Kathie in Thorp
Well-known member
It's a little late for Mother's Day, but maybe CT board should have a photo contest for the old girls (and maybe the old boys?). When is Grandparents' Day in the USA? Just checked. Sept. 9, 2012.
Granny through the years
- Thread starter dun
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Nesikep
Well-known member
Just noticed... the calf in my profile pic is Oldilock's daughter from 4 years ago
Kathie, that would be a good idea!
Kathie, that would be a good idea!
OP
OP
dun
Well-known member
The decision has been made! Granny is getting rattier and rattier looking, even though last week she ran across the pasture and didn;t look like she was in very bad shape. When we wean her calf this fall we'll put her down and bury her. Don;t want to the old girl to suffer and she deserves burying rather then being left for the varmints to eat.
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
dun":3b7eocxv said:
It is the right thing to do.
My old girl is holding up, but I know that day will come here as well.
OP
OP
dun
Well-known member
What will make it easier is I won;t have to shoot her, the vet when he stopped by yesterday to BS said he would do it for me. He's known that cow for the past 16 years and I'll bet there will be a tear in his eye when he does itCaustic Burno":1rbpv3xe said:
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Yep that would be a hard X to draw, I dread the day on ole Baby.
Kathie in Thorp
Well-known member
No matter who does it, that will be a rough day for you, Dun.
my granny cow "sugar"#24 i bought in 2003 as a 5 or 6 year old, had her 10th calf(all singles) for me in nov. 2011 a heifer(avg 10 months), still has a good bag and looks fairly decent for 15 or so ??. she doesn't have any real teeth just nubs, i have every heifer she has produced 07 #22,jan 09 #23,dec 09 #20, 11 will be #21 when she gets bred. #23 2yr old and #20 18 months calved 6 months apart. they are all good cows like her so far. i still would rather have cutter price than bury her. it will be hard either way never had a bit of trouble from her
Nesikep
Well-known member
I'm wondering when I'll have to put mine down,.. she's got some arthritis in a hip I think, or an old injury perhaps... I left the cows out on the roadside and hills to range about a bit, and she climbed way up in the hills (45 degree slopes) so she's not that stiff yet. I checked her teeth yesterday and they're all there, just worn down to nubbins as well, I couldn't get a good look at her molars though. Her calf grows really nicely. This year was a bit a harder year on her since she calved late last year and had that calf on her until january, then calved in march, so she didn't get much downtime. This winter will be easier on her and I'll try and keep her in condition. I've taken her out of the main herd for the winter feeding season and put her in with my replacement heifers where they're fed as much as they want to eat. I think next year may be her last season though
Workinonit Farm
Well-known member
dun":2oaisw5q said:
That was the plan for my old grandma cow, but fate intervened
. The night before the scheduled "appointment" she fell/went down. I didn't see what happened. But she couldn't get up, couldn't stand. I couldn't make her wait. That was the most difficult shot I've ever fired. I admit it, a few tears rolled. She's buried up on the hill, I wasn't going to feed her to the wildlife.I'm glad I have 3 of her daughters in production now and a 4th coming along. The 3 have turned out to be just as good as her. Good temperaments, good mothers and raise nice calves.
Katherine
Nesikep
Well-known member
We've had a few cows buried around our place... as well as some bears... we usually plant a tree there.. we're known for having the best cherries anywhere... courtesy of our last old granny "Lucy".. she lived to have 16 calves and then had most of a year of retirement.
longhornlover3498
Well-known member
our granny cow is a 19 yr old longhorn named miss ann. shes only had 5 bull calves since we got her. her daughters are some of the best we've owned. and most of our cows are her calves or grand calves. thers only 3 cows left from our original herd and shes one of them.
Nesikep
Well-known member
We don't have any of the cows from our original herd (they were 1990, 1991 model years), and my old cow now is the last direct offspring of any of them, and her mother got to 15 years. I think in the rest of our herd most of the cows are great grand daughters of the original cows. My dad was bent on keeping things that made big calves, regardless of the cost (many of them didn't make it past 4 calves for the first few generations). A lot of these animals had horrible traits in them.. horrid udders, soft hooves, and lots and lots of prolapses. I went more for the animals that were easy to maintain, even if it meant 100 lbs lighter a calf. Now, who knows how, but the grand daughters of my "line" are the beefiest you can fine, despite Grandma Josie was a bony cow, while the granddaughters of some of the other beefier lines have gotten to be the boneracks.. go figure
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Well it has been a dark day here, I had to draw an X on Ole Baby today.
Never got a heifer out of her in all the year's. This one was hard on me and it is going to kill the grandkid's.
Nothing in this life is forever.
Never got a heifer out of her in all the year's. This one was hard on me and it is going to kill the grandkid's.
Nothing in this life is forever.
Texas Gal
Well-known member
Caustic Burno":1jv6mimm said:
I'm sorry to hear that CB. That's never an easy thing to do but it's very difficult when it's one that you ( and the kids/grandkids, especially) love. Take comfort in the fact that you were a good steward and did the right thing for her.
OP
OP
dun
Well-known member
Really has me thinking about when Granny's time comes. Even though we knew that the day would come I think we still hope deep down inside (unrealisticly) that it won;t.Caustic Burno":2jgbohl1 said:
Kathie in Thorp
Well-known member
Sorry, CB. It would be so much easier if they just died in their sleep (or would it?). It was for my co-worker. We don't have anything ancient on the place, but I would rather look forward to the old-age thing and maybe having to put a good old girl down humanely because "it was time", than putting a special cow down or send her off because she just doesn't cut it. All are hard decisions.
Nesikep
Well-known member
I just dug up a great pic of my old granny from a year ago... She had calved in may, and I was keeping the heifer calf, so I decided to keep her on the teat a bit longer... turns out her granddaughter was accepted as well, and routinely was stealing milk... so I have a picture this little old cow who looks like she raised 2 700 lb heifers. And now, her own calf is top dog in her group, as well as the cows who are a year older... a tough girl built like a brick shthouse... I forgot to bring the pic... I'll try and remember for next week
