Cull her or keep her (pic)

[tom4018]

I was curious as to what the opinion of others would be on this cow. We need to cull some out and riding the fence on this one. She is about 7 years old and has average 560# (205 day) on 2 calves I have sold off her. Third calve ready to go now and she has calved on schedule so far. I feel her udder is not the best and seems to have less milk this year, calf seems smaller, 11/30 birth date, 77#. I would guess he is a little less than 500# now.
Pics taken in early January. May try for some new ones tomorrow.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Tom I hate selling a producing cow always get hamburger prices at the salebarn. If she is producing she is putting folding money in your pocket.
She doesn't look bad in my book.

 

[tom4018]

Tom I hate selling a producing cow always get hamburger prices at the salebarn. If she is producing she is putting folding money in your pocket.
She doesn't look bad in my book.

C.B. thanks for your input, your one of the few on here that is realistic.

 

[Pooog1]

Hi Tom,

I would also have to side with Caustic Burno as long as she is paying her way. It would be different if she turned up late each year or was hard to have around. Those kind of cattle deserve to be taken to the salebarn. Take an average for your herd and then find out where she fits in. As long as she is close to the average, she should be fine for some more years.

 

[Chuck]

I guess it would depend on why you are culling (lack of grass,raising cash,etc.) but I don't think she looks too bad. The third calf may be a little light, but she has weaned three out of three for you.

 

[dun]

The weight of her calves don;t really mean much until you compare them to other cows bred to the same bull that calve around the same time. Unless her calves are significatnly lighter at weaning then the others under the same conditions that woudln;t put her on my cull list. But as someone else said, depends on the reason for culling.

dun

 

[Caustic Burno]

Tom look at it this way a 600 pound calf brings a dollar a pound= 600 bucks. The cow at cull prices 45 cents a pound here 1200x .45 = 540 bucks. I will take the 600 a year until she is ready for the chili factory.
In my neck of the woods cows like that are going for 500 or less due to no grass. Saw four good looking Brangus go for 425 at the salebarn yesterday.

 

[mnmtranching]

Tom, you know the cow, I would say by the looks of her, keep her. She looks sound. The calf she has dosn't look like much, just the way it works sometimes.

mnmt

 

[Anonymous]

i'd say she aint a bad lookin cow...but as you said you needed to cull some out...is she at the bottom of your list?...if you absolutely have to cull some out...then i'd think long and hard about it...which ones are the most consistant...make a list on which cows have consistantly done good for you...I dont know about the rest of your herd but I think she looks like a good solid cow...maybe she is at the bottom of your herd though...be smart about it...what Caustic said was right

and I hope you got some more grass than whats in that picture now...the early January weather is hard on grass...good luck with the cow

 

[cfpinz]

If you're on the fence about her, I say keep her if you can afford to. You can always sell her later, but you can't buy her back. Another cow will rise to the top of your list for whatever reason later. I always have a few unexpected members show up on my list.

 

[fitz]

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

 

[Roadapple]

I was curious as to what the opinion of others would be on this cow. We need to cull some out and riding the fence on this one. She is about 7 years old and has average 560# (205 day) on 2 calves I have sold off her. Third calve ready to go now and she has calved on schedule so far. I feel her udder is not the best and seems to have less milk this year, calf seems smaller, 11/30 birth date, 77#. I would guess he is a little less than 500# now.
Pics taken in early January. May try for some new ones tomorrow.

Are you saying this calf was born Nov. 30, and a month and a half later he weighs 500 lbs., and you're thinking of culling her? Now I imagine you mean 13 month's. Am I correct on that, or am I missing something here? I do that quite often.

 

[Roadapple]

Reread that and I did miss something. You're saying calf is 500 now, not 500 in Jan. Sorry bout that. Told you I screw up quite often.

 

[jscunn]

Tom, I agree with the experts on the board. One thing I might suggest preg check her. Make sure she is still on schedule. If you want to cull her or a few more take the lowest 5 cows in your herd and preg check them, (if you dont preg check them all). then cull the opens or the late breeders.

 

[Chuckie]

Keep her.

 

[Anonymous]

you also said she seems to have less milk this year...i'd wait til next year at least and see if it was just an off year for her or if her milk production really is decreasing...i've had plenty of cows that have had a bad year with their milking and their calves were smaller...but it was just a one year thing for my cows...the next year they'd milk just fine...but if her milking keeps going down then thats a problem...i'd say keep her and see how she does with her next calf

 

[Alan]

Tom,

I curious to more of your thoughts on why you would cull her, you mentioned you don't like her udder and she seems to be milking less this year. Did you use the same bull as previous years?

These are purley educational questions on my part. I culled a couple of cows this year and it was an easy choice for me, now it may get tougher. The I have a pretty young herd, I have 2 that just turned 5 yrs. Is 7 yrs getting too old for your herd?

Thanks,
Alan

 

[Ronald Boggess]

I will join the majority here. Keep her. I see nothing at all wrong with her.

 

[jcarkie]

i am kind of in the same boat i need to cut back a couple and i can't decide on who. i have one late calver but she is good and may catch up this time. i am trying to find something wrong with some of them, i think i will wait till prg ck time and then see what to do. it can be hard decision, i would hate to cull one and have one be open at preg ck.

 

[tom4018]

Here are pics taken today of the cow's udder and her current calf(180 days old). Calf is going to the salebarn tomorrow, will probably hold the cow for now.