom line.

Weaner paddocks, preferably two, one for weaners over 150 kg and one, preferably where it is highly visible and easy to access, for smaller weaners should be located on good or improved country and well managed to ensure they provide good grazing to at least the weaners from early in the season.

Plan weaning to ensure that feed is on hand on the property and at the yards where weaning will happen. The practise of accumulating weaners in a yard with minimal feed and maximum stress until it is convenient to shift or truck them ‘back to the homestead’ will increase the risk of Coccidiosis becoming a problem at a later date – usually when it is least expected!

By adopting good weaning and weaner management many of the nutritional problems of the breeder herd are concentrated in a much smaller group of animals. Look after them well and they will look after the bottom line.

© WA dept of Agriculture December 2002-  This source: http://www.cattlefacts.com.au

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