What do you feed a calf after weaning?

What do you feed a calf after weaning?

After weaning, calves should receive free-choice calf starter until 3 mo old. If hay is fed during this period, it should be of excellent quality and fed in limited amounts. Energy requirements for adequate growth in calves 3–15 mo old may be derived largely from good quality forage.

How much grain should a weaned calf eat?

Ease weaning stress by ensuring calves eat at least half a pound of grain per day for 4 weeks or a pound per day for 2 weeks and that they reach 2 pounds per day for 3 consecutive days before weaning.

What do you do after weaning calves?

One method to ease the distress for calves in fenceline weaning is to pasture the cows and calves together in the pasture where the calves will be after weaning for a few days. This allows the calves to find water and feed more easily.

How long do calves take to wean?

between 8-10 months
Calves are generally weaned between 8-10 months of age. The actual age depends on several factors: Feed availability – cows can continue lactation without losing condition in good years, but early weaning should be considered in drier years. Condition and age of Cow – cow condition is a key factor to joining success.

At what age should a calf be weaned?

Though calves naturally wean themselves around ten months, on beef farms calves are weaned when they are around six months old; for dairy farms, this happens just 24 hours after they are born.

How much grain should a 400 lb calf eat?

pound calf will need to consume in the neighborhood of 7 to 8 pounds of grain daily. Small amounts of hay will compliment the grain ration for these 8 to 12 week old animals.

How much corn do I need to feed a 500 pound calf?

(opens in new window)Corn silage rations It takes about 1.1 to 1.3 pounds of a 40 percent protein supplement per head daily to supplement the corn silage intake of 400- to 500-pound calves (Tables 2 and 3).

Do calves lose weight after weaning?

Figure 1, below, shows the amount of body weight lost from calves at weaning in a two year study. After weaning, the amount of shrink in one day amounted to 3.5 and 3.9%, similar to the amount of shrink after 8-hours of standing in a drylot. Calves did not regain their off-pasture weaning weight until 14 days later.

How long do calves need to be weaned?

Calves are generally weaned between 8-10 months of age. The actual age depends on several factors: Feed availability – cows can continue lactation without losing condition in good years, but early weaning should be considered in drier years.

What is the best time to wean calves?

7 to 8 months old
Calves are ideally weaned when they are 7 to 8 months old. The right time to wean a calf depends on the condition of the cow and not the age of the calf. Calves should be weaned before the condition score of the cow falls below 2,5 if adequate winter feed is available and the cows maintain their condition.

At what age do calves start eating hay?

High quality hay can be introduced to weaned calves once daily grain intake reaches about 5 to 6 pounds, probably around 1 to 2 weeks after weaning, or 6 to 7 weeks of age.

Will a calf wean itself?

Though calves naturally wean themselves around ten months, on beef farms calves are weaned when they are around six months old; for dairy farms, this happens just 24 hours after they are born. The method allows mother and calf to interact through a slatted fence while keeping them separate.

How much do you feed a weaned calf?

There are guidelines on how much grain a calf should be eating in order to have a functional rumen and be weaned. The rule of thumb is that calves should be consuming about 2 pounds (about 4 cups) of starter per day for three days in a row to be weaned onto all-solid feed (Jones, and Heinrichs 2017).

How much to bottle feed a calf?

Feed your calf one quart of milk or formula in the bottle 2-3 times per day for the first two weeks. Some calf owners bottle feed their calves just twice a day; others prefer to do so three times daily. Whether you feed your calf two or three times a day is your choice and can depend on your calf’s appetite.

How much does a beef calf weigh at weaning?

The average weight of the cows and weaning weight of the calves are 1210 pounds and 609 pounds, respectively. Even in a moderate sized cowherd the heavier cows do not appear any more productive than the averaged sized cow in this environment.

How do you feed a beef calf?

The creep feeder provides supplemental feed for calves. A typical creep feeding ration is corn or a mixture of 65 percent corn and 35 percent oats. Place beef feeder calves on good quality pasture to economically gain weight.