Like human babies, newborn calves and lambs depend on milk for sustenance. But as lambs and calves grow, their digestive systems undergo a transformation that's critical to them continuing to flourish on a plant-only diet.
When and how you wean can have a dramatic impact on the health, growth, feed and reproductive efficiency of calves and lambs. It’s also an important factor in determining both the potential stocking rate of your enterprise and the fertility of your breeding herd or flock.
And, apart from saving you time and stress, weaning the right way at the right time can also help significantly reduce your cost of production
At the beginning a newborn’s rumen is about the size of a walnut but with an optimum diet it can develop rapidly into a fully functional fermentation vat, rich with microbes to provide energy and proteins. The rumen can grow so rapidly, under the right management conditions, that lambs and calves can be successfully removed from milk as early as two months of age.
Drying dams off by weaning progeny earlier can also save up to about 40% of your precious feed and increases the chances of higher body condition and fertility at their next joining. On top of that, well weaned progeny with excellent levels of rumen development are much more likely to have higher lifetime feed and reproductive efficiency.
There’s no question weaning is a stressful time, at any age. Stressed animals need more energy, protein, minerals and vitamins and perform best when fed diets that are rich in the correct types of carbohydrates, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Vitamin A & B group vitamins. Without these extra nutrients young stock is more likely to become agitated, get sick with eye or respiratory infections and lose weight during weaning.
Advanced weaning is also a golden opportunity to improve not just the lifetime health and efficiency of the animals you’ve weaned but the productivity, stocking rate and profitability of your whole breeding enterprise. All it takes is a focus on detail, a commitment to welfare and an understanding of the unique nutritional support that young stock needs to maximise their potential.
At AIM we want to help you produce the calmest, healthiest and most productive weaners possible. That’s why we developed the Weanermax and Generade range of products.
If you need help with planning a weaning program, or just want to know more about Weanermax and Generade products, talk to an AIM Technical Sales Specialist on 08 8391 5888 or Email.
