Early WeaningCalves and Lambs

Early weaning of Calves

Brett Littler

SLSO (Livestock)

Mudgee

brett.littler@lls.nsw.gov.au 0427007398

What is early weaning?

• Weaning earlier than normal (ideal) during conditions that warrant the practice

• Before 6-7 months for cattle

Why early wean?

• Feeding a calf through a cow is very inefficient

• Allows better allocation of limited feed resources.

• Cows not only get by on less, but ME and P content is reduced.

• Help maintain herd fertility– Longer recovery

Why early wean?

• Better utilise your high quality pasture

• Better utilise supplementary feed

• Save water

• Increased marketing flexibility

When should you early wean?

• It depends!!!!!!

• “Spread” of calving

• Let condition of the cow guide your decision

• Marking of the weaners (knife, ring, dehorn)

• Imprinted/educated on what you are going to feed

If early weaning!!!

Feed for growth

Not maintenance!!!Nutrition, Nutrition, Nutrition!!!!!!

Early weaning calves

• At 7 months no benefit from being on the cow

• As light as 70kg and 2 months old

• The younger/lighter the calf, the higher the energy and protein levels

• The younger/lighter the calf, the more issues

Early Weaning Calves

• Younger than 6 weeks (70-80kg) – sell

– wean & feed (Hard work & $$$)• Milk powder

• High quality pellets + pasture hay/straw

• Coccidiosis risk.

• Delay marking / branding / dehorning

Early weaning Calves Cont.

• Older than 6 weeks– (80-120kg)

– protein of 18-20%. This needs to be a true protein (so no urea, biuret, and ammonia)

– 12-13ME

– Sell

– Wean & Feed.• High quality pellets and Roughage

• DDG

• Protein meal

• molasses, corn steeped liquor, distillers syrup

Early weaning Calves Cont.

• Older than 12 weeks (120kg plus), – 14-16% Protein

– 11.5ME

– Sell

– Wean & Feed• Grain/ Roughage

• Molasses diets / roughage

UDP/By-pass protein

• Protein meal CP (%) Approx. by-pass protein (%)

• Cottonseed meal 41 30–40 • Sunflower meal (SFM) 40–45 20 • Formaldehyde-treated SFM 36 50–70 • Copra meal 22 70 • Linseed meal 32 40 • Soya bean meal 50 30 • Peanut meal 42 30 • Canola meal 35 30

Legume grains

• Lupins 32 25

• Field peas 16 25

• Faba beans 26 10

Own mix

• Grain needs to be processed– Roller/Hamer mill/wet

• Oat varieties – digestibilities can be low

• Sorghum grain – least preferred

• Additives

• Feed test

Early weaning Calves Cont.

• Like with like

• Plan marking

• Lighter they are, the smaller the mob

• Shy feeders and sick - separate

General advice

• Set up a hospital pen

• Shy feeders – problem

• Correct ration formulation (including buffers)

• Low risk feeds (pulses)

• Careful feeding introduction and management avoids acidosis.

• Shade

• Dust Control

Health

• Drench

• Vaccinate

• AD&E

• Fly control

• BRD

• Ionophores/Rumen Modifiers

• Talk to your Vet

Other things

• Site location

• Don’t set and forget

• Monitoring performance

• Get feed tests

• Get help designing a ration

• Self feeder/trough

Creep feeding

• Get calves eating quicker

• Less shy feeders

• Use limited resources better

• Heavier earlier

• More saleable/marketable

Benefits of Early weaning

• Reduce overall DSE rating by ~35%

• Young stock are not competing for pasture base

• Ewe/Cow not required to use feed/reserves for milk production

• Provide best feed/better quality feed to young stock rather than dam/offspring units

Early weaning lambs and calves

• Milk production peaks • 3 to 4 weeks after lambing• 7-10 weeks after calving

Preparing lambs for weaning

• Recommended optimum weaning age is

12 weeks – 14 weeks after first lamb is

born for a 5-6 week joining period

25

By 8th week lambs are

consuming MORE

pasture than milk (as a % of total intake)

Optimum

Weaning

age

Pasture Intake

Milk Intake

Daily Milk Production

(single bearer)

Weeks Post Lambing

Ew

e M

ilk P

rod

uctio

n; L

am

b M

ilk/P

astu

re In

take

(m

ls/g

ram

s)

Under poor pasture

conditions lambs

will begin grazing

earlier

Milk production

peaks in weeks 3

& 4 post lambing

Preparing lambs for weaning

• Lambs can be weaned earlier but need

to ensure high quality feed is available

• Minimum liveweight targets of

• 15kg (merino) and

• 18kgs (crossbreds) can be used

27

Preparing lambs for weaning

General recommendations include:

•Lambs reaching 45% of the ewe standard reference

weight (mature weight)

• 50kg ewe = 23kg lamb liveweight at weaning

• 60kg ewe = 27kg lamb liveweight at weaning

•50g+ growth rate/day

• small increases in growth rates can dramatically improve

survival rates

• faster growing and heavier weaners accumulate more

body reserves

28Source: (Making More from Sheep Module 10)

Weaning weight matters !

29Source: Hatcher et al.

(2008)

Lighter

weaners are

twice as

likely to die

15 flocks

Southern and

Central Tablelands

30

60

70

80

90

100

10 15 20 25 30 35 40

We

an

er

su

rviv

al (

%)

Liveweight at weaning (kg)

50g+ growth rate/day from

point of weaning on will

improve survival rates

for light weight lambs

Source: Lifetime Wool

Based on a

55kg SRW

Post Weaning Growth Rate and Mortality

31

50g/h

/d g

row

th

rate

targ

et

Source: Hatcher et al.

(2008)

15 flocks

Southern and

Central Tablelands

50g+

growth

rate/day

Weaning Options

For every day of weight loss during weaning

it takes 3 days to put it back on !!

Consider

• Returning lambs to their lambing paddock

• Split weaning – wean heavier lambs, wean lighter lambs later

• Cross-weaning – lambs aren’t with their dams but have adult

ewes with them post-weaning

• Running 5% adult sheep with weaned lamb

mobs

• Yard weaning – 3 to 5 days, reduces stress

32

Creep Feeding

33

34

Creep Feeding

Imprinting

36

37

Ewes will

teach lambs

to identify

and use

feeders

Imprinting

Imprinting

• Sheep are neophobic (scared of new or novel things)

• There are benefits with pre-training lambs

prior to weaning - a lifetime recognition and increased

acceptance

• Minimum of 3-4 feeds (50g/ewe) over 10-14

days prior to weaning

• Target 90% of lambs feeding

38

Preparing lambs for weaning

Control No Dams With Dams

Day 1

Day 5

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

%Percentage Eating (Days 1 and 5)

Green et al (1984)

Source: Green et al. (1984)

% Lambs Eating

on Days 1 and 5(averaged over 5

feeding periods over

18 months)

Not given

wheat

prior to

weaning

Given wheat

prior to

weaning

without mum

Given wheat

prior to

weaning with

mum

Consider a variety of grains

Possibly best to feed a ‘shotgun’ mix

Trial with ‘wheat’ eaters (previously exposed to

wheat) offered wheat, barley, oats and cornvs ‘non-wheat’ eaters

• Wheat intake greater

• Took 7-9 days for other cereals to be eaten

• ‘non-wheat’ group took 10-12 days to begin eating wheat - longer for other grains

(Mottershead et al 1985)

Geoff Duddy0427007490geoff@sheepsolutions.com.auwww.sheepsolutions.com.au

Jeff House0419262207jeff.house@iinet.net.au

Brett Littler0427007398brett.littler@lls.nsw.gov.au