Breeding and rearing of cattle (not dairy)
Calf" is the term used from birth to
weaning, when it becomes known as a
weaner or
weaner calf, though in some areas the term "calf" may be used until the animal is a
yearling. The birth of a calf is known as
calving. A calf that has lost its mother is an orphan calf, also known as a
poddy or
poddy-calf in UK English.
Bobby calves are young calves which are to be slaughtered for human consumption. A
vealer is a fat calf weighing less than about 330 kg (730 lb) which is at about eight to nine months of age. A young female calf from birth until she has had a calf of her own is called a
heifer (pronounced
/ˈhɛfər/ "heffer"). In the
American Old West, a motherless or small, runty calf was sometimes referred to as a
dogie, (pronounced with a long "o") though in the classic traditional folk song,
Dogies Lament, also known as
Git along little dogie, the "dogies" in question referenced cattle strong enough to be herded from Texas to Wyoming, including weaners, yearling steers and other young, not-necessarily-orphaned animals
.Purebred female calves of dairy cows are reared as replacement dairy cows. Most purebred dairy calves are produced by artificial insemination (AI). By this method each bull can serve very many cows, so only a very few of the purebred dairy male calves are needed to provide bulls for breeding. The remainder of the male calves may be reared for beef or veal; however, some extreme dairy breeds carry so little muscle that rearing the purebred male calves may be uneconomic, and in this case they are often killed soon after birth and disposed of. Only a proportion of purebred heifers are needed to provide replacement cows, so often some of the cows in dairy herds are put to a beef bull to produce crossbred calves suitable for rearing as beef.
Veal calves may be reared entirely on milk formula and killed at about 18 or 20 weeks as "white" veal, or fed on grain and hay and killed at 22 to 35 weeks to produce red or pink veal.
A commercial steer or bull calf is expected to put on about 32 to 36 kg (71 to 79 lb) per month. A nine-month-old steer or bull is therefore expected to weigh about 250 to 270 kg (550 to 600 lb). Heifers will weigh at least 200 kg (440 lb) at eight months of age.
Calves are usually weaned at about eight to nine months of age, depending on the season and condition of the dam, they might be weaned earlier. They may be paddock weaned, often next to their mothers, or weaned in stockyards. The latter system is preferred by some as it accustoms the weaners to the presence of humans and they are trained to take feed other than grass. Small numbers may also be weaned with their dams with the use of weaning nose rings or nosebands which results in the mothers rejecting the calves attempts to suckle. Many calves are also weaned when they are taken to the large weaner auction sales that are conducted in the south eastern states of Australia. Victoria and New South Wales have yardings of up to 8,000 weaners (calves) for auction sale in one day. The best of these weaners may go to the butchers. Others will be purchased by re-stockers to grow out and fatten on grass or as potential breeders. In the United States these weaners may be known as feeders and would be placed directly into feedlots.
At about 12 months old a beef heifer reaches puberty if she is well grown
Newborn calf.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia : Breeding and rearing of cattle (not dairy)
