Weaning season may be the overlooked 60 days

A lot of the important things done a ranch happen in a tight window of just a month or two. Breeding season, for instance, which translates to calving season. And sales season.

There’s another 60-day ranch season that might be the most overlooked, thinks veterinarian Dave Sjeklocha: the preconditioning window from calf weaning day to sale day.

Calves get weaned, worked, vaccinated, bunk-broke, introduced to grain, and prepped for their next owner. That time window can make or break your year, he thinks, and you’ll be rewarded if you get it right.

Sjeklocha has observed this overlooked season growing up on his family’s farm, riding feedlot pens for a while, and then becoming a veterinarian in a private cattle practice. He’s watched thousands of calves get on and off trucks at sale barns and feedlots, and usually knows why some thrive and some don’t. He also knows what cattle buyers look for in new calves.

Now a senior account manager for Merck Animal Health, Sjeklocha is still helping producers get calves transitioned for their next home.

Weaning day

It starts with the actual weaning system. To make it go as smoothly as possible, Sjeklocha likes fence line weaning when possible. The cows and their calves are put directly next to each other on opposite sides of a fence for a few days. They can see each other, which may be calming for both cows and calves.