09/20/07 Nose Flaps II

A new gadget may help make a stressful time, less stressful. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be right back to tell you about it. Yesterday, I told you about weaning calves and how that job can be a little tough on the cattle, cowboys and fences. Well, more and more thought is being devoted to make the job easier on animals and humans alike. More than a few different management practices are being used to cut down on stress and sickness in newly weaned calves. One newer tool that I read about in Beef magazine is a nose flap. The nose flap is a solid piece of plastic hanging down from the calf's nostrils that still lets the calf graze and drink water but not nurse. This helps break the bond of nursing, but let's the calf still have social and physical contact with its mother. The flap is usually left on the calf from four to 14 days with eight days seeming to be the optimum time to remove the flap and actually separate the cow and calf. These calves spend way less energy thinking about getting back to the cowherd and more time eating, drinking water and resting. Some calves will learn how to nurse with the flap in place, some flaps can be lost and the need to handle the calves twice are disadvantages, but producers using the nose flaps think the advantages of less stress to the calf pays big dividends. Years ago, I remember seeing metal nose flaps with little points on them. I really don't believe that would be less stressful for the cow. These new smooth flaps are a big improvement. I'm Jeff Keane. Beef September 2007