Weaning calves

Today I started the weaning process for my calves.  Since their mothers are (or should be!) pregnant it is time for the calves to be completely on their own. Probably past time for the bigger calves as the calves were born a few months apart and vary in size.  They are big grass and hay eaters so this shouldn't be a big change for them. 

I started the process to separate them yesterday with no success.  I closed the gate to the pasture.  I am keeping all the cattle in the corral for now.  I planned to wait until the cattle drank water from the water trough in the south corral.  Then I would separate the mothers back into the north part of the corral.  It is easier to sort cattle who want to go through a gate than cattle who don't want to move.

I waited until they were done eating but they decided to hang by the gate to the north pasture.  I split logs for a long while and waited and watched, but they didn't move.

So I spent time visiting with Bob and Jan and didn't get back to feeding the cattle more hay until almost 6 pm, after their normal eating time.   Momma and the calves tend to eat at the feeder next to the barn and I figured I would herd the calves into the south corral.  Two calves decided to eat with the adults at their feeder.

I tried to herd the two calves to the barn feeder but we went around in circles.  One of the two calves was "Whiskers" (or "Grandpa").  He is an independent calf and I found one that doesn't care to be herded as he would kick. Since we were around the adult cattle I was leery they would kick me in frustration at being disturbed.  So I got a short stick in which to poke the calves to move.  Around and around we went in the muck, manure and ice.  The calves would duck in among the adults to grab a mouthful of hay before I reached them again.

I quit before I either got kicked or fell into the muck and manure.

At their 8 am feeding this morning I didn't feel like herding hungry cattle.  In the early afternoon I found all the cattle in the south corral. Wow! Great!   It was feeding time but I was able to get to the gate before any cattle passed through. I closed the gate part way.  One adult cow then walked through the gate then turned sideways and took a big crap.  I got her a little further away from the gate then Beulah - of course - was at the gate.  She stood in the entrance filling it with several calves right behind her.

I finally got her through the gate without the calves.  One more cow walked through the gate before the calves made a move.  I chased the calves away and the remaining adults ran too.

*argh*

I put a bale of hay for the three cows into the feeder so they would leave the gate area.

I got remaining cows through the gate in ones and two with repeats of chasing calves away from the gate a few times.

The adults eating.

 
Then I put hay into an additional water trough so the calves could eat hay and not ruin it. I put out another salt block for the calves.

 

I put another water trough in the north corral for the adult cattle.  Until the livestock well is done I have the original water trough in the south corral instead of through the fence where both north and south corral cattle can reach it.


So far the cattle are accepting being apart.  Initially the cows finished eating first and a few were concerned their baby was across the fence.  The calves were still eating and didn't care.  I've heard a few moos but no great caterwauling.   It helps they can see one another across the fence.   Just a little while ago I fed them their late night hay.  All were standing on each side of the fence mooing softly to one another.  The adults were out of hay but the calves still had some.

The weaning will take about six weeks and I hope I have better success than with Momma and Baby as Baby would suck from Momma after more than six weeks apart.


While the temporary fence and four corral panels dividing the coral kept Momma and Baby apart last year, I was leery the fence would keep these cattle apart.  I got three more of my corral panels and a few gates and wired them to the dividing fence to make it more formidable.  I don't want to have to separate the calves again.

The green panels and grey gate were added.

I put the second gate along the fence here.  I was afraid the branch hanging down would give a calf the idea he or she could jump the fence at this point.

The extra corral panels were in the hay shed.  The path I had used to move hay bales is now iced over from melting which made moving the panels tricky.