Weaning

This past week I've been preparing our weaning and preg-checking supplies. Yesterday, with the help of a few ranch friends, we were able to preg-check 135 cows and wean 121 calves. We started at 8 and finished as the sun went behind the snow clouds at 5. It was our first real cold day. A weather front has been pushing through the valley bringing with it winter. We worked the cattle down by the Rio Grande. The temperature down by the river is often 5-10 degrees cooler than at the ranch. Yesterday temperature did not hover much above 34.

We weaned the calves with nose rings. Each calf got a piece of "bling" and two vaccines and were on their way out of the corral to find out they can no longer nurse. Weaning is an extremely stressful time for the calves and cows, especially when the cow and calf are separated right away from one another. This can stress the calves' immune system and abruptly change their diet. There are several low stress techniques out there, nose rings are one way to shift the calf's diet without the separation anxiety. In a few week we'll move the calves to new pasture.