If you’ve been through it before, you know fall processing isn’t exactly a slow-paced stroll. Between sorting, doctoring, vaccinating, and separating calves from their dams, the workload can quickly pile up. It’s easy to feel like you’re just trying to stay afloat while checking off the to-do list. But here’s the truth—this isn’t the time to cut corners. The decisions you make during processing directly impact your calf crop’s health, growth, and long-term productivity.
Weaning is naturally stressful on calves. They’re being separated from mom, adjusting to new routines, and exposed to potential health challenges all at once. But the good news? You can ease that transition. By being intentional now, you’re setting calves up to thrive, not just survive.
Think of it this way: fall processing is like the launch pad for your calves’ future performance. The more care and planning you put in today, the better results you’ll see when those calves hit the market or return to the herd as replacements.
To help make this season smoother, here are five practical steps you can follow to get your calves started on the right track this fall.
Weaning Strategies: Setting Calves Up for Success
Weaning is a pivotal stage in a calf’s life, with a significant impact on its growth and overall performance. The stress of separation from their mothers and the adaptation to a new diet can be mitigated or exacerbated by the chosen weaning strategy. Understanding the various weaning strategies and their implications is crucial for producers to make informed decisions for their operations.
There are several strategies available to make the weaning process easier for calves. Each plan, whether it’s fenceline weaning or gradual weaning, offers potential benefits. By choosing a strategy that minimizes stress, you can improve the health and growth of your calves during this transition. This should give you confidence in the positive impact of your decisions.
Choosing a weaning strategy that minimizes stress can enhance the health and growth of your calves during this transition. Calves that experience less stress during weaning are less likely to become sick and are more likely to maintain a healthy appetite, resulting in improved weight gain and performance. Careful planning and execution of your weaning strategy can make a substantial difference in the success of your herd.
3 Proven Weaning Methods (Pros & Cons)
Total separation occurs when the calf is removed from the dam without any physical contact between them. Typically, you will move the calves to a completely new environment, such as when they are sold or transferred to a dry lot. A benefit of this strategy is that it allows the producer to sell the calf immediately after it is born. It will also decrease the need to reserve any forages or purchase feed for the calves. The problem with this strategy is that it puts the highest stress on the calf, often leading to numerous health problems.
Fenceline weaning is when the cow and calf have nose-to-nose contact through a fence for a period of time. This contact will allow for decreased stress because the calf will remain in a familiar environment. A problem with this is that a unique fenceline must be built to contain calves and cows. Also, a producer must devise a grazing management plan to accommodate the animals.
Two-stage weaning involves the use of a device to prevent the calf from suckling. In the first stage, a nose ring is fitted on the calf for 4 to 14 days. After that period, the ring is removed, and the calf and cow are separated. This weaning method will be less stressful than abrupt separation, as the calf will remain with the dam. The calves are allowed a period of adaptation before they are removed. A significant drawback of this strategy is the high cost of labor involved.
Whatever strategy you use, it’s essential to consider all the pros and cons. Also, consider the type of facilities and the amount of labor you can provide. This comprehensive approach will empower you to make informed decisions that best suit your operation. Oregon State has a post that provides more details about what each strategy entails.
Fall Vaccination: Protecting Calf Health
The best time to vaccinate your calves is when you are running them through the chutes in the fall. Vaccinating at this time will help them to build up any immunity they might need. At this time, they are at risk for respiratory disease and some clostridial diseases. Due to their high level of stress, we need to protect their immune system as much as possible.
Of course, if we are being technical, the BEST time to vaccinate your calves is 3-4 weeks before weaning. That would allow the vaccines to fully kick in by the time they are dealing with the stresses of weaning. All of the problems they face at that time can lead to increased exposure to harmful pathogens.
Here are three vaccines that you are most likely to encounter in your area, but always consult your veterinarian:
- A modified live 5-way vaccine. This vaccine will cover diseases such as Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD types I and II), Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR), Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus (BRSV), and Parainfluenza 3 virus (PI3).
- A Pasteurella vaccine. These types are a very common bacteria that can infect the lungs and cause severe pneumonia. You can get them separately from the modified live or included.
- A 7- or 8-way blackleg vaccine, depending on which part of the country you are in. A consultation with your veterinarian will help you determine which one is best for you.
If you will be banding your bull calves at this time, you should consider giving a tetanus toxoid, too. Ideally, you would provide two rounds of this, with the second being at banding time. If you can only give 1, that can work out for you, too.
Implants: Worth the Investment?
Implanting is one of those things that tends to be a love-hate relationship with producers. Some swear by it and consider it valuable as well. Some see it as almost inhumane and unsafe for animals
With that being out of the way, using implants can be valuable to you as they improve efficiency and profitability. They can increase an animal’s growth by up to 20% and improve feed efficiency by up to 10%. Again, I urge you to run the numbers yourself to see if the investment is worth your return.
When going with implanting, there are some things you can do to improve the outcome:
- Ensure the implant is placed in the correct location. The implant should be placed on the back side of the ear, in the middle third of the ear.
- You should follow low-stress cattle handling while implanting. Low-stress cattle handling will reduce overcrowding and the possibility of manure contamination of the head and ears.
- Make sanitation and cleanliness your top priority when doing this. Having it as a priority will reduce the risk of infection and ear abscesses.
- Have a bucket nearby with a stiff brush to gently clean the ear using a disinfectant.
Deworming Done Right: Timing and Options
Since you are running them through the chutes at this time, now would be a good opportunity to deworm them. There are several options available: oral, injectable, and pour-on.
To prevent parasite resistance from developing, it is necessary to rotate the type of dewormer used. Rotating dewormers refers to the drug class, not the brand, such as using Benzimidazoles after using a Macrocyclic Lactone. I have included a picture that will give you some ideas of what to look for.
The timing of when you use the dewormer is just as important. Ideally, you want to use it right after the first killing frost of the year. This period will mean the parasites enter hibernation, and your cattle enter the pasture with a clean slate. However, that is not always an option, so processing will also be available during the fall. In a previous post, “Controlling internal parasites for fun and profit,” I provided a more detailed look at deworming programs.
You will want to perform a fecal egg count reduction test to determine the effectiveness of your deworming program. Your veterinarian will be able to help you with this test.
Supplements That Support Growth After Weaning
Proper nutrition is essential for weight gain and a robust immune response in your calves. Usually, a higher stress level means an increased need for energy, protein, and minerals. If intake decreases, it will be necessary to provide a feed source that is both highly palatable and digestible.
Three usual sources of supplements for calves:
- A high starch feedstuff, such as corn and barley, provides highly digestible energy. In the absence of rumen adaptation, it may result in bloat and acidosis in calves.
- Forages such as grass hays and alfalfa can provide adequate protein levels. Still, they can be marginal in the quantity of digestible energy. Since calves usually prefer forages over grain, palatability and intake are generally not an issue.
- A third feedstuff source is non-forage fiber sources. These include soybean hulls, distillers’ grains, or beet pulp. They are typically rich in digestible energy and contain reasonable quantities of digestible protein,