Weaning beef calves can be a stressful process that affects their health and performance. This study explored ways to reduce stress and improve outcomes by testing four weaning strategies and the impact of shipment timing. Researchers evaluated 288 calves (7 to 8 months old) from two locations, dividing them into four treatment groups:
- Abrupt Weaning (AW): Calves were completely separated from their dams on Day 0 (D0) with no further contact.
- Fence Line Weaning (FL): Calves were separated on D0 but allowed fence-line contact with their dams for seven days.
- Nose Flap (NF): Calves were fitted with a nose flap on Day -6 to prevent suckling, then weaned and separated from their dams on D0.
- Intermittent Separation (SEP): Calves were separated from their dams for 24-hour periods on Days -13 and -6, then weaned on D0 with fence-line contact for seven days.
Each group was split into two subgroups: calves shipped early (D0 for AW, Day 7 for others) and those shipped later (Day 28). Researchers tracked body weight and illness across all groups.
Key Findings
- Calves shipped later (Day 28) had better weight gain compared to those shipped early.
- Calves in the abrupt weaning group (AW) showed poorer weight gain compared to most other strategies.
- Fence-line weaning (FL) with delayed shipment resulted in the best performance under typical U.S. cow–calf management practices.
- The study’s analysis of sickness levels (morbidity) was inconclusive.
This research highlights the benefits of delayed shipment after fence-line weaning to reduce stress and improve weight gain in calves.
For full research details, click here.
