OLD COWS - OLD COWS

John C · Post by **John C** » Thu May 04, 2006 11:44 am

What are the views of members as to when cows become old ? When does a cow become to old to be sold ?
Where would you draw the line and when if at all would you make an exception ?
I've noticed that some of the cattle going through the for sale section are a bit long in the tooth .

ann · Post by **ann** » Thu May 04, 2006 1:53 pm

If a Dexter female is sound of limb they can produce well into their teens, it’s not unusual for them still to be producing calves at 15 if they have been looked after well and had a good start in life. Unfortuetly Dexter ownership is one big problem for these little cows, go to any sale and most of the cattle for sale quite often have not been bred by the person selling them. I tend to think if an animal has got to around 10 yrs of age it desires to stay hopefully in its current herd for the rest of its life, I expect to make my cows pay their way in life, but I do not expect my older cows to spend their senior years going from one home to another. Judging by the amount of cattle that went through York sale last week and the very poor quality, and presentation of so many of them, I think Dexters are heading for an overproduction problem.

Some nice animals went very cheap because they had not been dehorned, fed correctly or halter trained., and hopefully most of them will have got a good home, but if people only want an animal to graze a paddock and are not bothered about its quality and can pick one up with a calf at foot for around £200 then I think some nice heifers may go in the freezer as its not practical to sell animals for that price.

If I had not been short of grass and time I might have bid for a few, but in some cases the details in the catalogue where very vague so it was a bit of a lottery.

Ann

Kathy Millar · Post by **Kathy Millar** » Thu May 04, 2006 4:08 pm

In the UK, what happens to cattle over 30 months of age? Must they all be incinerated when their breeding years are over?

Kathy

Sylvia · Post by **Sylvia** » Thu May 04, 2006 4:37 pm

Things have changed now, Kathy, cattle up to 10 years old can now go into the food chain if, and it is a big IF, you can find an abbatoir which will deal with them. The paperwork and hoops which have to be jumped through to deal with these older cattle is so onerous that (at least in this part of the country) most abbatoirs have said they won't bother. Cows born before1.8.1996 still have to be incinerated. So if things go as usual we have lost the compensation that was available for over 30 month animals but getting them into the food chain will be,to say the least, tricky. Others may be more optimistic but I'm thinking along the lines of a large farm sale later this year and reducing our stock significantly.

Louisa Gidney · Post by **Louisa Gidney** » Thu May 04, 2006 9:49 pm

I think that some of the problems people are encountering with absconding youngstock on strange premises might be ameliorated by having a quiet old cow to nursemaid them, act as herd matriarch & help establish a herd structure. The peace of mind and saving of time and energy might well make the investment worthwhile, with the possible bonus of a calf.

Martin · Post by **Martin** » Fri May 05, 2006 8:34 am

I have a cow that is 12 years old and I cannot forsee any circumstance that will allow me to sell her, I have owned her for only 2 years and she came to me only because her breeder was reducing his stocking level as he was in his 70's and now sadly has passed away.
I think it is unfair for animals to be shifted from pillar to post and I think Dexters suffer from this more than most breeds. People buy them as has already been mentioned just to keep the grass down, not knowing what is really involved with the keeping of stock. The novelty wears off after a while and the animal is sold on again to someone else with rose coloured specticals. I am a compasionate person and will do the best for my animals whilst they are in my care, I will also be choosey as to who I will allow to purchase any of the surplus stock that we all inevitably have. We are all reasonably close to a breeder that has a market for Dexter beef if we don't have one ourselves, we should all use this type of outlet as opposed to the one where we think our little darlings will be alive if not very well looked after. Better a good short life than a long drawn out one that is filled with fear.
How old is too old? I think my old cow will not be happy if she doesn't have a calf with her in the spring when everyone else has. I want her to be treated with dignity and respect until the last moment, so she will not be unfit to travel when the time comes, it will be somewhere between the end of her usefull life and well before she becomes an unhappy and sick animal. Her age at that time? who knows, we will just have to wait and see.

John C · Post by **John C** » Fri May 05, 2006 10:10 am

Our plan,with limited acreage is to eat a young bull every year.
Our first bull will go for the chop this September, when hopefully he will have left our two females in the family way.As I've mentioned recently, our current stock is unregistered so my next young bull will be registered.
I'm keen to get a red dexter on the place which is why I asked the question about age in cows . In September after this bull is in the freezer we will have room for a pedigree non short red cow .I know there's the woman in the news having a a baby at sixty three but where would you draw the line with dexters .
I don't mind an aged cow, but I wouldn't want to be running a retirement home either !

Martin · Post by **Martin** » Fri May 05, 2006 10:47 am

Buy a cow before its a teenager and you should get a good few years of worry free production from her John. I try to be as commercial as I can with my herd, and don't expect to carry passengers, but a retired cow for a couple of years won't be too much of a hardship.

Inger · Post by **Inger** » Tue May 09, 2006 12:46 am

Age is relative. In some families (as in humans) the animals, especially if given a good start in life, will live and breed to a great age. In other families they're looking old at 12. So you need to make a judgement on each individual animal.

I have one cow which is nearing 13 and I feel has had her last calf. She does not keep good condition through the Winter and although she feeds her calf well, she has produced the smallest calf in the herd for the last two years. One of whom was a prem calf which took a great deal of looking after. Not exactly easy-care. So, once her present heifer calf is weaned, she is going into the freezer as mince and sausages. I don't want to sell her, as her disposition couldn't handle another move. She is too high-strung. So I think the kindest thing is to have her home-killed.

oliver1921 · Post by **oliver1921** » Mon May 15, 2006 9:12 am

We have a cow who is 14 - is the 'mother' of the herd and a calming influence on the others. She is always around particularly when the heifers are calving offering advice and you can almost tell from the way she is reacting whether we need to give assistance or not. She has just produced another fantastic non-short heifer calf - one of the biggest and strongest to date this year and we will certainly be putting her to the bull again without any hesitation. she winters out as well with no problem and always comes across for a stroke - roll on the old ladies - they are far easier for a beginner than a heifer.

Peter thornton · Post by **Peter thornton** » Tue May 16, 2006 11:33 pm

Ihave a cow who is now 12 years old. She produces a nice calf every year and is usually the first to be served when we let the bull in. She is a typical short red, a bit tubby and her udder is not quite touching the ground.
My question is, how do you know when she's too old to breed?
I have a neighbouring farmer who looks at her and says "Time you sent that one to be burnt" But he's been saying that for the last three years!
What will actually happen when she's too old? Will she just not get pregnant? Or will she have difficulty in calving?

I really wouldn't want to mistreat her, but she seems happy enough.

Inger · Post by **Inger** » Thu May 18, 2006 10:56 am

My feeling is that the cow will let you know when she's had enough. We had one old girl on our farm who gave birth to twins, then had infections of various kinds. She managed to rear her twins fine, once we sorted out her health problems, but her owner felt it was time for her to retire from breeding. She'll probably go on for a few more years yet, without the extra load of producing a calf.

Sylvia · Post by **Sylvia** » Thu May 18, 2006 11:24 am

I agree with you Inger, I think animals are the best judge of when they have had enough. Years ago we had a Pygmy goat who we milked (about a pint a day and feeding her twins which was quite enough for us to freeze some) when she was about 12 I told her she'd done enough, bless her, and she could retire. The following year she was still happily feeding her last kid, now a mother herself AND her grandchildren. So that's what she thought of my misjudgement. She lived another 6 years and I have no doubt thought I was an idiot for making a decision she disagreed with.