How long can cows last?

[rockridgecattle]

We have had cows last for 12 years or so, but after that we start to cull them out. Our winters are harsher than most on the board so i have a bit of a different opinion.
We have noticed that around 10-11 years they start to have troubles keeping condition in the winter. They need a bit more maintenance. Not all like that, but the majority tend to need more care. We also notice that they calve a bit later, and the wean weights are not like they were when the cows were 4-9 years old.
It has also been noted that cows peak around 7-8 years old. That the colostrum antibodies also peak around that time. After that, there is a gradual decline in the quality of colostrum, and in over all milk production. Is that because our Canadian praire winters take more of a tole on the cows, I do not know.

RR

 

[Keren]

the oldest I have heard of was a hereford and she was 24 at the time and still producing good calves ... the guy was keeping her just to see how long she would live. That was about 5 yrs or so ago, I never did hear what age she got to.

 

[traderaaron]

For the past two years I have run nothing but older cows, largely broken mouth and a few short-solid mouth cows. Well, I should say these cows are probably old but harsher conditions can lead to broken mouths sooner than in other areas, some are older than others.

Weaning weights are variable from no difference to obviously smaller calves, calving dates are also a bit more variable. The cows largely are good enough milkers early on if conditions are favorable but then seem to drop off faster than a younger cow. Attention needs to be paid to the conditions of the pastures they are grazing, digestibility and forage quality need to be average to above average for your area. The Cows are a little slower to put on their summer coat and body condition in the late spring.

All that being said I like running old cows, you've got two things to sell, the cow as slaughter and the calf and thus turn your inventory quicker.

So the ages are largely variable, it is body condition and mouth/teeth which determine the age/condition of the cow in my area.

 

[TexasBred]

WORLD'S OLDEST COW

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/328730/

 

[Kingfisher]

For the past two years I have run nothing but older cows, largely broken mouth and a few short-solid mouth cows. Well, I should say these cows are probably old but harsher conditions can lead to broken mouths sooner than in other areas, some are older than others.

Weaning weights are variable from no difference to obviously smaller calves, calving dates are also a bit more variable. The cows largely are good enough milkers early on if conditions are favorable but then seem to drop off faster than a younger cow. Attention needs to be paid to the conditions of the pastures they are grazing, digestibility and forage quality need to be average to above average for your area. The Cows are a little slower to put on their summer coat and body condition in the late spring.

All that being said I like running old cows, you've got two things to sell, the cow as slaughter and the calf and thus turn your inventory quicker.

So the ages are largely variable, it is body condition and mouth/teeth which determine the age/condition of the cow in my area.

Hi. Will you tell me some more about just what that means when a cow is labeled as " broken mouth?" How much longer will one last that is deemed broken ? Short-solid? What does that mean? Thanks in advance.

 

[TexasBred]

Broke mouth = missing a tooth or maybe even more

Short/Solid = still has all her teeth but wearing down short. Sign of age.

 

[Kingfisher]

Broke mouth = missing a tooth or maybe even more

Short/Solid = still has all her teeth but wearing down short. Sign of age.

Thank you. At an auction how would you know if its missing one or a bunch of teeth?

 

[traderaaron]

Broke mouth = missing a tooth or maybe even more

Short/Solid = still has all her teeth but wearing down short. Sign of age.

Thank you. At an auction how would you know if its missing one or a bunch of teeth?

A cow that is preg checked by the vet at the auction will be aged by mouthing them, here they are marked with a tag positioned either side of the shoulder to indicate the age on an older cow, they also announce it.

If they are broken mouthed just figure on them not having any teeth really and if they do then it's a bonus. Also figure a short-solid mouth cow is older than you may think. Some auctions allow for a broken tooth to still be called a short-solid. If they say older they are usually old.

The body condition of an older cow in the late Fall will usually tell you as much about how many teeth and how good they are as anything else.

I would say most of my cows this year have very little tooth left.

I will be selling all my Cows as butcher cows direct to the packer this August or early September and selling the calves off of them. I buy an older cow specifically for just one season and that's all I would assume they'll last, a few don't make it through the winter and calving but most look better when I sell them as butcher cows than when I bought them in the fall/winter as bred cows.

 

[Dave]

Not all sales mouth the bred cows. They should but they don't. I do the old cow thing too. One way to make this work is to get cows from a harsher environment than you have. An old cow coming from a dry area where they have to travel miles to eat will flurish in a area with lush grass.