20/06/2026
Weaning
Weaning kids too early or too abruptly is one of the most overlooked mistakes on small farms, and it often leads to stunted growth, poor rumen development, and long-term productivity losses. In this post, I break down 5 most common weaning errors farmers make and how to correct them.
Error 1: Weaning before the rumen is fully developed. Many farmers wean kids based on age alone rather than rumen readiness, which results in slowed growth.
Error 2: Removing milk too abruptly instead of gradually reducing intake. A sudden stop in milk feeding can cause digestive stress and lead to a noticeable drop in weight gain.
Error 3: Ignoring body weight and feed intake benchmarks before weaning. Kids should reach a minimum body weight and be consistently eating solid feed before milk is withdrawn, yet this step is frequently skipped.
Error 4: Failing to ensure a proper transition to solid feed. Kids that are not gradually introduced to quality hay, pasture, or concentrate struggle to maintain growth once milk is removed.
Error 5: Underestimating the added stress of combining weaning with other changes. Vaccinating, relocating, or regrouping kids at the same time as weaning compounds stress and increases the risk of illness.
Avoiding these five mistakes can significantly improve kid survival rates, growth performance, and future milk yield in your herd.
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