older cows

[littleacorn]

Hi wondered if anyone could help me - a 8 or 9 year old cow who has had calves in the past, but not for 3 or 4 years, what would be the chance of her getting in calf again? Many thanks.

[Broomcroft]

We had a cow at 8-9 years old who had missed two calvings, even though put to the bull. The vet came in and injected her with something and she got in calf straight away and hasn't missed one since (yet!).

But I suppose it depends why she hasn't had calves. If it's just that she hasn't gone back to a bull then you could just try putting her to one, but if she has been with a bull and not taken, then talk to your vet about doing what mine did maybe?

[wagra dexters]

Chorulon? It's magic.

[Duncan MacIntyre]

There is no doubt that a cow which has been idle for several years has less of a chance getting into calf again than one which has been in regular production. There is also more chance that she will have a difficult calving than one which has been calving regularly, but having said that it may be worth taking a chance on as long as you are not paying too much. The value of cast cows is very high at the moment and it may well be more economic sense to buy a younger productive cow.

Duncan

[littleacorn]

Many thanks for your replies. I have decided to look for younger models!

[Louisa Gidney]

When Dexters were considerably rarer than they are now, I bought a similar older cow that had not calved for several years. She was served at the same time as a maiden heifer and appeared to be in calf. However it turned out to be a form of phantom pregnancy and when the heifer calved she tried to kidnap the calf, which was happy to suckle her but obviously getting no nutrition and the heifer was upset at having her calf stolen. In those days there were no restrictions on beefing old cows for domestic consumption, so that was the resolution of the problem. The "pregnancy" turned out to be massive internal deposits of suet, the butcher joked that I could run a chip shop on the fat.
I would certainly give a cow that had only had a year off a try but not one that has had such a long holiday from breeding. Particularly when cows with calves at foot are currently fetching peanuts at auction.