Weaning dairy calves

Teddy 1234

Do people prefer to wean calves at grass or indoors?

mahoney_j

Indoors 100% and turn out a week after weaning .no calves out yet due to cold wet weather .no point doing good job rearing calves only to turn out too soon and they melt in cold weather .thats my experience anyway

Mf310

mahoney_j wrote:

Indoors 100% and turn out a week after weaning .no calves out yet due to cold wet weather .no point doing good job rearing calves only to turn out too soon and they melt in cold weather .thats my experience anyway

I found they only really started to shine when I let them out 2 weeks ago will be weaning this week

Teddy 1234

mahoney_j wrote: »

Indoors 100% and turn out a week after weaning .no calves out yet due to cold wet weather .no point doing good job rearing calves only to turn out too soon and they melt in cold weather .thats my experience anyway

With my calves this year I put them out last week during the good weather in a sheltered field, they were eating a good lot of meal in the shed, but now there leaving the meal I put in the trough just a small bit.

yewtree

Wean outdoors, calves only out a week this year though, will start to wean next week.
Wouldn't think there is much difference to be honest more important to have them to the right weight.
Wean outside here as I find it reduces labour,I have a mobile feeder which makes it easy feed them outside.

pms7

Easy to wean when eating grass

Mooooo

yewtree wrote: »

Wean outdoors, calves only out a week this year though, will start to wean next week.
Wouldn't think there is much difference to be honest more important to have them to the right weight.
Wean outside here as I find it reduces labour,I have a mobile feeder which makes it easy feed them outside.

How do you find the mobile feeder? Are they robust enough to be towed along the road?

K.G.

Any of you have adlib ration feeders with the calves and how long so yw let them on it.use troughs filled everyday or maybe twice a day as i dont like leave ration sitting in troughs.condons do a nice feeder with bird flaps and all that hangs on the gate-looks like a fill and walk away job

yewtree

Mooooo wrote: »

How do you find the mobile feeder? Are they robust enough to be towed along the road?

Ya have it for 4 years, solid job a lad in Tuam made it he advertises on done deal. Wouldn't be without it now. Use a pump to fill it and have an attachment to clear it.saves some time.

Don't bring it on the road bar crossing a side road.

Mooooo

K.G. wrote: »

Any of you have adlib ration feeders with the calves and how long so yw let them on it.use troughs filled everyday or maybe twice a day as i dont like leave ration sitting in troughs.condons do a nice feeder with bird flaps and all that hangs on the gate-looks like a fill and walk away job

Have the jfc ones here. Calves still inside I throw in a 25 kg bag and it's gone in about 2 days in a pen of 8 calves still on 3L milk once a day due to be weaned in the next 2 weeks

Mooooo

Mooooo wrote: »

Have the jfc ones here. Calves still inside I throw in a 25 kg bag and it's gone in about 2 days in a pen of 8 calves still on 3L milk once a day due to be weaned in the next 2 weeks

Just to add there are 2 jfc ones, smaller one holds a bag and a bit an is 170 I think, easy to lift on and off with flaps down the front. Bigger one then would hold 3 bags is stronger built and also has flaps bit is actually heavy enough empty so awkward to lift on to the gate. Would do a pen of 20 calves no bother. Had fierce problems with crows till I got these non there now.

nhg

Mooooo wrote: »

Just to add there are 2 jfc ones, smaller one holds a bag and a bit an is 170 I think, easy to lift on and off with flaps down the front. Bigger one then would hold 3 bags is stronger built and also has flaps bit is actually heavy enough empty so awkward to lift on to the gate. Would do a pen of 20 calves no bother. Had fierce problems with crows till I got these non there now.

We have 5 of the heavier JFC ones here, we have one in each calf pen with 10 calves - they eat a least a 25kg bag a day between them when on 3L shine once a day along with straw & hay.
When weaned we hang the bin on the gate into the field & at the minute 19 of them are eating over two 25kg bags a day, we keep them on adlib nuts until they go into the shed in November when they go onto silage..
First 2 batches of weaned calves out since last week & they can go into a shed for shelter, next 10 ready to be weaned next weekend & then they'll be out as well hopefully....

K.G.

nhg wrote: »

Mooooo wrote: »

Just to add there are 2 jfc ones, smaller one holds a bag and a bit an is 170 I think, easy to lift on and off with flaps down the front. Bigger one then would hold 3 bags is stronger built and also has flaps bit is actually heavy enough empty so awkward to lift on to the gate. Would do a pen of 20 calves no bother. Had fierce problems with crows till I got these non there now.

We have 5 of the heavier JFC ones here, we have one in each calf pen with 10 calves - they eat a least a 25kg bag a day between them when on 3L shine once a day along with straw & hay.
When weaned we hang the bin on the gate into the field & at the minute 19 of them are eating over two 25kg bags a day, we keep them on adlib nuts until they go into the shed in November when they go onto silage..
First 2 batches of weaned calves out since last week & they can go into a shed for shelter, next 10 ready to be weaned next weekend & then they'll be out as well hopefully....

Gwiss,adlib nuts for the whole summer,grass is only providing roughage.is that common