Cull her or keep her (pic)

Help Support CattleToday:

Caustic Burno":1sylaevf said:
That brockle face calf looks like foldin money to me.
The one behind the steer?
Do you mean you like it or you would sell it?

Re read that, late last night and just came in from haying, some how I made cow out of calf.
 
Don't mean to answer for CB, but I believe he is talking about the steer being a good sale prospect. It's a good looking steer.

If the red cow behind the steer is mom I can see what you mean by the udder being suspect. But she sure threw a nice calf.

Alan
 
Keep the cow.

You folks all need to sit down some night at the kitchen table and decide what YOUR cull criteria is going to be. Sounds like many do not have a definite idea on who goes and who stays.

Alan - 7 years is still a baby - if she works she stays.

Cull criteria and value of records:

All things being equal - health, fertility and body condition - we use a couple of things to make our decisions.

1. Cost - What did that old girl cost us this year?

Ie - vet bills, time and so on. High cost animal goes - dollar value to cost - $150 - even if someone in the family loves her. She is meat and I can always buy another.

I can tell you pretty much to the penny what we put into each animal on the place - keep records!

Highest cost animal - if real good may get one chance - NEVER a second chance.

2. Calf weights - how did hers' compare the herd average?

If she is on the bottom end at weaning time or brings a weak one to the herd - first year maybe stay - second year definitely gone. If she stays she better look real good out there on grass.

3. Assisted or unassisted?

Yeah - blame can be placed in a whole bunch of areas - but first year a diagonal line goes through the little box beside her name. Once again all things being equal - if I have another pull or hard delivery - I put a diagonal line the other direction. She is now X'd out and goes - even if she puts out a nice calf.

4. Attitude - will she run a dog or a coyote - but leave me and the family alone?

Yes - she stays - no - she goes.

5. $150 buck rule.

With cattle in Canada being almost worthless - I will not spend more than 150 bucks to fix her. I ship her unless the "calf is right at the door". Bullet is cheaper if the animal is in pain.

Those are a few of my rules - Well, so far I do not see anything that puts this girl on the truck yet.

I have a few more cull criteria - but enough for now.

If this one is what you consider your rough one - I would say you have a solid herd.

Bez!
 
there is nothing wrong with that cow or calf.

like alan said, that hereford behind the calf has a worse bag that his momma does.

7 to 10 year old cows are in the prime of their lives. it would be foolish to sell them just b/c.
 
Well, I am going to be contrarian I guess. Maybe not in this cows case but in others... I HAD to cull 14 bred cows last fall. Well, felt that I had too. Most were for being honery but a couple were for just being not what I was looking for. The vet thought I was crazy, those are good cows she said, but they had to go. Sent them to a bred cow sale at the local sale barn... 1200 on average for them... In a situation like that, I should have sent more to the barn :shock:
 
Beefy":1yithgn4 said:
there is nothing wrong with that cow or calf.

like alan said, that hereford behind the calf has a worse bag that his momma does.

7 to 10 year old cows are in the prime of their lives. it would be foolish to sell them just b/c.

The hereford had mastitis in one quarter and really has a big teat on that quarter. Ashamed too, because she is young.
 
What did the steer weigh. He looks stoudt enough to me to work at most feed lots(and I thought he was a dink as a Jan calf). I am not telling you to clone the cow; BUT she looks like she is working well enough to me.
 
Udder looks OK to me...our o'l boss cow has one coke bottle teat and one larger than the other two, just gets nursed in stages. When the calf's mouth is big enough to handle the larger teats they suck them just fine, of course she is a real good milker and has big calves.
I's keep the cow all things being equil.
Just my two bits worth. DMc
 
Brandonm2":uxt44toi said:
What did the steer weigh. He looks stoudt enough to me to work at most feed lots(and I thought he was a dink as a Jan calf). I am not telling you to clone the cow; BUT she looks like she is working well enough to me.

Calf weighed 515# at the salebarn a little while ago, see what he brings when I get the check.

2.4 ADG so I guess he was pretty good.
 
Keep her Tom. I sent one last year that was 19 years old. She always had one bad teat but gave me a nice calf every year. Why cull her for one that may or may not be as good?
 
Cull for disposition and teat size if you have to help the calf nurse. Cull for fertility. It costs a lot to develop heifers, that money is already spent for a cow. If the cow continues to get pregnant and raise a calf each year, age is no consideration. Selling a cow just because she is 10 seems insane to me. :D
 
If'n you aint too far from me I say cull her (I'll come and get her). If you are too far from me I say keep her. :D
 
fitz":mmks8nzl said:
I agree with most on here. Looking at her if she's a producer (money maker) she would be hard to let go regardless of age.
It all boils down to reasons for culling. If it stays dry here we may have problems soon. I've already started my list. In fact I keep one if it's just in my head. Those decisions are sometimes hard to make, sometimes they make them for me.

fitz

Well, I think one just made that list. I noticed when she started bagging up her two front teats were looking too large. When she calved (fourth calf) they were terrible. The calf only went to the back. I thought I would get her up and try to strip the front ones. I was concerned about the calf not going to them and still having the problem to deal with. Gave it one more day and he remedied the problem for me. This time. I think it'll happen again with next calf and may not have as good of results. So, like I said she just got closer if things get tight.

fitz
 

Latest posts

Top