How you would react if your pre-adolescent child disappeared for a while, then returned sporting a ring pierced through its nose?
 
Two of our cows experienced this parentally upsetting moment a few days ago when Bill weaned the last two calves, born in November. Although in our case, the calves’ noses weren’t pierced and the bling was a plastic nose flap. 

A couple of years ago we learned about an alternative weaning method called QuietWean. According to the website, http://quietwean.com/, this is a “two-stage, low-stress weaning method for calves.” In the first stage, the milk is removed using a device that prevents the calf from sucking. The second stage is removal of the mother and parental bond. Proponents claim this process creates less stress on both cows and calves versus the simultaneous removal of both the milk and mother. The calves spend less time bawling, less time walking in search of their mamas and more time grazing. Less agitation also means fewer wrecked fences from the families trying to reunite.
 
The device is a lightweight plastic, noninvasive flap inserted just inside the nose that prevents the calf from pulling a teat into its mouth. Also, the flap has plastic teeth on the outer edge that irritate the cow’s udder—but don’t draw blood— so she will step away from the calf.

The calf can continue to graze, eat grain and drink water but still has mama to support and nurture it through this first stage.

Calf #204 can still receive her nightly lick bath, whether or not she wants it!

Having a foreign object inserted into their noses does require an adjustment period for the calves, usually lasting from a few hours up to a day. Bumping the plastic flap on the ground when they graze, on the side of the feed bunk when they eat grain or on the edge of the water tank when they drink causes some skittishness until they become accustomed to it. Calves may also have snotty noses for a few hours, as Flossie, one of the twins from fall of 2014, displays. Poor thing! She looks embarrassed!

According to the QuietWean directions, the nose flaps are left in place for four to seven days. During this time, the calves learn to go without milk and the physical bond with the cow is gradually reduced. Once the flaps are removed, weaning is completed by relocating the calves away from the cows. At this point, we use fence-line weaning: Cows and calves are separated into adjacent pastures so they can still touch noses through the fence. This serves as a gradual weakening of the familial bond. Although, just like human pre-adolescents, calves have already entered that stage where hanging out with mama is considered “uncool” and they’d rather be with their friends!
 
Two years ago we did a test run with the nose flaps on five calves that spent the winter here. Bill separated the cows and calves, herded the calves one or two at a time into the squeeze chute and inserted the flaps. There is a bit of a learning curve with twisting the flap to get the ends into the nose quickly and comfortably for the calf. Then the calves were released to rejoin their mamas. This was One-Toe’s reaction to Two-Toe’s new look and it was shared by the other cows. “What did you do to my baby?”

​Unfortunately, at the current time we are unable to extend nose flap usage to the 65 calves that are wintered and weaned at the ranch because it would require running them through the chute twice. Prior to weaning, the calves are “worked”: given vaccinations and sprayed with “Pour-On,” a repellent for worms, grubs, mites, lice and flies. Bill likes to give the calves two to three weeks to physically recover from being worked before subjecting them to weaning. The ranch owner recruits neighbors to help work our cattle and most don’t have time to go through the rounding up, corralling and running-through-the-chute process twice. Also, unlike us, the rancher doesn’t have close neighbors that would be disturbed by the high-decibel bawling of the traditional weaning process.
 
According to the website, at one ranch where QuietWean nose-flaps were used, the cattleman claimed calves spent 25% more time eating, 95% less time bawling and paced up to 15 miles less than traditional weaning. This eventually translates into more profit at the time of sale. We don’t that have that kind of quantitative data, but the small pasture close to the house where weaning takes place is noticeably quieter. What fussing occurs comes mostly from the mamas lugging uncomfortably full udders who can’t understand why the calves are ignoring their “come to the table” bawls.
 
This spring, we used nose flaps to wean the eight calves wintered here. Admittedly, we have limited experience with this weaning method. But based on observations, our conclusion is it creates less separation anxiety for both cows and calves; and, even though the calves may look uncomfortable for a few hours, it’s a more humane method than removal of both milk and mother at the same time. 

Miracle is our growth-challenged heifer born in the fall of 2015. I related her miraculous survival story in my three-part “Romper Room Calves” series posted in March, 2016. Briefly, it was a miracle she survived her first couple weeks of life. Abandoned twice for a total of eight days because her mother was coping with serious health issues of her own, she survived dehydration, malnutrition and a vicious infestation of screwworms. After the second abandonment, we took her to the barn and raised her as a bottle/bucket calf. The result of her rough start to life is stunted growth as well as the probability of a stunted payout at the sale barn! So we kept her as a pet and herd mascot.
 
But we discovered last fall that she does have value to our operation beyond dollars and cents. We had a cow that died and left an orphan heifer, Mosey. Bill took Mosey to the barn to raise her as a bottle/bucket calf. To ease her loneliness and mournful bawling for her mother, he put Miracle in with her as a companion. Once Miracle convinced Mosey that she was a companion, not her mother and therefore couldn’t provide milk, they got along great. I told their story in “Mama Miracle,” dated September 23, 2016.
 
Mosey was weaned this spring with the rest of last fall’s heifers, bringing to an end Miracle’s position as companion. She’s been hanging with a few of the cows and a couple of calves, not yet weaned, that we kept here over the winter. But a potential problem developed when Bill brought home his two bulls and put them in the same pasture until their services are once again required. We don’t know whether or not Miracle is physically able to come into heat and be bred. But if so, the outcome could be tragic because of her stunted growth. If she carried to term, she might die during the birth process, as might the calf because it wouldn’t be big enough to survive. Preventative measures called for the relocation of Miracle to another pasture.
 
Once again, Bill found a solution that filled a need and provided a purpose in life for Miracle.
 
Bill: Hi, Miracle! Could we chat for a minute?

Miracle: Sure, Bill! What’s up? Munch, munch (Miracle is grazing. Due to her stunted size, eating has always been serious business for her.)

Bill: We have a problem. We need to get you out of this pasture and away from the bulls before the unthinkable happens. Shaking your undersized bovine booty in front of these guys could have tragic consequences! I didn’t work so hard to save your life after you were born only to lose you now during an ill-fated pregnancy or birth attempt.

Miracle: I have no intention of shaking my booty or anything else in front of those bulls! They’re creepy and leer at me and sometimes even stalk me!

Bill: I’m pasturing the steers here this year and, since being weaned a few weeks ago, they’re still a little skittish and rowdy. They need a calming influence, guidance in learning to come to grain and range cubes, and general supervision. Kind of like the bovine version of a frat house mom. And they are harmless for you.

Miracle: Frat house mom?

Bill: Hey, that label came from June, part of her old city girl thinking.

Miracle: Figures! She does come up with some good ones, although sometimes she’s gets a little cutesy. (Author’s note: Cutesy?!) So, how many of these rambunctious adolescents are we talking?

Bill: There are 36.

Miracle: OK. I was getting bored anyway. It’ll feel good to have a purpose again. But here’s the deal: No toga parties and no food fights or other Animal House-type foolishness!

Bill: Sounds good. I’ll tell June you’ve agreed to ride herd on the Phi Beta Beefa fraternity!

Miracle: Phi Beta Beefa? Seriously? Another cutesy June-ism?

​Bill: 'Fraid so, Miracle!
​
Miracle: Good grief! Munch, munch.
 
Miracle whipped those frat steers into shape quickly. I looked out my kitchen window one day and saw them walking across the pasture, single file, with Miracle in the lead. Most of them are comfortable with us moving among them. None are tame enough to eat range cubes out of our hands yet, but she taught them by example to come when the grain bucket is rattled. This is an important tactic in convincing them to go where you want them, through a gate into an adjacent pasture or into the corral to be worked or loaded out.
 
Below is a picture of Miracle from December of 2015, a sad reminder of the horrible aftermath of her abandonment. ​

​Here she is today. Even though she was born in fall of 2015, she is closer in size to the heifers of fall, 2016. That notch in her right ear was where her ear tag was inserted. The insertion leaves a little raw skin that the mother usually tends to. But in Miracle's case, her mom was sick and didn't keep the wound clean so it attracted screwworms from the raging infestation elsewhere on her body.

The two pics below show  Miracle with the Phi Beta Beefa steers. In the first one, she is on the right end in the foreground. Compare her size to the steers. In the second one, she is in front of the frat pack, seriously intent on grazing.

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​Miracle did such a great job with the steers that Bill’s decided to transfer her to the rented pasture where the heifers are spending the summer. Two of those girls, Mosey and Four Toes, are already teaching the others to respond to the grain bucket and range cubes. Miracle’s mature presence will provide further guidance and leadership to the girls of the Chi Omega Moo sorority!