Weaning
Throw Your Calves a Weaning-Time Potluck
You know the feeling of being at a big
party or potluck? Everywhere you turn
there’s food, food and guess what? More
food. You think, “This must be heaven!”
The same should be true for your
weaned calves. They should encounter
feed and water at every turn during
weaning so they find feed sources and
start eating and drinking quickly.
says Dickerson. “When calves come to
the feed bunk for the first time they
need to find a palatable feed which
makes them want to come back for
more. Any of these weaning programs
can help achieve consumption.”
Starter feeds with intake control
properties can also help stimulate
more consistent consumption of feed
“When cattle are stressed they
often quit eating,” says Lee
Dickerson, Ph.D., and senior
cattle consultant with Purina
Animal Nutrition. “The sooner
you can get your calves to eat,
the less likely they are to get
sick. A few adjustments to your
weaning-time nutrition program
can make a huge difference.”
If calves rush the bunk when
feed is delivered, they are
likely being underfed. If they
don’t seem interested at feed
delivery, they may be overfed
or sick. If some calves are
standing away from the feed
bunk or are fighting to gain
access to feed, you might not
have enough bunk space.
1. Encourage consumption
“You can also achieve these goals by
feeding free-choice forages of over
eight percent crude protein along with
a palatable supplement feed and tubs,”
16 | OCTOBER 2017
Each calf needs about a foot of bunk
space so all calves can be at the feed
bunk at the same time. If you’re using
a starter feed with intake control
properties in a self-feeder, each calf
only needs six to eight inches of bunk
space because they won’t all eat at once.
Instead, they’ll eat small meals and
come back at different times.
“Don’t underestimate the
importance of managing your
feed bunk and paying close
attention to calf behavior at
feed delivery,” says Dickerson.
“The way calves behave at the
bunk can tell you a great deal.”
Here are four nutrition
tips to help get your
calves eating quickly:
For the first five to seven days
of weaning, target calves
to consume a total diet
equaling 2.5-3 percent of their
bodyweight. The total diet
can consist of a purchased
complete feed, or it can be a
supplement paired with your existing
forage. Let calves continue building
intake through the 21 to 28 day weaning
program to help optimize performance.
There are hand-fed and self-fed
complete feeds. No matter which you
choose, achieving target consumption
is key to keep calves healthy.
2. Evaluate bunk space, management
throughout the day. Think of it as if you
were grazing continuously with a small
plate at a potluck instead of eating one
large plate of food. Feeds with intake
control properties encourage calves to
eat several small meals throughout the
day rather than one or two big meals a
day.
Additional bunk best practices
include making sure fresh
feed is available consistently,
cleaning out uneaten or spoiled feed
and gradually making any shifts in
the amount of feed delivered.
3. Make feed placement a priority
You bump into food at every turn at a
potluck. With a little bit of strategy, you
can ensure your calves do the same –
find feed easily and start consuming.
“Placing bunks and tubs in the center
of a pen can make it more challenging