cattle life expectancy

[Anonymous]

Can someone please tell me on average how long a cow will live and how long she will reproduce? Also how long should I keep my bull before replacing him?

[email protected]

 

[Anonymous]

Another of those trick questions! Much is dependent upon the breed, forage, foraging conditions, individual genetics, etc. Some cows are old at 4 some are young at 12, rpobably around 6-8 would be the average, but some go on reproducing into there teens and possibly into their 20's. Others give out after only a couple of calves. If you don't retain any heifers sired by your bull you could keep him till the year before he doesn't get the job done anymore. Figuring out what year that may be can be pretty tricky. A Breeding Soundness Exam (the good BSE) should tell you if he can get the job done. But that doesn't really take into consideration of libido. If you retain his heifers, get rid of him before he can breed his daughters. That will stir up some serious controversy.

dun

> Can someone please tell me on
> average how long a cow will live
> and how long she will reproduce?
> Also how long should I keep my
> bull before replacing him?



[email protected]

 

[Anonymous]

Does the quality of beef suffer if you breed a bull to his daughter? I've not done it, but never thought it would hurt. Will the new calf have any defects? In the next year or two we'll be in the position to have a bull breed his daughter, and it would be nice to know if I do need to find another bull. I guess I've just never thought of this before. I'm quite new to this.

rwhite

[email protected]

 

[Anonymous]

Don't know about effects on beef taste with such a breeding. HOWEVER, close in-breeding (father/daughter, mother/son, brother/sister) can result in defects (or improvement) in offspring. Usually best to skip 2 or 3 generations with close "line-breeding."

Close in-breeding "can" improve a trait; however, the risk is high and it becomes a genetic crap-shoot.

[email protected]

 

[Anonymous]

Dun said “If you don't retain any heifers sired by your bull you could keep him till the year before he doesn't get the job done anymore.” That answer is exactly correct!

Buying and selling bulls is like buying and selling stocks. It sure is hard to let go of a winner but that’s when you need to sell them. We buy young bulls when they are just tall enough to do business. We generally sell them by the time they reach five years old, maybe six. After that they usually decline in virility and burn too much grass for what they get accomplished.

Craig-TX

 

[Anonymous]

> Can someone please tell me on
> average how long a cow will live
> and how long she will reproduce?
> Also how long should I keep my
> bull before replacing him?

Inbreeding can increase risk of deformanity and other admormal things. As a beginner, I would always breed my heifers to a nonrelated bull. besides Hybrid vigar from the nonrealated bull can be an asset.

[email protected]

 

[Anonymous]

It works usually. It's linebreeding when it works inbreeding when it doesn't.....

[email protected]