Separation of a calf and cow

Today during a luncheon with some of my co-workers, they asked a lot of great farming related questions and this was a topic that came up. So thank you, G & P, my work wives for the inspiration 😆😘

Are beef calves separated from their calves after birth?

Separating cows and calves can be an emotional, touchy subject because the reasoning is often misunderstood.

Cows are not typically separated from their calf on a beef farm until they are weaning, which is many months down the road from birth. Separation can also sometimes be avoided with beef cows by placing a temporary weaning ring in the calf's nose. Beef cows usually have strong mothering instincts compared to those of dairy cows. However, in some instances even a beef cow may intentionally or unintentionally hurt their calf, not allow the calf to drink from her udder or not bond, thus having to be separated for the calf's safety and health.

I shared several weeks ago that our calf, Pumpkin, had a rough start. She and her mama, Myrtle, didn't bond at first and she would not allow her to drink. Colostrum is the first milk produced by a mother after giving birth. It is full of nutrients, vitamins and antibodies the calf desperately needs. If Myrtle had not finally allowed Pumpkin to drink, we may have separated them and given her colostrum replacer by bottle.

So the long and short of this answer is most of the time they are not, until an issue arises regarding animal welfare or a calf is ready to be weaned.