Time to Wean

We don’t have many exciting things happening on the farm this time of the year so there’s not that much to write. The cows are much happier since we had rain and now it’s time to wean calves so that Mama can have a much needed break before the next calf comes along.  Some farmer’s do not wean, just trust the Mother’s instinct to wean on their own.  Well, we haven’t had a lot of luck relying on Mama. It’s hard to see a cow give birth and provide enough milk for the new calf and a 600 lb., already existing calf while trying to maintain herself!

We do practice low stress weaning on the farm.  This is where the cow and calf are separated by just one fence instead of placed more than 2 fences away. This enables the mother and the calf to come to the fence to smell each other and know that each other is safe. You can watch the mama cows come to the fence and call their calf. Both fuss at us a little, but after a day or two, calves are comfortable. They can forage and make it on their own. The calves become more trusting of us to provide what they need and Mama can focus on her task of bringing another new life to the farm.