The Age of Aquariums. Most people who keep fish have a tank or two; perhaps they start with a five-gallon model and graduate to the 35- or 50-gallon version that doctors put in waiting rooms to keep patients calm.
Although calves are usually weaned at 8 weeks or older, many producers use early weaning programs to lower the costs of feed and labor. Calves tend to scour less when consuming solid feeds compared with liquid feeds. As a result, health costs may decrease. The following table illustrates the difference in the cost of feed and labor for weaning a calf at 5 or 8 weeks of age. This example represents estimated prices for a good quality milk replacer and calf starter. Under these circumstances, weaning a calf at 5 weeks instead of 8 weeks saves $26.89 per calf.
Producers can begin preparing calves for weaning at birth. 1  Consider removing horns and castrating all male calves in commercial operations within the first two weeks of birth.  If not weaned at birth, then at least four weeks prior to weaning reduce calf and operator stress by: