The EasyWean® story
In 1999 NSW grazier Brian Marshall introduced a plastic nosering for weaning calves in Australia and gave it the name EasyWean®. His motivation was the obvious benefit of reduced cost from loss of production due to stress and easier management of grazing planning with larger and fewer herds.
Brian is a practical cattleman and works around Australia as a Holistic Management™ educator focusing on a process that allows graziers to make better decisions for their unique mix of people, land and desired profitability.
For most cattle producers the motivation to use EasyWean® Noserings is to:
- reduce the stress of separation of cow and calf, and loss of milk intake for the calf reduce the cost and labour commitment of feeding in yard weaning
By using EasyWean® you are eliminating the separation factor and as milk loss only has about a 10% effect on weaning weight at 7 months of age, the use of EasyWean® has a significant impact on reducing stress at weaning. If the calf is later separated from the cow, stress will occur but it is greatly reduced in duration and extent.
Results of trials
In 2008 the Department of Regional Development, Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources (DRDPIFR) in Alice Springs undertook a trial on three of its Northern Territory properties to test the use of EasyWean® noserings compared to traditional yard weaning. The trial concluded weaning cattle using noserings will cost graziers almost half that of yard weaned stock. Click here for more details about the trial.
In 1998 a trial was conducted on an extensive beef operation near Kimberley, South Africa weaning 1500 calves. Noserings were fitted to calves, which were then allowed to stay with their mothers. Results showed that calves and cows continued to grow during the weaning process. More specifically, heifer calves that were weaned with noserings, and then left to run with their mothers until the bulls were put into the herd, weighed 30kgs more than their conventionally weaned counterparts. This could mean the difference between joining or not joining heifers on time.
With steers, this extra gain can be translated into finishing earlier and weighing more. Cows gaining condition through the weaning period means having cows in better condition at calving and then higher conception rates. A commercial grazing family in northern NSW compared yard weaning with the EasyWean® technique and experienced a weight gain of.7kg/day during the weaning period with the nosering. They now routinely wean with EasyWean®.
In 2000 a trial was conducted by a major South African feedlot to determine, amongst other things, the impact that weaning with noserings would have if fitted for two weeks prior to weaners being trucked to the feedlot. The results from these trials are also significant. Lower loss in weight, faster stabilization and improved weight gain during feeding period, lower incidence of sickness and treatment cost.
Https://easywean. com. au/about-us/the-easywean-story/
The Advantages Of Yard Weaning Calves
Australian trials show yard weaned calves have superior weight gain over the first three months and a lower incidence of respiratory disease compared to traditional paddock weaned animals.
Anecdotal evidence from trials on Gisborne beef farms shows that interaction with humans during the critical weaning period can produce quieter animals. Despite higher feed and labour inputs required, there may be significant gains from holding and feeding calves in a yard for five to seven days.
Why yard wean
The idea of yard weaning is to get calves used to humans and minimise stress during weaning. This results in:
- Cattle that are easier to handle over their lifetime. Reduced chance of damage to people or equipment. Increased chance of superior early weight gain. Cattle that are likely to adjust more quickly to feedlot or cell grazing systems, improving the chance of superior weight gain.
How to yard wean successfully
Timing: When ready to wean, separate calves from cows. Wean calves into a yard for between five and seven days.
Yard: Use well-built solid pens. The ideal structure is solid opaque pen sides made from 1.2m rubber belting. The yard soil should be firm, not boggy.
Density: For calves between 180kg and 260kg allow at least 4m2/head. For smaller calves (under 180kg) allow 2.5m2/head. It is important to have calves yarded fairly close together as it quietens them down more quickly.
Feed: Always have both water and feed available and ensure feed is high quality (e. g. silage or hay over 9.5 mega joules of metabolisable energy (MJME)). The feed should be raised off the ground e. g. in a round bale feeder and separated from the water to prevent spoiling. Ideally have the feed and water a short walk away from each other. The younger the calves the better the quality of feed required.
Australian daily nutritional recommendations for feed energy levels for newly-weaned calves are:
- At 3-6 months calves need 10.9 MJ/kg DM. At 6-12 months calves need 10.3 MJ/kg DM. Calves over 12 months need 9.5 MJ/kg DM.
Dry concentrate supplements (e. g. grain) may be required to boost energy in the diet if hay/silage/baleage is of low quality. Introduce concentrates slowly, building up to maximum daily amount. For more information see Early Weaning of Beef Calves, Agriculture Notes, 2008, Victoria, Australia, posted at www. dpi. vic. gov. au.
Cud chewing is a sign of good rumen health. Aim to have 50 per cent of calves that are not actively eating, chewing their cud.
The ideal dung pat can be trailed out with your foot yet does not have visible straw fibres. Bubbles in manure indicate poor rumen health and poor fermentation.
Training: To socialise the animals, have at least one person walk through the yards at least twice a day. Avoid using dogs.
Animal health: Monitor for disease, especially pink eye if yards are dusty.
Australian experiences
paddock weaned yard weaned with minimal handling yard weaned with extra handling and grain feeding
Results showed that yard weaned calves had higher weight gain over the first month of feeding and over 90 days than paddock weaned calves. The extra training in eating grain from troughs was not necessary to get the growth rate advantage.
Yard weaned calves were 15kg liveweight ahead after the first 90 days
Paddock weaned calves averaged 1.28kg/head/day while yard weaned calves grew at 1.45kg/head/day for the first 90 days on feed. The ‘extra-handling’ yard weaned calves grew at 1.41kg/head/day.
The extra handling involved running calves from one small yard to another and back at least once a day.
Gisborne-Wairoa farm trials
Through funding from Meat & Wool New Zealand, five farms in Gisborne-Wairoa trialed yard weaning. The farmers were all members of the Beef Profit Partnership (BPP) that was created to lift returns from beef.
Grant Hickling’s farm trial
At the Hickling farm calves were split into two groups and weighed both before and after the yard weaning trial. The trial period was 6.5 days. Cows were removed to another part of the farm. Calves were Angus/Hereford/Simmental cross and were weaned at approximately 140 days old (4.5 months).
Yard weaned calves were fed seven bales of silage (total $595) and needed three hours of labour (total $75). This gave a per head cost for the total yard weaning period of $8.93/head.
Results
The yard weaned calves gained more weight than the paddock weaned calves, over the 6.5 day trial. The yard weaned calves gained 10kg compared to 0.5kg for the paddock weaned calves.
Mark Munro’s farm trial
Mark Munro was another BBP farmer who undertook a calf weaning study. He yard weaned 40 calves (at approximately 150 days old), into a yard for 12 days. Hay and silage was fed from a rack twice a day, morning and night. Water was provided. If the fed was all eaten, the allowance was increased the following day.
Another 40 calves were weaned in the traditional manner – on to a large hill paddock without any supplementary feed. After 12 days the yard weaned calves were tagged then mobbed together with the paddock weaned calves. Calf weight and quietness was assessed over time.
Calves were weighed on the same scales and at the same time. Paddock weaned calves were full at weighing and yard weaned calves emptied out over lunchtime. The calves were either traditional or exotic breeds.
Results
At 11 days post-weaning the paddock weaned calves had gained more liveweight than the yard weaned calves (20kg versus 15kg). Mr Munro puts this down to yard weaned calves having average quality silage.
He believes the slower weight gain would have been corrected if the hay/silage was of better quality, e. g. lucerne.
At 73 days post-weaning the yard weaned calves had caught up however, and both groups weighed 207kg LW on average. From day 11 to day 73 the yard weaned calves had gained 20kg while the paddock weaned calves gained 10kg. They had been on a rotational grazing system, with shifts every 3.5 days.
Mr Munro observed the yard weaned calves were noticeably friendlier than the others. “They just about sniff your hand when you’re feeding them. This was despite choosing the flightier calves to go into the yard weaned group.” They have continued to be quieter over the following year when they were run together, according to Mar’s observations. However he also believes that yard weaning some of the calves has improved the temperament of all the calves.
Mark believes that yard weaning is a good strategy for bull calves. He believes 12 days is too long however. This season he will hold calves for eight days, with a targeted feed cost of $15/head. Mark will wean when weather forecasts predict a dry spell. The farm has high rainfall (2m/year) and yards can become boggy. A concrete pad to wean calves onto would be ideal.
Advantages and costs
Higher weight gain in first month
Research by Australia’s Beef CRC (Cooperative Research Centre) shows that yard weaned cattle compared to paddock weaned cattle typically had higher weight gain in both the first month and over the first 90 days.
Improved temperament
Yard weaning is common practice in Australia because of feedlot requirements and because Brahmin breeds typically have ‘poorer temperaments’ than British breeds. However, trials show the temperament of all cattle improves with good yard weaning as calves.
Fewer respiratory diseases
A 1997 Australian trial showed that yard weaned calves had half the disease rate of paddock weaned calves.
Cattle are more likely to suffer from respiratory disease if they are stressed.
Australians recommend vaccinating feedlot calves against respiratory diseases.
Early weaning aids flexibility in feed deficit situations
In very dry seasons, yard weaning with supplementary feed allows calves to be weaned earlier, e. g. at 12 to 14 weeks of age. If cows aren’t suckling a calf they drink less water and are more likely to gain weight and get in calf. Their body condition score is more easily maintained over a feed-short summer.
Worth feed and labour inputs
The 1997 Australian study showed that over 90 days, the extra growth from yard versus paddock weaning easily paid for the extra feed and labour costs.
Australian feedlots prefer to buy yard weaned cattle and cohorts of animals that have been weaned together.
Summary
Yard weaning offers weight gain and handling advantages over the lifetime of the cattle beast.
Yard weaned and trained cattle are likely to be more sought after for finishing than cattle with unproven backgrounds.
Acknowledgements and more information
Beef Profit Partnership farm groups are funded by Meat & Wool New Zealand. Their focus is to increase beef profitability by 5 per cent each year for each farm, within two years of joining the BPP.
Https://www. thecattlesite. com/articles/2296/the-advantages-of-yard-weaning-calves/
Yard weaning benefits growth rates and calf health
With calf weaning about to get underway, farmers are being encouraged to consider yard weaning as an alternative to traditional paddock weaning.
In Australian trials, yard weaned calves were 15.3kg heavier after three months and had a lower incidence of respiratory disease compared to paddock weaned calves.
Yard weaned cattle were found to be easier to handle over their lifetime and were more likely to adjust quickly to feedlot or cell grazing systems, improving the chance of superior weight gain.
A farm trial carried out in Gisborne showed even more impressive results, with the yard weaned Angus/Hereford/Simmental cross calves gaining 10kg over the six and a half day yard weaning trial compared to 0.5kg in the paddock weaned calves. All calves were around 140 days old.
Yard weaning involves keeping calves in dry yards for four or five days after weaning and giving them access to high quality silage or hay (quality is important) as well as clean, fresh water.
To help socialise the calves, at least one person should walk through the yards at least twice a day without dogs.
Calves between 180kg and 260kg should be allowed at least 4m square/head while smaller calves should be allocated 2.5m square/head. It is important calves are kept reasonably close together as this helps quieten them down.
Another farm trial in NZ highlighted the importance of providing good quality feed for the calves in the yards, as well as the on-going benefits of running noticeably quieter more settled cattle.
For more information about the benefits of yard weaning, check out the B+LNZ factsheet: Advantages of yard weaning calves (PDF, 266KB)
Https://beeflambnz. com/news-views/yard-weaning-benefits-growth-rates-and-calf-health
Yard weaning and education
Correct management of weaners, including low stress training and education of calves at weaning, sets their pattern of behaviour for the rest of their lives. Making their first experience of handling and husbandry procedures as pleasant as possible reduces the stress experienced throughout their lifetime when similar procedures are carried out. Minimising handling stress of weaners also helps to de-sensitise them to the regular noises and movements of people and vehicles. This results in ease of handling and increased growth performance, so is well worth the initial investment of time.
Before weaning | At weaning | Training | Tailing out
Husbandry procedures | Benefits of yard weaning
Before weaning
Check all of the infrastructure and equipment ahead of time (to avoid injuries and escapes), including yards, hay feeders and water troughs. If different classes of weaners are going to be weaned, ensure there is adequate yard space so animals can be drafted and managed accordingly. Calves get bored and will often manage to open a gate catch by playing with it, so place another chain or wire around gate catches. Before weaning occurs, ensure the water troughs are clean, the hay feeders are full of good quality hay, and the appropriate concentrate is available in the weaning yard (as well as sufficient supplies of feed on hand to cover the weaning period).
At weaning
Following mustering, it is usual to wean calves after drafting and processing the cows. The least stressful method for weaning is to let the cows out into a holding paddock close to the yards with access to pasture. This may not always be possible so an alternative strategy is to move cows as far away as is feasible. Cows find weaning very stressful too, and many cows will break fences and jump grids to return to their calves if they are moved too far apart on the first day of weaning. After three to five days the cows will have forgotten about their calves and will be much easier to move to their paddock.
Weaners require immediate access to good quality hay and feed concentrates (protein and energy) to maintain an active rumen. Supplementation requirements will depend on the weaning weight, with very small weaners requiring a milk replacer and/or high quality calf meal.
Weaning is a good time to teach weaners to eat from a trough. While they are locked in the yard and bored, they will explore new things they wouldn’t normally touch in the paddock. Once weaners are in the yards and drafted from the cows, they should be left overnight to settle. There will be a lot of bellowing from both the cows and the calves, but this is normal.
Training begins
Minimising stress levels around the time of weaning will improve the health of the weaners and will reduce production loss and decrease the potential for injury. In order to help minimise stress, for the first few days, spend time walking quietly through the weaners. Move them slowly and calmly into other yards whilst you fill the hay racks each day. This teaches weaners to walk through gateways and move at your direction whilst familiarising them with human interaction. Having a few quiet, educated, older animals with the weaners is a good way to help with settling the younger weaners, whilst also providing a lead for them to follow.
Working weaners through the yards on foot three to four times over a week will familiarise them with people on the ground. Run the weaners into the working yards and teach them to draft and walk up the race. Do this by letting ten or so go through and stopping the rest. Work the first group of ten through the race and crush without stopping them. Repeat this process until all weaners have been through. By doing this, even the most nervous weaners will learn what is required of them. Weaners should also be taught to “block up” at a shut gate to help minimise injuries and they should be worked through the yards in several directions.
Tailing out
Once the weaners work well through the yards take them to a small paddock or laneway for exposure to the likes of dogs, horses and motorbikes. Open the yard gates and work the lead to slow the weaners if they start to run. If weaners exit the yards at a trot or gallop, block them and re-yard. Repeat this until weaners learn to walk calmly out of the yard. Weaners need to learn that you set the pace, not them. Work weaners around the paddock, letting them graze as you do this. This makes weaners more manageable for future musters, and teaches them to settle and graze when moved to new paddocks. Weaner paddocks require secure fencing to ensure the weaners can be controlled and educated. A laneway paddock is ideal for this work but any small well-fenced paddock will do.
Once you are happy with the way weaners are working, let them have the full day out in the paddock and just yard at night. Ideally weaners should be tailed out in a paddock and yarded at night at least three or four times. This tailing and yarding process is a crucial part of the education process.
Last operations before release
Procedures such as dehorning, branding and castration ideally would have been carried out a few months prior to weaning to reduce stress at weaning time. In the event that weaners have not yet been processed, this should be the last procedure before being turned out into their new paddock. This will help to minimise their exposure to contaminants from the cattle yards and reduce infections. Following this, weaners can go out into a suitable paddock to finish growing. To ensure continued weaner growth and long-term productivity, pastures must be in good condition (both quality and quantity).
While working the weaners, make a note of any animals that do not settle down. If a weaner does not respond to the constant handling at weaning, it will always be difficult to handle and should be identified for culling.
For more information see:
Benefits of yard weaning
The time and cost put into training weaners is recouped many times over as the animals grow and enter the adult herd. Well-trained weaners are a pleasure to work with, whereas cattle that have not been trained well at weaning cause many problems. A good weaner training program over successive years will improve temperament across the whole herd and greatly reduce the risk of personal injury in the yards.
Producers who regularly sell cattle into the store market (saleyards, Auctionsplus, agent, privately) and do a good job of educating weaners, will quickly get a good reputation and a loyal group of buyers who will pay above market prices to secure these cattle.
Research by the Cooperative Research Centre for Beef Genetic Technologies on the effects of yard weaning, vaccination and yard training on subsequent feedlot performance has reaffirmed the benefits of good weaning management. Good yard weaning also ensures cattle go onto feed quicker in feedlots, have less illness, and generally perform better. Cattle weaned in the yards onto hay or silage for 5 to 10 days adapted quickly, ate sooner from the bunk, performed better and had less illness in the feedlot than those weaned in the paddock. In one trial, yard-weaned cattle grew 28% faster over a 78 day feeding period.
If purchasing in cattle, particularly cattle that you are unfamiliar with, ensure they have a few days on feed in the yards, and some weaner training before you let them out. Steers going into a finishing paddock, and replacement heifers going into the breeder herd, will all benefit from a few days of handling and education.
Reference ‘Producing and processing quality beef from Australian cattle herds – Industry outcomes of the Cooperative Research Centre for the Cattle and Beef Industry (Meat Quality) 1993–2000’. P. Dundon, B. Sundstrom, R. Gaden.
Written by Lindy Symes, formerly Queensland Government.
Reviewed and edited by Megan Munchenberg, Joe Rolfe and Bernie English (Department of Agriculture and Fisheries).
Https://futurebeef. com. au/resources/yard-weaning-and-education/
Yard weaning or weaning in the yards?
Weaning is one of the more critical management strategies in any livestock system. When done correctly, there are many benefits on offer for livestock and for producers. These range from educating livestock in how to understand and react around people through to education on how to use troughs, feeders and hay racks.
Cattle require constant access to good quality hay or silage
There are a number of flow-on benefits from yard weaning that are not always realised on farm. Some of these benefits include more robust immune systems, as well as a quicker adaption to more crowded environments than experienced in home paddocks.
Earlier this year I was talking with a close contact from northern Australia, who wondered why producers in the southern regions made such a big deal from yard weaning. He commented that it was not really something new, and that Qld producers had been yard weaning for years. Effectively the question was “what’s the big deal, it’s not new!”
In some ways he is both right and wrong! And I know that that is like having a bet each way, but there are some subtle differences between the traditional weaning in yards, and what is now, more commonly referred to as yard weaning.
Traditionally, producers who weaned cattle into yards used a short 4 to 8 day window to remove calves from cows. Kept in yards with access to food and water, the animals were often provided with a range of educational experiences. These might range from being moved through the yard system, including the race and crush area. Many producers used the opportunity to introduce movement with horses, dogs, or motor bikes. The animals may have learned to associate the yards and troughs with water and feed.
These systems worked very well and continue to be the backbone of most northern weaning programs. Well educated cattle move through yards easily and with less stress. Their early lessons help them adjust to new experiences and handling easily.
So, what is the difference between weaning in yards and yard weaning? The subtle differences are time and space.
One of the most significant results from research conducted by NSW DPI into yard weaning identified the potential to improve immunity in young animals over yard weaning. This immunity, particularly in regard to respiratory disease, meant that in later life these animals were less likely to get sick in feedlots, and continued to grow at required daily rates.
Immunity is the result of early challenges to the system. And to achieve this it was found that yard weaning ideally needs to extend for a longer period than producers had traditionally undertaken the process. To maximise the immune systems development, weaning needs to be for around a minimum of 7 days through to about 10 days.
Aim for 7 – 10 days in the yards
The other key is the aspect of social distancing! However, in the case of yard weaning, cattle need to be close with each other in order to ensure this sharing actually occurs! In traditional systems, the idea was often to provide plenty of space. However, this doesn’t get the level of mixing and sharing that is required to achieve the immunity levels so necessary to later life performance.
While handling and movement is considered an essential part of the weaning experience, in performance terms there is very little difference for animals that are handled during yard weaning and those that are not. However, as most experienced producers will highlight, early education is essential and what happens to animals at a young age is very rarely forgotten.
My advice to producers asking me about weaning, is that effective yard weaning is a must! However, there are some golden rules to follow
Wean into well-built weaner-proof yards with good quality water. Don’t use small paddocks or holding pens.
Cattle need to be kept to a stocking density of 4m2 per head for 180-260kg calves
Provide good quality hay or silage ad lib – ME 8.5 or better, protein 12 per cent or better. This should be fed in racks
Kept in yards 7-10 days.
Some human presence each day but specific training isn’t necessary for later feedlot performance.
Reasonably sloped non-bogging surface.
Use the opportunity to assess temperament and structural issues
I also think the time in the yards is the opportunity to look over and assess your cattle for temperament and to consider the suitable pathways for production for the cohort. Animals that don’t settle or are not suited for feedlots or backgrounding can be drafted and managed for a different market. It’s often easier to do this now rather than during an excitable period of handling when cattle may be a bit older.
Don’t forget yard weaned calves also have greater social bonds between individuals. This helps them settle and adjust when they move to new programs and finishing systems. This quick adjustment reduces stress and helps animals stay healthy and grow better than cattle weaned by other methods.
Https://www. raynerag. com. au/blog/yard-weaning-or-weaning-in-the-yards
Tips and tricks for effective yard weaning of cattle
With buyers prepared to pay a premium at the summer weaner sales for yard-weaned calves, a few simple weaning techniques can pay dividends for cattle producers, according to feedlot veterinarian Lachlan Strohfeldt of Bell Veterinary Services, Queensland
Herefords Australia, with support from MLA’s More Beef from Pastures and Coopers Animal Health, hosted a weaning acclimation field day at Millicent, South Australia, recently with Lachlan as the guest speaker.
Lachlan said best practice weaning techniques could result in post weaning daily weight gains of 0.5-0.7kg.
Calves should be weaned at a set time or in tougher seasons as soon as cow body condition starts to declines. In poor seasons, calves may be weaned down to a minimum of 100kg liveweight.
“Good handling techniques on-farm in an animal’s first six months of life will be with that animal for life,’’ Lachlan said.
“If we wean 1,500 animals in a year and they are all gaining 0.5kg a day during the yard weaning process, that equates to 750kg of beef a day or 3,750kg after five days of weaning – a truly solid return on investment for some basic TLC.’
“We wean cattle to manage herd fertility, land condition and ensure farm sustainability.’’
Lachlan said calves often suffered from confinement anxiety on the first few days of weaning.
“Up until that point, rarely have the calves been locked inside four fences where the pressure is so intense.
“We are able to reduce that level of stress with intensive handling techniques.’
“Educated cattle complete the weaner process faster, giving a more positive result in the end.
“The yard weaning process has a lasting effect on the life of the individual animal in the breeding herd too, especially in females where fertility and puberty are driven by body weight.”
The basics
Lachlan said educated weaners responded to the handler’s body position, pressure and timing (far better than animals that have received no acclimation to yards.)
He recommended allowing 2.5m² /animal for 200kg liveweight calves in weaning yards, with the space requirement increasing with higher liveweights.
“This gives the cattle enough room to display their natural behaviours,’’ he said.
“A good weaning yard has strong panels with not a lot of gap between rails – rubber belting around the sides will keep the smaller calves in.’’
A supply of fresh water and quality hay is not only critical to achieving post weaning growth and production performance but the hay can be used to reinforce daily positive achievements.
Holding paddocks are ideal for working the weaners as a herd each day of the weaning process.
Once weaners leave the holding paddocks, pasture quality should be a minimum of 11.5 megajoules of energy and 15% protein to sustain growth rates.
Animal health
“When it comes to clostridial (5 in 1 or 7 in 1) vaccination, ideally the first dose should be given three weeks before weaning as the stress of vaccination can be ameliorated while the calf is on its mother, followed by a booster shot four to six weeks apart,’’ Lachlan said.
He urged producers to vaccinate with Bovilis MH + IBR at weaning to reduce the effects of Bovine Respiratory Disease in commercial herds both on farm and later in life as they enter the feedlot production system.
Some feedlots are paying suppliers up to $8/head to vaccinate weaners with Bovilis MH + IBR or supplying the vaccine directly to the producer.
At the beginning
When handling weaners in the yard on day one, Lachlan recommended initiating movement from the front of the herd, using the natural instincts of the lead animal.
“When the lead animal licks its lips, it is accepting pressure and will go wherever you want it to move,’’ he said.
“Place pressure on the animal by taking a step towards it to initiate movement – if the animal steps backwards, take a step back and release the pressure. The aim is to initiate voluntary motion amongst the group – let them decide on where they want to go and control their movement to that point.
“Move the mob from corner to corner in the yard until they move as a herd.
“Work with the lead animal to control pace by working on your body position relative to theirs. Walk against the animals to speed them up, but walk with them to slow them down.
“As soon as the lead animal walks off, encourage the rest of the herd to follow in an orderly fashion. Each time the herd should be less disjointed.
“Handlers need to constantly read the cattle and observe what they are telling us.
“If the cattle have their heads up, it means they are stressed or uncomfortable. An animal that chews and walks away from pressure calmly is comfortable with the situation.
“Do not spend any more than 30 minutes each day working them in this way – if you cannot control the situation, ask yourself why and do not blame the cattle.’’
Ongoing
On the second and third day, introduce the calves to walking through gateways and on day four, open the crush and allow them to walk through quietly without anything touching them.
“By the end of the weaning process, the cattle must display discipline by being quiet, walking in a straight line and having brakes,’’ Lachlan said.
“Once a mob reaches over 200 head, it is advised to use two people in the preconditioning process.’’
The length of the yard weaning process is decided by the response of the cattle. When animals stop bellowing, eat well, walk straight and have been taught how to stop, we are able to stop.
Weaning in the yard
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Https://www. pig333.com/articles/weaning-in-the-yard_3604/
Benefits of Yard Weaning
Many producers yard wean calves and know the benefits but very few yard wean their lambs. Yard weaning lambs can help to combat some of the issues that arise from more traditional methods of weaning lambs that allows them to tear off across a paddock.
The weaning phase is a stressful period for the lamb. Yard weaning helps to reduce the impacts and therefore the issues that arise such as weight loss, deaths and tender wool.
Lambs that are yard weaned lose less weight and continue to grow, settle quickly, learn to be handled better and respect fences. Lambs will do better in a yard weaning situation if they are closer to 12 weeks of age and it is best to wean based on liveweight rather than age. Aim to wean merinos at about 18kg and crossbreds at about 20kg. The heavier the lamb is, the greater is their ability to cope with stress.
Yard weaning may also provide an opportunity to wean early in dry years and manage the high nutritional requirements when early weaning lambs. A lamb can be early weaned at about 8 weeks of age or 15 kg. It is more efficient to feed a dry ewe and weaner separately than as a unit, resulting in feed efficiencies which are critical in a year with low feed reserves. In addition an 8 week old lamb relies on milk as only 10% of its nutrient intake.
Yard weaning requires careful planning and management as the decisions made can impact on the lifetime productivity of the weaner. The key to successful yard weaning is meeting the lamb’s nutritional requirements and ensuring that adequate fresh clean water is available. This also includes ensuring adequate trough and feeder space. If you have set feeding times ensure that there is 10-15cm/head trough space or 2-3.5 cm/head if you have an adlib self-feeder or lick feeder. Ensure you allow 1.5cm water trough space per lamb. Be aware that if you are trail feeding on the ground in the weaning pens the risk of coccidiosis is increased as grain will have increased faecal contamination. Remove lambs that are doing poorly or are shy feeders and treat them separately. If weaning large numbers of lambs it may be an advantage to split them into two or more mobs based on their weights.
It is essential that the lambs are imprint fed whilst still on the ewes with the feed that is planned to be used during the yard weaning phase and the method of feeding. There is no use trailing, say for example barley on the ground during the imprint phase, and then put the barley in a lick feeder during the yard weaning phase, as lambs have not become accustomed to the lick feeder.
Mineral supplements are useful to optimise the lamb’s nutritional requirements and adding salt and limestone to grain based diets essential. Be aware that adding powdered minerals to lick/self-feeders may not be ideal as the powders tend to sift to the bottom of the feeders. Adding a pelletised version which contains a buffer would be best. A cheap alternative may be to offer stock lime and stock salt in a 50/50 ratio in tubs with small holes drilled into them for lambs to free choice themselves. This however does not incorporate a buffer and increase the risk of acidosis.
Mob size is important when yard weaning. Ideally mobs should be 400 or less and certainly no more than 500. Lambs need a minimum of 1m² per head or ideally 5m². The area to be used must be well fenced. If possible incorporate shade and shelter in the form of existing or temporary structures.
Ensure that all lambs have been drenched and vaccinated. Vaccination against pulpy kidney is particularly important if they are going into high risk grain feeding scenario.
Remove ewes to as far away as possible from the yards, and run a dozen or so older wethers with the lambs, as this can help them settle more quickly and help lead the lambs to feed and water.
Weaning is a critical learning period for lambs. Use the yard weaning process to get the lambs accustomed to humans and dogs, if you use dogs. You can do this by walking through the pens once or twice a day with a quiet dog. Lambs only need to be yard weaned for a minimum of 5-7 days for good outcomes to be achieved. The lambs should have achieved good social bonds by this time which will make their transition to the paddock less stressful.
Ensure that you transition the lambs from yard weaning to the paddock (which should be of high quality feed) does not cause digestive upsets. Ensure that you do not put the lambs out hungry but perhaps with a half full belly of fibre, so they are encouraged to consume some pasture and continue to feed fibre for a few days until they have become accustomed to their new feed base.
Weaning Seedlings
Ian Hodgson adds a postscript to his series on seed sowing for beginners.
It’s easy to think that once seeds have germinated that most of the hard work is over. Whilst this is true in part, seedlings are at their most vulnerable during the first few days of life and are very sensitive to sudden changes in their growing environment. We strive to produce conditions that are ideally suited for germination but these requirements frequently differ from those normally required for the more mature stages of their lives. Our own growing conditions may differ even more from that ideal, with lower temperature and fluctuating humidity, that would spell instant doom if seedlings were immediately transferred from propagator to the big, wide world. Young plants must gradually be accustomed to any change to give them the best chances of survival. This process is called ‘hardening off or ‘weaning’ and is a skill which is just as important to acquire as any other in the seed raising game.
The speed at which seedlings require to be weaned will depend upon the growth rate of the plant concerned. Fast growing subjects, such as annuals will require to be weaned off within the first few days of germination whilst slower growing plants such can be left in the propagator for longer periods of time, until they reach a size where they may be safely transferred. Slow growing plants weaned too soon may be unable to acclimatise sufficiently well to the surrounding conditions and are likely to perish. The timing of weaning will also depend upon the size of the propagator, the amount of successive sowings for which the propagator is required and the time of year. The process will necessarily be tailored to your own specific conditions and the type of plants you raise. With the simplest of equipment, weaning is a very imprecise affair. With basic unheated propagators, the transparent lid can be propped open with a piece of dowel, notched at either end. The period of ventilation can start with just a few hours each day, closing it again at night until the canopy can be completely removed. More advanced propagators have their own mini-ventilators that can be adjusted at first but the canopy lid will require to be raised and eventually removed once weaning gets underway.
Electrically heated propagators should have the temperature reduced gradually by having the unit turned on for decreasing periods of time. Those more advanced models with variable thermostatic control can have their settings gradually turned down to the ambient room or greenhouse temperature so that seedlings gradually become hardened off. Again, ventilation should be increased in tandem with lowering temperature. To help keep a check over conditions that the seedlings are experiencing, install a small thermometer in the propagator and make a routine of checking the seedling temperature with the surrounding air temperature adjusting your technique accordingly as dictated by the prevailing conditions.
Weaning techniques will differ from the time of the year. Conditions that seedlings experience in spring will vary quite markedly with those that will be experienced in high summer. Seeds raised early in the year will be subject to cool temperatures, lower light levels and generally less favourable conditions for growth. The rate of growth will depend upon just how high a temperature you can heat your greenhouse. The more tender the plant, the higher the minimum temperature will have to be. Those who do not heat their houses should wait until the danger of severe frost is past before embarking on their seed raising efforts.
If you have a large number of seedlings which require frost protection early in the year, you may consider installing heating cables in a deep bench to produce a little bottom heat. It is well established that plants will endure lower air temperatures as long as their roots are warm. A variety of cable sizes can be bought from manufacturers which have differing heat outputs. They usually come with fitting instructions, depth they should be buried and spacing requirements to suit all types of bench. Fitted with a thermostat the temperature can be more finely controlled. As an alternative, certain manufacturers produce heated mats which comprise of a heating element sandwiched between two skins of PVC. To conserve heat, the mats are laid on a sheet of polystyrene foam. By installing sides to produce a shallow tray and a clear polythene canopy supported on wire hoops, you have a ready made heated tunnel in which to wean your seedlings properly. Ventilation is increased as the seedlings are weaned.
Early in the year, seedlings should be kept moist and never waterlogged, as this will increase the chances of them rotting. Maintain humidity but keep the air circulating to prevent the build-up of diseases such as grey mould or damping off disease. As a precaution, water seedlings with a fungicide like Cheshunt Compound. If you cannot open the ventilators an electric fan heater will help keep air circulating.
In summer the problems are more or less opposite. Temperatures are more favourable and it is direct sunlight and drought which are the main problems. Make sure that the seed raising area is adequately shaded even if you choose not to shade the rest of the house. Use either shading paint or fabric. In the height of summer extra shading may be required.
Keep seedlings moist at all times and maintain humidity by spraying the greenhouse floor with water. Seedlings can be misted over directly with water but never do this in full sun. Water droplets act as lenses and scorch young leaves and stems. Misting should be carried out early in the morning or in the evening when the sun is not so powerful. Keep the seedlings cool by keeping them well ventilated but avoid letting extreme temperature build-up and then suddenly give full ventilation as this too will give seedlings a severe shock which may also cause them to perish.
Ian Hodgson trained at Kew and is now Technical Editor of Practical Gardening magazine.
Source of article:
Growing From Seed – Spring 1989 Vol. 3 Number 2
© The Seed Raising Journal from Thompson & Morgan
Https://www. thompson-morgan. com/weaning-seedlings
Yard Weaning Boosts Weight Gain and Animal Health
News
The benefits of yard weaning when it comes to animal management and feedlot health are second to none, according to Dr Lachy Strohfeldt of Bell Veterinary Services.
Dr Strohfeldt addressed the attendees of the Herefords Australia Breed Forum held in Hamilton in June regarding the benefits of yard weaning when it comes to minimising feedlot morbidity and mortality.
Elevated stress levels caused by confinement anxiety and poor handling of cattle when they enter a feedlot are the main cause of health issues such as Bovine Respiratory Disorder (BRD), according to Dr Strohfeldt.
“Confinement anxiety the biggest stressor in a feedlot situation.
“You take an animal that’s been on its mother for a long period of time, it’s been seeing a fence line once or twice a day when it comes in to water and now we’re going to put him inside a four-fence cell and ask him just to go about his business.
“Poor handling is another stressor, cattle that are handled poorly stress out, and when we’ve got confinement anxiety plus poor handling then we get poor performance then we get sickness,” Dr Strohfeldt explained.
Yard weaning plays a crucial role in reducing stress levels caused by confinement anxiety and a fear of humans when it is done effectively.
“Yard weaning is very simple and it’s very effective, we love talking about it because it works every time,” Dr Strohfeldt said.
A study completed at the University of New England showed that 18 percent of paddock weaned animals that entered the feedlot had to be pulled out due to BRD and other health issues, while seven percent of yard trained cattle (cattle which had been through the yards but had little human contact) were pulled, but only three percent of cattle which had been effectively yard weaned had to be pulled out.
The study also showed a clear advantage to yard weaning when it came to average daily weight gains in the feedlot.
One of the primary issues Dr Strohfeldt has encountered when discussing successful yard weaning is the vast number of ideas and theories on what yard weaning entails.
While many people seem to think that cattle should be kept in the yards for at least seven days, Dr Strohfeldt believes weaning should take no longer than seven days, with effective yard weaning possible in two or three days if it is done well.
The second misconception Dr Strohfeldt has encountered is how long producers should wait before handling weaners.
“The misconception and probably the myth that’s out there is: “let’s leave them there for four days and wait until they shut up, because once they shut up they’ll be easier to work.”
“Four days is a long time, four days for that animal to stop bawling, and you’ve got to think about why he actually stops bawling. When he stops bawling it’s probably because he’s run out of voice. “When you run out of voice and you’ve got nothing there to protect it, that’s when you start to get some more respiratory disease,” Dr Strohfeldt said.
Dr Strohfeldt says that producers should be handling weaners from day one and even beforehand at calving, when the cattle are mustered and when cows come into the yards for preg-testing.
The reasoning behind handling weaners on their first day in the yards relates to the ‘performance and pressure curve’ which shows that lessons are learned and remembered better under optimal stress conditions when the brain is most stimulated.
“We want to be teaching lessons when we have cattle that are motivated and focused rather than fatigued and exhausted, because the retention of information is so much greater,” Dr Strohfeldt explained.
It is also important to ensure that the cattle have a positive experience in the yards as weaners as these experiences will shape how the cattle behave under similar situations in the future.
“Future behaviour is always determined by every handling, and when we do stuff that’s negative, we get negatives. When we do things that are positive, we get growth,” Dr Strohfeldt said.
A field study conducted by Dr Strohfeldt with Bell Veterinary Services showed that early handling also helps with weight gain during the weaning process.
In the first year of the study cattle were kept in the yards for 10 days and handling was delayed, the results showed that at the end of the weaning process the cattle had lost seven percent of their bodyweight, which averaged -14kg per animal.
In the second year of the study, the cattle were kept in the yards for four days with early handling which resulted in a five percent increase in bodyweight which averaged +10kg per animal.
Dr Strohfeldt encouraged producers to use a goal-oriented handling program directed at stopping negative behaviour and promoting the positives.
“This is the time we want to teach them [the cattle] everything we want them to take forward for the rest of their life.
“This isn’t just important for feedlot cattle, this is important for your replacement heifers also,” Dr Strohfeldt said.
Lesson time with the cattle should not be a long and drawn out process; 10-minute lessons where something positive is achieved followed by a meaningful break makes optimal use of the weaners’ attention spans.
These short lessons can be repeated multiple times in a day, and each time the producer should expect the results to be better.
“Start with hello, teach them to stop, take the small movements into bigger ones, and make it positive.
“If you expect change, you’ll see change, and if you see change, you’ll pat yourself on the back and you’ll do it again next time, and that’s how we build confidence in weaners,” Dr Strohfeldt said.
Watch the full presentation from Dr Strohfeldt at the 2019 Herefords Australia Breed Forum below:
Dr Strohfeldt presenting at the 2019 Herefords Australia Breed Forum. (Image courtesy of Terry Sim, Sheep Central)
Https://www. herefordsaustralia. com. au/2019/11/yard-weaning-boosts-weight-gain-and-animal-health/