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Post by arlen on Nov 8, 2014 21:03:09 GMT -5
I bought some bred cows this spring, and they didn't calve till july. All 4 cows had heifers. Well, winter is bearing down on us, and I had to get them away from the bull, so I decided to wean them at 4 months. What kind of trouble, if any, should I expect? They had their shots about 2 weeks ago. What should I do for them nutritionally to help. Or will they be fine with good quality hay? Or am I just screwed?
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Post by RedRidge on Nov 9, 2014 8:26:33 GMT -5
I wean at 4-6 months since i run bulls with the herd year round and never have any problems. Most other dexter folks I know wean at 2-4 months specifically to get their calves halter broken.
While I prefer 6 months, it's easier to pull heifer calves from the herd after 2 weeks with a weaning ring in than to house and manage a bull separately who would prefer to protect his herd.
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Post by kansasdexters on Nov 9, 2014 8:41:46 GMT -5
Arlen,
If your heifers are only 4 months old and had their first round of vaccinations two weeks ago, they should have booster vaccinations in about 2 weeks, prior to stressing them. It would also be helpful to treat them for internal/external parasites, just prior to weaning. They should also be given an opportunity to learn to eat different things like creep feed, alfalfa pellets, sweet feed, and range cubes, so that the transition during weaning (in a few weeks) is less stressful on them.
You are choosing to wean when the weather is going to be a challenge (cold, snowy, windy, wet), and there won't be any good pasture available -- so yes, you will need to supplement their hay ration with a good creep feed, a balanced loose mineral, to provide adequate protein and calories to keep their development and growth on a good track.
Patti
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