weaning dairy calves part 1

An inquiry about calf weaning from a workshop attendee;

So to keep mom and baby apart from each other for 12 hours (milk share), one would have to be inside the barn and one outside the barn -- we are thinking at night, in order to get a good morning milking.  The cow is more leadable and tractable than her calf, so it seems we could more easily bring her in at night, but that would leave baby outside (I guess with the other heifer) all night, which only seems workable in decent weather.  I guess we could contrive some kind of calf shelter for times like these.  Do you have any other ideas?  Do you milk the cow in the barn?  and does the calf follow her in?  In this scenario you aren't doing an evening milking, but you could lead mama up to the barn to get Littlebit to go in.  Calves separated from their mothers will do almost anything to get back to them.  The only case I know of where a calf might wander off is if she can't find Mama.  I'd be afraid to leave her loose under those circumstances.  What if it's very terrible weather at night and the calf shelter is not up yet, or not up to snuff?    Just leave them together and don't expect much from the morning milking?  Sure, it's always an option, that's part of what makes milk sharing so nice.

 

Also, given that this calf is grazing in the pasture and nibbling hay, might it be possible to wean the calf right onto grass?  Seven weeks is very early for weaning; commercial operations sometimes do it, switching the calf to grain and other concentrates, but it's not the way to raise a healthy calf, especially not one intended for grass.  Switching to all grass at that age might work if you were on the best of spring grass, but even then I wouldn't be comfortable with it.   And for weaning, how do we keep them separate?  There are plastic nose rings with spines on them that are intended to irritate Mama so she doesn't let Junior nurse; we have had indifferent luck with them, but know other people for whom they have worked.   We could put one of them in another pasture entirely, but there is no shelter there except for some stands of cedar trees.  Cows seldom need a roof; shade from trees is usually adequate.  But if the fence between the two pastures is permeable, the calf will get through!

 

And if we do have to separate them, whom should the heifer go with?  She's our only other companion, so whoever is not with the hiefer is alone.   I'd tend to put the heifer with the calf, if she'll be nice to it; Mama will have you for a companion, when you milk.  But it's all trial and error, give and take.  

 

One more question about weaning -- if it's not appropriate yet to take the calf off of milk, is the idea that I take a bucket or bottle and fill it with milk from the grocery store?  Or give her some of what her mom just gave us, maybe half?   Store milk would be outrageously expensive.  Calf milk replacer is pretty horrible stuff, and causes its own host of problems.  Mama's milk is best; you just give baby two or three quarts twice a day (at seven weeks, you'd probably start with three) until she's three or four months old at least -- as she's a heifer we presume you intend her for a milk cow, not for beef, so I'd keep her on milk for a good long time.  Wean her onto nice grass, not overgrown lignous summer grass -- let's see, as this is February, you can easily wean her in April/May onto your best pasture.  If the nose ring works you can run her with Mama; in a single-strand paddock she'll probably slip under and graze in front of the big animals, which is perfect as it lets her pick and choose the best grass the day before the other cows get there.

Hope this helps!  Best of luck --