Sudden separation/forced weaning x2 squared - please help!

[Sara Ranch]

I have read some of the posts in this forum, but didn't find my situation exactly.

I was blessed with two calves [surprise!] that arrived with no history. I was told (later) that they might be about 6 months old and that they might not have been weaned before they left their momma's.

Well, it turns out that they weren't weaned before being ripped from momma. They bellowed for momma and a momma in a nearby herd answered and invited my babies over. The babies went. I don't blame them. I wasn't able to meet their needs or even know their needs until they had been here for a bit.

The babies are coming back this coming week. They've been nursing on another momma who is NOT coming with them. For the second time in their short lives, they will be taken from a momma milk figure.

I feel badly for them, but I don't see how this can be prevented. (The guy won't buy them from me - it's winter - many people are offloading their cattle. He's selling many of his cows off.)

Any suggestions for helping the babies make the transition to being forced weaned? For keeping them HERE instead of running off to THERE? That herd is being moved as we speak, so they shouldn't be able to hear or to answer any bellows from my babies.

For the future - what do I look for as signs the babies have been weaned before they are bought?

I might offer to buy the momma from him, but need to know what is a fair price to offer? She's got milk, so we know she's had success in birthing. Don't know anything else about her.

Any and all help is welcome!

 

[Baymule]

Your calves should be fine. If you can't keep them in your fence, build a pen from cow panels to contain them. Son people wean at 6 months, some later. You don't have to buy a milking momma cow for them. Wean them again and this time make sure they can't get out.

Welcome to the forum!

@farmerjan @greybeard

 

[Hens and Roos]

I have no knowledge but will tag a couple people for you @greybeard @farmerjan @WildRoseBeef

Hope you get the answers that you need!

 

[Sara Ranch]

Thank you both!

And *whew* -- I didn't really want to buy a third cow, but was willing to do so if strongly recommended and details could be worked out.

The cattle man who has my babies has said he will look at my set up and make recommendations to keep the two sad babies at my place.

I guess another question I should be asking is what do I look for to determine age of a calf?

 

[Baymule]

That I can't tell you. Obviously size could be a determining factor, but even that wouldn't be 100%.

Don't let the weaning tear your heart out. They may bawl for momma, but they will get over it. Keep free choice hay in front of them. Someone who knows more that I will be along to answer your questions in more detail.

 

[Latestarter]

Also, maybe the cattleman who has the calves right now can help you to estimate their ages? Welcome back!

 

[greybeard]

Not enough information to even hazard a guess about their age.
a picture will help a lot..barring that, estimate their weight please (can you easily pick one up?)
Estimate their height from ground level to top of their back.

Have you been able to look in their mouth the short time you had them?
The fact that they are nursing is no indication at all of their age. Calves will nurse up to a year (or more) if allowed to, even after "being weaned".

Bovines have no incisors on the top of their mouth, just the bottom. From newborn and certainly 6-12 months old, I would expect to see 8 small white incisors--milk teeth. If there are 2 big incisors right in the center, and 3 small white incisors on each side of them, then the calf is much older, at least a year or 18 months old.

Weaning..
I wean more by weight..not so much by age.



Need a better description, and......

I was blessed with two calves [surprise!] that arrived with no history.

Just showed up in your yard one day?

They came from somewhere/someone, find out where/who and ask that 'who' when they were born.

 

[farmerjan]

Hi, Sara.... If the calves are 5-6 months or older, they are plenty big enough to be weaned. Yes they are going to bawl...the biggest thing is to make sure they CAN NOT get out/ through the fence to another pasture. Sometimes a momma cow that has had her calf weaned/sold will take a strange one, as obviously your neighbors cow did. Some of it may have been that they felt the "safety in numbers" thing too.
So that said, if you have to contain them in a stall or very small pen for a few days until they "get over it" then do so. If the neighbor is moving his cattle away (presumably for the winter) then they will have less reason to go since no one will be answering them. Calves are prone to want to go over/under/through fences.
I have no idea of what you have for pasture fence. As for what @Baymule said, you may have to make a pen with a few cattle panels or reinforce an existing fence with them in order to keep the calves in. The bad thing is they got out once so will be more inclined to try again. But any calf that is weaned, for whatever reason, will holler and want to get back to where there is something/someone familiar. It may last as long as a week, but they will get over it and they will not die from being weaned.
Keep hay in front of them, and water, both available 24/7; and establish a routine of feeding a little grain to them once or twice a day so they associate you with something good, namely food. They will need somewhere around 2-5 lbs per day per calf; starting slowly like a pound or so, so that they are actually looking for you. It may take them a few days to even get used to it or learn to eat it if they have not been exposed to it. A sweet feed that has some molasses will be more tempting in the beginning, and they will smell it easier so will be more likely to look for it in the feed trough.

Understand that in nature the cow would be weaning them by making less milk and even kicking them away as she gets heavy with her pregnancy and to prepare for the next calf. Weaning is a normal part of life. Some accept it easier than others. Don't get too upset over it...some really get carried away and some will holler for a day or two then just go on and start eating. It is easier if they have been getting some feed along with their momma before they are taken away, so they know what feed is, but since that is not an option, just make sure they cannot get out loose and they will get over it. We normally wean from 5-8 months, according to various factors at the time.

No matter the situation, any animal that is moved to a strange place will be a bit nervous. Weaning adds to the stress for a few days. As a general rule of thumb, calves are weaned in the 5-8 month age, will weigh in the 400-600 lb size. This is dependent on breed also, so it is a very general guide.
It sounds like you really want them to do good, don't feel like being "forced weaned" is such a bad thing. There are all different ways to wean calves, but sometimes if they are used to getting some feed out of a feed trough along with their mommas, simple taking them away and letting them holler for a few days is the kindest. Some will fenceline wean, where the calves can see the mommas, but not be able to reach through to get any milk...very secure fences like woven wire are essential, and they feel a little more secure with momma close for a few days. Some I have found will still carry on for days after fenceline weaning and we are of the opinion that just a sudden break and removing the cows and calves from each other and not being within earshot, is the easiest for us. But all our calves know what a bucket of feed is from being fed with the group prior to that.

 

[mysunwolf]

Also, cattle in a new place are really hard on the fences for the first week or so, then they will settle down. I agree with @Baymule that you may need to build a pen out of cattle panels to contain them while they get used to your property. Then, I agree with what the others have said: free choice hay (grass is fine), a good quality calf grain, and a water tub. They will be fine! Hope you can find someone local to you to determine their age.

 

[Sid Post]

Weaning is a fact of life. Bawling is too. Even after almost a year on the cow, a calf and cow will still BAWL for each other after separation. Sure a young underweight calf will need to be bottle fed but, an older calf that can and will eat grass, hay, grain, etc. is going to be fine.

At weaning or separation, if your fences aren't good and solid, the cow and calf both will 'escape' and go looking for the other. Nursing a different cow is unusual and generally requires a cow recently separated from her calf. Calves will seek an 'easy' meal if a nursing cow will let them nurse.

I definitely would not buy a 'nurse' cow for them. It is simply unnecessary. It's not uncommon to see freshly weaned calves at an auction. That doesn't mean they have been mistreated either. It is just the way it is. Granted, I never sold freshly weaned calves myself as I timed them to hit fresh wheat pasture about this time of year or a bit later depending on wheat growth and ground moisture as I don't want them 'mudding' me out of a wheat crop.

When the nursing mother cow dies prematurely, I will bottle feed to a point the calf can fend for itself. Generally, this is around 200 to 300 pounds. Weaning should not be based on age. It is all about size and health.

Just like your children when they are dropped off at school or daycare for the first time, the calves too will figure it out and grow up to join their adult peers.