A cow will eventually wean its calf on her own. There will be a point that the dam will produce very little milk and the calf will eventually be weaned. However, it has been documented that yearlings have been sen trying to nurse their dams. The lactational curve for most beef cows is about twenty-five weeks, and at that time most breeds will be producing five pounds of milk or less daily. Peak milk production occurs at about 60 to 80 days post-calving. If the cow is going to produce another calf, the mammary system needs to have at least a sixty-day dry period for it to recondition itself before she starts another lactation.