A smooth transition for calves being weaned off milk is essential to ensure calves suffer no performance setbacks and continue to thrive.
Farmers who have experience in rearing calves will know all too well that if a calf is weaned off milk before it is ready, or if the transition off milk is not managed smoothly, calves can fall behind in their performance and struggle to pick up again.
With this year being a particularly challenging spring for farmers primarily as a result of the prolonged rainfall, the temptation may be there to speed up the weaning process, but taking the ‘quick fix solution’ could lead to difficulties further down the line.
It is often seen in calf-rearing operations where strong calves in great condition are weaned off milk and quickly fall behind the rest of the batch. This usually occurs when the calf is not ready to be weaned off milk feed.
Different farmers have different preferences and all good calf rearers have their own tips and tricks to smooth the transition off milk for the calf.
Most strategies evolve around limiting stress for the calf and keeping all other variables the same while the calf is being weaned off milk.
Key to a successful weaning off milk is ensuring the calf is consuming adequate concentrates and roughage.
Calves should be confidently eating concentrates from the trough and while some would advise the level of concentrate intake at weaning should be in excess of 1kg/head/day, many farmers prefer calves eating closer to 2kg concentrates/head/day before weaning off milk.
Calves being weaned
As well as concentrate intake, good consumption of hay or straw is also important. Some farmers prefer to feed calves straw for roughage, but with short supplies this spring, either can be used once it is palatable for the calves.
The purpose of the roughage in the calf diet is essentially to ‘scratch’ the rumen and encourage rumen papillae growth which helps to ensure the calf has a healthy calf rumen going forward.
Any calves that are behind target should be grouped together and continue being fed milk or milk replacer until ready to be weaned of milk.
Some farmers use ‘twice the birth weight at weaning’ as a general rule of thumb while others aim for the 85kg mark.
It is best to focus on concentrate intake ahead of weaning rather than calf weight as a heavy calf getting a high volume of milk may not be eating enough to be weaned.
Weaning should take place gradually by reducing the levels of milk powder fed until calves are fully weaned and water and feed intakes as well as calf health should be closely monitored through this phase.
When conditions improve and calves get to grass, many farmers opt to continue feeding straw or hay to help calves in the transition to eating grass. Concentrate feed levels should be maintained in the transition to grass also.