Fence Line Weaning

Fence-line weaning of calves is commonly practiced in our area by livestock growers who want to market their calves in special feeder sales. We have weaned our 8- to 9-month old calves across five-strand barb wire fence from their mothers numerous times. The process is rather simple and usually problem free if done correctly. Here are a few tips to follow if using fence-line weaning.

1. Have a straight-line fence with no corners where calves can bunch up.

2. Have a sturdy fence and tight barb wires.

3. Vaccinate the calves several weeks before weaning to reduce stress.

4. Have the cows and calves in the same pasture for a few weeks so the calves know their way around and where to find water.

5. At weaning time, leave the calves in the familiar pasture and move the mommas to the adjacent pasture.

6. If possible, leave an older cow that doesn't have a calf involved in the weaning process with the weaning calves to serve as a leader for the calves. This could be a cow that has a much younger calf.

7. Feed the calves alfalfa hay or some other high protein feed to keep their stomach full and keep them gaining weight.

8. Wean calves for at least 45 days before marketing in a special feeder sale.

If you keep the calves stomach full, they likely won't bawl more than one night. Their mommas will continue bawling for several days and nights until the pains of losing their baby and of a full bag subside.

If planning to send the calves to a local auction, weaning the calves with no promise of a greater return may not be worth the time, labor, and extra expense. The following link contains several articles on how to wean calves, including fence-line weaning. If planning on marketing calves in a special feeder sale, contact the marketing association a number of months ahead of marketing time to get information on their requirements, including weaning date, market date, vaccinations required, when to bring the calves to the auction before sale day, and any other requirements.

https://www.google.com/search?q=texas+A%26M+publications+on+fence+line+weaning+calves&oq=texas+A%26M+publications+on+fence+line+weaning+calves&aqs=chrome..69i57j33.24455j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

We just started weaning and hauling home today. Takes us 3 solid days of roundup, sort and load, haul home. You could kind of call it fence line weaning as the calves are in corral pens. The cows get unloaded in a smaller pasture but the gates are open so the can come up next to the corral pens where the calves are at. 3 days after the last bunch is weaned usually most of the main crying is overwith and we chase the cows out to a pasture 1/2 mile away from the yard. Sure is noisy the first few nights but gets quieter in a few days. Can always tell when a neighbor weans if the wind is right you can hear cows and calves bawling for miles.

I envy anyone that can successfully wean across a barb wire fence. We'd have calves that'd crawl through and I know for certain our cows would tear that fence to hell to get back with their babies. Nothing worse or more stressful on calves that having to rewean them once they get back with their mothers.

I have a good pen and 50 head 600 weights brake a steel post. Not new steel as it is pump column in 4 foot pieces and it broke at the threads were the 2 pieces are screwed together. I would put it up against any green lodge pole pine ones I could buy here. I was in the hospital with major gallbladder trouble so I don't know what all happened to spook them.

No big deal with cows on the other side. I have seen cows or the calves travel miles looking to get together. Cows will stay in the field they last saw the calf at and you can take the calf anywhere if you have a pen it cannot get out of. But as farmersamm pointed out I could of scared them for live.

The majority of calves leaving California are pulled and hauled to the auction on sale day,loaded that night to end up somewhere east when they next get off the truck. I can see having trouble on the other end. Now all the auction are pushing give a 2nd round of shots and wean 45 days. That costs money and lately with poor years to save cows calves have to hit the road sooner rather than latter.

Now the year I was sick we had feed to spare keep the calves a extra 2 or 3 months put lbs on and all was good. But this year they had to go again save cows. Cause I cannot go buy just any cows they need to be foot hill abortion and annplasmoses exposed or you are 3 years getting them to have the next calf if they don't die of annplas.

So is it fence line weaning when its a steel corral fence keeping them apart rather than barbwire? An they all know what hay and a water trough is before they leave the cow. So I am not changing what works for me till the dollars say so. But I would like to wean before sale day, good chance to spend time with heifers and make them pass the extended attitude test. But some years it doesn't happen that way.

All my stupid comments aside :lol: I'm as interested as anyone in this.

K'kins has been really uptight about getting the calves off the momma's. Her feeling is that it's taking too much from the Momma to nurse, and carry, at the same time. I've even built her a set of panels to close off part of the pasture beyond the creek so that we could keep the calves within sight of the house if weaned. The crossing is narrow enough to close it off.

I've always just pulled, and loaded, them at about 400ish pounds, sometimes a bit more if I get tied up with other stuff.

I really don't have a good idea how long it takes before the cow will stop lactating. Or whether they will start nursing again if the calves are put back with the cows. We don't have a large enough place to keep them separate for any longer than the time it would take to wean. We only have 400 acres, and a good part of that is in 2 separate locations across the county line. Can't put livestock in the far locations because they will grow wings (pretty sad commentary on society, ain't it). And one 80 is strictly a hay meadow, can't graze it. Cross fencing is out because of water issues.

We did have a calf separated at birth, and she somehow got under the water gap, and wound up in the brush along the creek. We kept hearing it bawl for days, and couldn't place where it was coming from, thinking it might be from across the highway. The other animals were in the dry lot all this time. We never noticed any cows looking to where we eventually found the calf. K'kins found it hiding in the brush when she was out walking. I figure it might have been about 5ish days we heard her, before K'kins found her. How she survived is beyond me.

Anyways, I brought her up, after we finally got ahold of her. Placed her in the lot with the others, and she went up to a whiteface that did have a bag, but the whiteface wouldn't let her nurse. We were sure it was the Momma.

So K'kins brought her into an area behind the back gate, and hand milked her. The whiteface would occasionally come to the fence and make a low sound, you know what I mean. We attempted a few times to bring the whiteface into the small area, but again she wouldn't take the calf.

So, cut to the chase...…….it seems IIRC that the whiteface started to dry up after about 2 weeks. So that would have maybe been close to 3 weeks actual time, considering the calf had been lost for about near a week after birth. (one thing that must have happened was an initial nursing, because the calf was healthy, and probably got colostrum). We never figured it out. Might have been that the separation broke the bond...….dunno. But I really can't take that as accurate information because of the circumstances.

I looked up some stuff that might be relevant to the discussion.

https://www.beefmagazine.com/mag/beef_weaning_twostep

https://articles.extension.org/pages/39469/how-long-should-you-wean-a-calf-for-before-placing-it-back-on-the-same-pasture-with-its-pregnant-mot

Thought I would add onto this thread. Borrowed the water tank for a different project so decided to send the cows to the furthest pasture and keep the calves at the barn. Let me tell you, I much prefer the fence line weaning even if we do have to listen to them. The main perimeter fence (4 wire barb) is keeping them in but the temporary fence is no match (single strand electrified twine). Been over a week and they are still pissed. There are 5 cows and have gotten themselves into 2-3 different groups.

I believe fence line weaning is considerably less stressful based on what I saw. Calves seemed stressed and cows most definitely stressed pacing the fences for days.

Our fence line weaning consists of just 2 strands of electrified tape or twine splitting the barnyard in 2. Each group can go to pasture as they want. Zero issue with anybody going through it.

Next year we will be fence line weaning.