Cull cow??

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randiliana

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When do you draw the line on udders? Here is a 5 year old cow. She has 1 teat that is too big, but then, we have had her 2 years and the calf has no trouble getting on it once he requires the milk. Now I wouldn't likely keep a heifer out of her, but she has the potential to raise a phenomenal calf. She probably won't last into old age, but cull cows are cheap, and good replacements aren't (and the replacement could have worse issues than this cow has). She will stay around until she proves she has issues, and then we will either pull the calf, adopt it and cull her in the spring, or spend the time to get it on her and then cull her in the fall

DSC03193.jpg


And here's her calf, Born March 30/07.
DSC03200.jpg
 
For strictly commercial use I would keep her untill she proves to be a problem. As long as the calf finds the teat OK I'll keep her. Once the teats get so big the calf struggles to get on them I'll help the calf to get his first drink and that will be the last calf she raises.

All really depends on how many good replacemnets you have, whether you have reach your target herd size, etc. But just by looking at her udder as it is now I reckon she still have a few calves in her.
 
I got a few cows that I have some issues with but they throw the top end of the calves. Though it might not be right, I'm gonna keep them until I don't have anything but them to fill my yearly cull load.
 
id keep that cow until her bagg or teats are blown out.or till she fails to wean a calf.due to losing the calf because her teats are to big to suck.
 
We have a 3 year old that just graduated to the top of the cull list because of her teats. As a 2 year old her teats were about 2 inches long and the diameter of a cigar. This year she has 3 teats the same size as last year and one that the size of a banana. Raising a good calf but she calved a bit late so that put her on the potential cull list, the teat was the final straw.
 
dun":b5tj1k7f said:
We have a 3 year old that just graduated to the top of the cull list because of her teats. As a 2 year old her teats were about 2 inches long and the diameter of a cigar. This year she has 3 teats the same size as last year and one that the size of a banana. Raising a good calf but she calved a bit late so that put her on the potential cull list, the teat was the final straw.

herf x ?
 
Beefy":23wvmybx said:
dun":23wvmybx said:
We have a 3 year old that just graduated to the top of the cull list because of her teats. As a 2 year old her teats were about 2 inches long and the diameter of a cigar. This year she has 3 teats the same size as last year and one that the size of a banana. Raising a good calf but she calved a bit late so that put her on the potential cull list, the teat was the final straw.

herf x ?

Commercial (black) Red Angus.
 
I think you have a good plan, to take one calf at a time, see how it goes. If there's any sign of trouble let it be her last calf.
 
randiliana":3tsy0duh said:
When do you draw the line on udders? Here is a 5 year old cow. She has 1 teat that is too big, but then, we have had her 2 years and the calf has no trouble getting on it once he requires the milk. Now I wouldn't likely keep a heifer out of her, but she has the potential to raise a phenomenal calf. She probably won't last into old age, but cull cows are cheap, and good replacements aren't (and the replacement could have worse issues than this cow has). She will stay around until she proves she has issues, and then we will either pull the calf, adopt it and cull her in the spring, or spend the time to get it on her and then cull her in the fall

DSC03193.jpg


And here's her calf, Born March 30/07.
DSC03200.jpg

Nope - she stays.

Bez>
 
This cow will be a candidate for cull before she hits old age. Most likely her udder will give out before she does. We are still building the herd as well, and with over twenty 9+ year old cows, there are too many other candidates or possibilities in the herd for her to be one at this point. So far she is maintenance free, and raises one of the top calves in the herd.
 
In our commercial herd she would stay as long as her disposition was good and we could work with her easily if she did have a problem. Why get $150-$200 for her when you can sell her calf for $700.?
 
Victoria":2m3b9gy0 said:
In our commercial herd she would stay as long as her disposition was good and we could work with her easily if she did have a problem. Why get $150-$200 for her when you can sell her calf for $700.?

Exactly. Athough prices have come up recently, it still isn't worth taking her to town and having to replace her with a much pricier animal.
 
In comparison to our cows, her udder is a little below average and her teats would be considered in the bottom 5-10% of our herd. They seem to be fairly straight and otherwise fault-free though, so she would stay until she couldn't feed a calf or the quarters started blowing up on her.
 

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