Preconditioning calves is a great method to adopt to reduce stress for calves at weaning time. Preconditioning involves getting calves used to eating out of a feed bunk or trough, and drinking from a water trough. This should be done without the cows around, as cows tend to be more pushy and bossy around the feed bunk and water trough, not allowing the calves in at all. Use of a creep-feeder is best to get the calves used to eating out of a feed bunk. A creep feed or precondition ration for calves should include a mix of grain silage (corn, sorghum, barley, wheat or oats) and legume-hay, plus a concentrate supplement that includes protein. Make sure the supplement you are giving them does not have animal by-products in it at all, as this could be serious if one or some of the calves develop symptoms of BSE when they get older (especially in those heifers that will be used as cows. )Also, keep the feed free of mold and dust, as this will cause calves to get sick with illnesses like pneumonia.
Treat for internal and external parasites as well.
You can choose to leave a few babysitter cows–those that are open (not pregnant) and you intend on culling later on, or need better quality pasture because of their age–with the weaned calves. Yearling heifers even work great as den-mothers or babysitters.
Placing page wire and strands of electric wire on either side of the fence is a good way to keep from calves and cows from getting back to each other. Having a two-layered fence built may also help prevent the more desperate mothers from getting back to their calves.
Bottle calves should be weaned by the time they are around 3 to 4 months of age.
Reducing the quantity of milk can be a bit more stressful on the calf because he’d not getting the same amount of milk that he had before the weaning process started. Cutting back a few pounds per day is a good way to start. Diluting the milk is more towards the natural way a cow would wean her calf. This is because by the time the calf has reached a certain age (i. e. , 3 months), the milk quality that the cow produces decreases over time. Diluting the milk formula an eighth (1/8) at a time until the “milk” is 100% water is a good way to go.
Also ensure that the hand-reared calf is on good pasture that is clean and leafy, if there is pasture available. [2] X Research source
