Weaning
Why is 45-Day Weaning Important to
Feeder Calf Health?
By Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Extension
The “value-added” calf sales will
begin in October. Most of the
“value-added” calf sales require
that the calves are weaned at
least 45 days prior to sale date.
Some cow-calf producers may
wonder why the post-weaning
period needs to be so lengthy.
Data from Iowa State University
from over a nine-year period in
a couple of their feedout tests
compared the health status of
calves weaned less than 30 days
to calves weaned longer than 30
days. Data from over 2,000 calves
were summarized. Calves that had
been sent to a feedlot at a time
less than 30 days had a higher
incidence of bovine respiratory
disease (28 percent) compared
to calves weaned longer than 30
days (13 percent). The percentage
of calves that required three
or more treatments also was
significantly different (6 percent
versus 1 percent) in favor of calves
“Making ‘em Right” P
rivate
t reaty S ale
November 25, 2017 At The Farm • Indianola, Iowa
Selling 50 Limousin Lots
• Show Heifers
• Bulls
• Replacement Heifers
• Show Steers
Sires represented include: COLE Architect,
Wulfs Big Timer, Alter Ego, WZRK Atlas,
SYES Backstage, Wulfs Walcott, DLVL Xerox
and other top sires.
Final bids due 2 P.M. CST.
Check out our website:
www.boschlimousin.com
Your visit is always welcome
Bosch Farms
Bob and Mary Bosch
16864 Fulton • Indianola, Iowa 50125
www.boschlimousin.com
e-mail: [email protected] • 515/491-9163-Bob, cell
16 | NOVEMBER 2017
that had been weaned more
than 30 days. In fact, the calves
weaned less than 30 days were
not different in health attributes
than calves that were weaned on
the way to the feedlot.
A summary of this lengthy study
can be found online (https://
www.extension.iastate.edu/
Pages/ansci/beefreports/asl-1648.
pdf ). Vac-45 calves apparently
have a real advantage in terms
of health compared to calves
weaned for less than a month
or those weaned on the way
to the livestock market for sale
date. Certainly, part of the “value”
in value-added calves can be
attributed to properly applied
vaccinations. However, there is
little doubt that a portion of the
improved health is due to the
length of time between weaning
and the movement of calves to
the next owner. I