Yard weaning put to test

01-09-2010 | Rebecca Harper

All Manawatu farmers who tried yard weaning in a recent trial would use the method again if their yards stayed dry like they did this year.

The trial, which involved seven farmers and 731 animals, aimed to identify which weaning method was the most productive and practical approach for local hill-country farmers.

Farmers chose the most practical option(s) for their farm: yard weaning, fenceline weaning or cold turkey. Calves were weighed, paired to weight and sex (where possible), then split into two lines.

Dave Warburton, from Hunterville Vet Club, said there had been a lot of news media coverage of weaning methods recently, but not a lot of science, "so we decided to identify which method was best for our local farmers".

The trial found no real difference in liveweight gains from weaning through to the first drench post-weaning, regardless of the weaning method used.

The weaners were all staying on-farm, mostly as heifer replacements. They were not weighed after seven days because it would not have reflected any value in commercial terms if they all caught up to each other at a later date.

The trial did run into a few problems. A dry autumn meant several farmers weaned on to lower pasture covers than normal and a significant difference in the quality of the baleage also played a part.

Warburton said the growth rates across the board were not particularly high, with .4kg a day the highest. This rate was seen in two groups that were fenceline weaned and one "cold turkey" group.

The main finding of the trial was that the temperament of the yard-weaned cattle was significantly better than those under the other two methods, with comments like "they were feeding out of my hand by day two" and "they walked out of the yards like old cows".

Yard weaning:

• Highly recommended if you want to improve the temperament of your weaners

• Baleage quality needs to be above average - 10MJME/kgDM to achieve reasonable growth rates

• If you plan to introduce supplements out of troughs later, for example, palm kernel, this is an ideal time to do so

• Recommended area is at least 4m2/calf

• Suitable method for early weaning during a drought.

Fenceline weaning:

• Works well where there is a sturdy and/or electrified (outriggers) fence. Deer fence is ideal

• Pasture cover of >1800kgDM is recommended to keep them occupied

• Cows can be separated from calves when they aren't hanging around the fenceline for over 24 hours.

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