Advantages to the Cow-Calf Pair: Creep-Feeding vs. Early Weaning

Jun 20, 2018

Creep-feeding and early weaning are two options a cow-calf manager has in dealing with young calves. Each practice has a specific purpose in a management scheme. However, they are sometimes used improperly and the expected goal is not achieved.

Creep-feeding is the practice of providing supplemental feed to suckling calves while restricting access of older cattle. The goal should be to increase the weaning weight of calves. Depending on the cost of feed and the price of calves, this may or may not be profitable. A good rule of thumb is: the selling price per pound of calf should be greater than 10 times the cost per pound of the creep. It takes about 10 lb of feed per pound of gain.

One thing creep-feeding is not intended for is to help the cow with her condition. What happens is that calves continue to suckle similar amounts of milk, but decrease the amount of forage (hay or pasture) they consume. Research has shown that if the goal is to improve cow condition, it is more economical to increase cow feed rather than creep-feed calves.

Early weaning is the removal of calves less than 7 months of age from the cow. The goal here should be to help the cow maintain or improve body condition. This may be beneficial if feed resources are scarce and cows are very thin.

You will have expenses in feeding the weaned calves. However, the nutrient requirements of the dry cow are lower than a lactating cow. So, in early weaning, with the same feed resources for the cow, cow body condition and reproductive efficiency are improved. The net result should be a higher pregnancy rate earlier in the following breeding season. And, calves born earlier in the following season will be older and should weigh more at their weaning.

Due to immature digestive systems, suckling calves have higher rates of gain than very early-weaned calves placed in feedlots. Therefore, early weaning should not be done to get calves into a feedlot situation solely for heavier weights at a younger age. At 90 days of age calves may be consuming up to half of their diet as forage and half as milk. At 120 days of age, the rumen is functioning sufficiently for calves to make satisfactory gains without milk. Again, very early weaning should be limited to times of drought or other times of low feed resources.

Click here to see more...

Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.