South Africa’s calving season is just around the corner. From November onwards, farmers are hard at work preparing their cows for the season. But what happens when the fields are full of calves? Farmers cannot enter the season without being adequately prepared.

Having the right tools to raise healthy calves and wean them at the appropriate time is essential. This is where the EasyWean® NoseRing® comes into play. It is a reliable way to wean your calves safely and keep them healthy, not just once, but season after season.

“The nose ring offers me many benefits. Weaning the cows and calves is much easier, with very little shock or stress. They do not lose any weight during weaning. Their weight may remain stable for a week or two, but this happens very rarely. One must remember that a cow in a summer calving season can lose up to 20 kg during weaning,” explains Leo Roets, a cattle farmer in the Piet Plessis area of North West Province.

Farmers can therefore be confident that their calving season can run much more smoothly when they rely on the EasyWean® NoseRing® system. What makes EasyWean® NoseRings® particularly special is that they are reusable.

Farmers may initially need to purchase more rings when weaning larger numbers of calves, but they can start each season with the same stock.

EasyWean® NoseRings® fitted to calves that have already been separated from their mothers.

Easy weaning, season after season

Small- and large-scale farmers can manage their farming operations more effectively by relying on EasyWean® NoseRings®. J.P. van den Berg, who runs a large-scale farming operation in Mosita, North West Province, is one example of this.

“The nose ring is a management tool for me, just like any other piece of equipment, such as your weighing scale or float valve. It enables staff to wean calves even when someone is working alone. The size of my herd does not allow me to be involved in every process, which is why I rely on tools such as the nose ring to make tasks like weaning easier.”

He further explains that the nose rings can easily be stored after weaning: treat them with lubricant and store them safely. This encourages staff to prevent losses.

“The nose rings give calves the opportunity to gradually and calmly wean off milk over 14 to 21 days while they are still with their mothers.”

This means there is no risk of animals breaking through fences, as the calves remain calm and settled with their mothers. It also encourages independence. When the calves are eventually separated from their mothers, they remain calm because, thanks to EasyWean® NoseRings®, they are no longer dependent on their mothers.

“The ultimate goal is to manage the herd daily without disturbing them. Stress is reflected in production figures, and with unpredictable markets, the risk of deciding too early when to wean is simply too great. I wean the calf alongside its mother, and as a result, everyone is happy,” says J.P.

For more information, call (+27)82-459-9451, email Judy Vercueil at judy@wholeconcepts.co.za, or visit www.nosering.co.za