Rm. Sullivan et Pk. Orourke, A COMPARISON OF ONCE-YEARLY AND TWICE-YEARLY WEANING OF AN EXTENSIVE HERD IN NORTHERN AUSTRALIA .1. COW LIVEWEIGHTS, MORTALITIES AND FERTILITY, Australian journal of experimental agriculture, 37(3), 1997, pp. 279-286
In northern Australia, many cows conceive only after their calves are
weaned. The subsequent calves are born in the late wet or early dry se
ason. Where producers wean once a year these late calves stay with the
cows with resultant increased risk of cow mortality. A second weaning
may reduce this risk. From June 1985 to June 1990 we recorded cow liv
eweights, mortalities and reproductive rates from a herd of 500 Bos in
dicus-Bos taunts-cross cows at Kidman Springs, Northern Territory. The
herd grazed native pastures, and was continuously mated and unsupplem
ented. Calves were weaned if they weighed 100 kg or more at muster in
June (W1) or in either of June and October (W2). In both groups (W1 an
d W2), 75% of calves were weaned at the June muster, and a further 14%
were weaned at the October muster (W2 group). There was no difference
in liveweight change, mortality or branding rates between the 2 group
s. Overall productivity was low, probably due to poor nutrition during
both dry and wet seasons. For example, average branding and mortality
rates were 51.8 and 11.8%. Forty-seven percent of all cows were pregn
ant at the June muster but a quarter of these failed to rear a calf. T
he low proportion of calves suitable for weaning in October indicated
that the weaning times were too close together, and did not allow enou
gh late calves to reach the target liveweight for weaning. Consequentl
y, the benefit of the second weaning was reduced. Weaning times for co
ntinuously mated herds should be determined by the time taken for calv
es born late in the wet season to reach target liveweights for weaning
at the second weaning round. Effectively, this means the first weanin
g should be earlier, perhaps in April, since high temperatures and the
increased likelihood of rain make mustering after October difficult.