Weaning is widely considered the most stressful event in a calf’s life. This is due to the abrupt nature of being physically separated from its mother, combined with psychological isolation and nutritional instability.

Calves experience severe stress

The bond between a cow and her calf is one of the strongest among livestock. Removing the dam creates immediate psychological distress, often seen in pacing and bawling as the calf searches for its mother.

During this time, the calf also switches from a highly digestible milk diet to a 100% solid forage or grain diet. If the calf’s rumen is not fully developed or if it does not adjust quickly enough, growth issues can occur.

Weaning is often done by moving the calf to a new camp, new farm or to a feedlot. This unfamiliar environment disrupts the social hierarchy and forces the calf to adapt to new water troughs, feeders and new feed.

Repercussions of weaning stress

The stress associated with weaning can weaken a calf’s immune system, making it more susceptible to disease, which in severe cases may lead to mortality.

Because a stressed calf spends more time pacing and bawling, it eats and rests less, resulting in body weight loss that can take weeks to recover.

Abrupt dietary changes can stall the rumen’s microbial population, preventing proper nutrient absorption.

If the trauma of weaning is too severe, it may also affect temperament, making calves difficult, or even dangerous, to handle in the future. Importantly, the process impacts not only the calf but also the cow.

EasyWean® NoseRing® takes the stress out of weaning

The removable spiky plastic EasyWean® NoseRing® fits into the calf’s nose, preventing suckling. The spikes irritate the cow’s soft underparts, prompting her to move away and discouraging suckling. Yet, the cow remains present, and her comforting presence reduces the calf’s stress levels.

EasyWean® NoseRing® provides a humane and effective weaning method that translates into greater profitability. By eliminating stress caused by separation, cows gain weight while their calves continue to grow. This allows heifers to be bred up to six months earlier.

The process means no broken fences, no bawling cattle, and easier grazing and herd management. EasyWean® NoseRing® are also reusable, with some lasting up to eight weaning seasons.

Don’t take our word for it

You don’t have to take our word for it, just read what our loyal customers have to say about how EasyWean® NoseRing® has helped them.

Gerhard Swanepoel from Hurley Droughtmasters in Vryburg says, “We are a family cattle farming business consisting of a very intensive stud breeding farm in South Africa and a very extensive cattle farm that breeds weaners in Botswana.

“In both situations, we use nose rings to wean our calves. We wean the oxen and heifer calves by using nose rings next to their mothers. This weaning episode goes without stress on the animals, less weight loss on calves and better return to production regarding the cows.

“Because of Botswana’s numbers, we have bought nose rings everywhere and have come to the conclusion that the original NoseRings are the only reusable ones.”

Pieter van der Linde is from Tweefontein in Vryburg. He says with the EasyWean® NoseRing®, everything goes according to plan, and he encounters no issues.

“I keep the weaners with their mothers for about a week before I take them away without too much weaning shock. Ideally, I then keep the bull calves separate from the heifer calves. The type of season will determine exactly how long I keep the bull calves, but the aim is to keep them until August, when there are very few other calves in the market. This is when the prices are usually significantly higher than in April or May, when most calves are in the market,” Van der Linde explains.

Not only farmers rely on EasyWean® NoseRing®. As early as 1998, Dr Dieter Nischk (BVSc) from the Kokstad Veterinary Clinic recommended EasyWean®, saying he has been using the calf NoseRing®since 1998 and has encouraged many of his beef farmer clients to do the same.

“I have found this method the least stressful of all weaning techniques. The weaners and the cows are not stressed at all. In fact, the weaners have weaned approximately 20 to 25 kg heavier, and the mothers have not lost any weight during the weaning process.

“During the traditional separation techniques of weaning, the weaners are locked up or weaned across a fence. The weaners bellow and run up and down the fences, as do their mothers. This process takes up to five days to complete. During this period, the weaners lose weight as do their mothers – an estimated 30 to 40 kg weight loss in the mothers and a 20 to 25 kg loss in the weaners. If this process happens during inclement weather, I have losses of weaners due to Pasteurella pneumonia due to stress.

“The NoseRing®, if used correctly, are definitely far superior to the nose-plate method and, in my opinion, are in no way cruel or stressful. Beef farmers have reported back that they were very pleased with their results and confirmed my findings,” he says.

If you are looking for a stress-free, affordable way of weaning your calves, look no further than EasyWean® NoseRing®. Visit their website, www.nosering.co.za, to learn more and get in contact with them.