While dairy calves are typically taken away from their mothers a bit sooner, beef calves are left with their mothers to help them grow. Consequently, it is harder to wean them off of their mother’s milk. Here are some tips to make their transition to eating solid feed a bit easier for you and less stressful for them.
Separation
The natural impulse is to just put the mother in one pen and the calf in another. This can be very traumatic to the calf because, along with milk, part of what they are used to is being near their mother. If it’s possible, put the calf in a pen right next to the mother so they are still near each other. This will help the idea of that it will not always be near its mother while still keeping some familiarity.
Calf weaning rings
A very good option is the calf weaning ring. Basically these are rings that hang from the calf’s nose and reach near its mouth. The thing that’s special about these is that they have small prongs on the end of it. When the calf tries to feed it will a) have a hard time reaching the teat and b) poke the mother with the small prongs. When the mother is poked, it will prompt the mother to get the calf away. This is really the best of both worlds because the calf will still be near its mother but still be weaned.
When weaning always be sure to keep a very close eye on the calf’s health. Drastically changing its diet could make it prone to sickness.