I’m happy to report, weaning 2019 went off without a hitch!
Last week, we was wean week her on the ranch. And this week was spent acclimating the calves to independent life. What does acclimating calves to independent life look like?
Well, I’m glad you asked.
For us, it looks like having the calves spent some time on the opposite side of the fence from the cows. They have visual and nose-to-nose contact contact, but aren’t able to nurse. During this time, we feed them a little hay and cake. They’ve been coming to cake with the cows for the past several weeks, so this is familiar.
After a few days, we move the cows a couple pastures away. Then a couple of days after the cows have moved, we move the calves into fresh pasture. Keeping things familiar for the calves by feeding cake and leaving them a few extra days in a pasture they know, helps keep their stress levels low and acclimate them to independent life.
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Hello! I’m Terryn – the wife, mother, food safety enthusiast, Stormy Kromer fanatic who has slightly (okay, a lot) random tendencies, dabbles in photography, and shares (maybe a little too much) here at FFB.
You’ve come to the right place if you’re looking for honest answers (sprinkled with humor + inspiration) to your beef related questions from someone who’s just momming and ranching her way through life, living on strong coffee & a whole lotta Jesus.
