Weaning in cattle can be done by many methods. Dairy calves in the United States are weaned off their mother at an average of around 7 weeks of age. Beef calves are not usually weaned off their dams until the calves are between 8 and 10 months of age. Before a calf is completely weaned off of milk, for both dairy and beef cattle, the calf must have developed a fully functioning rumen. For beef cattle, there are many methods of weaning that are used. Options include: