I have an old broken mouth cow that is due anyday. This winter has been hard on her even with it being mild. I know she needs to be culled just dont know how is the best way. The way i see it i have 3 options. Option 1 sale as soon as calf is born as a pair, option 2 wean calf early and sale cow and either sale calf at that point or keep it. option 3 hope that she dont keep taking a beating this summer and try to let her raise her calf till oct then sale calf with rest of the calves and sell her as a cull. what would you do ?
question about an old cow
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medicinewoman
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I would not procrastinate any longer then is necessary.
5 days after the calf hit's the ground I would put wheels under both of them and put her in the kill pen and sell the baby calf as a baby calf.
If you want to spend the time and money, keep the baby calf and bottle feed it, but ship the cow ASAP as the summer heat can be more stressful then a cold winter.
MW.
5 days after the calf hit's the ground I would put wheels under both of them and put her in the kill pen and sell the baby calf as a baby calf.
If you want to spend the time and money, keep the baby calf and bottle feed it, but ship the cow ASAP as the summer heat can be more stressful then a cold winter.
MW.
fitz
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andrews29":34r79p4r said:
I just got tired of looking at and worrying about one like that as I was going to run her til the calf went with the others of that weight range like you mentioned. Figured she was just taking up room her replacement could utilize. So when the calf got to 350# sent them both.
fitz
B&M Farms
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After she calves, see how she does. If she can raise the calf to weaning you will come out better. She is not taking up a replacements space if she is raising a calf. If you get a decent calf to weaning, the calf may bring by itself what she would right now.
bigbull338
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the best thing is to gamble an calve her out.an make sure the calf gets a good drink.then pull the calf an put it on the bottle an haul the cow an put her in the kill pen.but i would sell her as pair at all.
Massey135
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sell em as a pair few weeks after she calves. Assuming all the potential risk, I think this is where the most $$ would be. Selling the cow and calf separate is the worst idea as far as profit is concerned.
Dave
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The most money is with keeping her to fall. But it depends on having a little extra feed or a extra corner to slide her off into. I would calf her out and keep an eye on her. If her condition starts to slide I would ship her. But if she can hold her weight up I would wait til fall.
cow pollinater
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Hold onto her until fall on the best grass you have but don't let the bulls get anywhere near her. I've made alot of money buying old pairs cheap and splitting them at weaning and hauling both ack to the sale. Cows will take care of the calf on the ground first, the calf in their belly second, and themselves last... cut out the middle man and she can do a pretty good job raising a calf and putting on a few pounds herself.
If at any point she starts to fail, haul her to town RIGHT NOW and you'll still be in a better position with her than you are now as the calf will just be bigger.
If at any point she starts to fail, haul her to town RIGHT NOW and you'll still be in a better position with her than you are now as the calf will just be bigger.
medicinewoman
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If you ran that cow and calf into the ring as a pair here are your problems.
1. A buyer looking for a pair, is not going to buy an " old broken mouth cow"
2. A buyer looking for a baby calf is not going to buy your "old broken mouth cow" to bury her just to get the baby calf.
But there are buyers who do want an "old broken mouth cow", but they only buy out of the kill pen.
And there are buyers for baby calves, but they don't buy kill cows just to get the calf.
You need to target both buyers.
And the summer can be just as hard on her. And it will be even worse with a calf sucking her dry.
If she puts the calf on the ground, it very well maybe born with a compromised ammine system or not receive enough colostrums an/or milk and die with in 3 months. If it does manage to live to weaning, at best it will only be a poor calf.
If the cow dies before weaning, but after it can not be bottled feed, it will be an even poorer calf at weaning.
As I see it, the calf should becomes your priority.
If it hit's the ground it should be treated humanly. So either decide to bottle feed it yourself or sell it to someone who will, as there is a strong possibility the cow will not be able to take to weaning.
Then decide if you would rather sell the cow or dig a whole for the cow after she suffers a slow and agonizing death. Most likely from dehydration.
Good luck
MW
B&M Farms
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At the sale I use the sale will look for the best deal for you. If a old cow and calf doesn't seem to be bringing enough together the auctioneer will split them and sale the cow as a killer. Order buyer will buy the cow and someone else usually takes a bottle calf home. I still think with the price of calves and weigh cows you will make more if she can raise the calf. At any time you can decide she can't and every pound she can put on the calf the better as long as she can do it on grass.
medicinewoman":3as6n40p said:
I am not entirely sure why to bother; however I will try to say something. First I assume you speak of a compromised immune system? Colostrum tends to be stronger the older the cow is, and the more she has been through.
If a cow dies before the calf can be weaned it is possible to feed it milk, there is no "last moment" to bottle feed. the best for the calf is to be raised by its mother even for shorter time than other calves. It is not illegal to supplement the cow either, in fact that makes her hevier as a cull. If a cow with poor teeth dies, I strongly doubt it will die from dehydration. Water does not need to be chewed. :2cents:
Sound advice! :tiphat:cow pollinater":3as6n40p said:
Dave
Well-known member
It is not illegal to supplement the cow either, in fact that makes her hevier as a cull. If a cow with poor teeth dies, I strongly doubt it will die from dehydration. Water does not need to be chewed. :2cents:
I make the most money on broken mouth cows and pairs that I buy in the spring, keep for the summer, and ship both in the fall. But then I have pretty lush summer pasture. One thing about those old broken mouth girls, they didn't get to live that long by not raising a calf. If you have a place to put her and give her a little TLC she will do just fine. Some good grass and maybe a couple pounds of grain and she will do just fine. Now if all you have available is rougher range conditions for her, then getting that $1,100-1,200 for a broken mouth pair might be the better option.
Sound advice! :tiphat:[/quote]cow pollinater":3or1e4hp said:
I make the most money on broken mouth cows and pairs that I buy in the spring, keep for the summer, and ship both in the fall. But then I have pretty lush summer pasture. One thing about those old broken mouth girls, they didn't get to live that long by not raising a calf. If you have a place to put her and give her a little TLC she will do just fine. Some good grass and maybe a couple pounds of grain and she will do just fine. Now if all you have available is rougher range conditions for her, then getting that $1,100-1,200 for a broken mouth pair might be the better option.
medicinewoman
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ANAZAZI
Did you ever try to start bottle feeding a 2 - 4 month old calf? If you can catch him.
And even if you could, the cost of the milk alone would put you in the poorhouse to provide him with what he needs after he is a month or two old.
And even then you would only have a poor calf to sell.
Sounds to me like that this cow will die of malnutrition due to old age, with the cause of death being listed as dehydration because once she can no longer walk from malnutrition to reach water, or drink, she will dehydrate and die of dehydration.
It's much the same as a person who dies from drowning with the "cause" of death being listed as "suffocation" due to the inhalation of water.
What some of you are suggesting is fine for hobby farmers. But it is not for an operation for profit, as the risk and cost you propose are far too high.
MW
I know the feeling, but as does gas, it too will pass.
That is true----up to a point. Usually around 12 years of age, then it starts to decline in direct proportion to the cows health. As her health and her immune system becomes compromised due to old age, so does her unborn calves, her Colostrum and her quality and quantity of her milk.
Yes it is possible if you have the time and stamina.
Did you ever try to start bottle feeding a 2 - 4 month old calf? If you can catch him.
And even if you could, the cost of the milk alone would put you in the poorhouse to provide him with what he needs after he is a month or two old.
And even then you would only have a poor calf to sell.
Most cows who die, die of dehydration although the cause of death maybe any number of reasons.
Sounds to me like that this cow will die of malnutrition due to old age, with the cause of death being listed as dehydration because once she can no longer walk from malnutrition to reach water, or drink, she will dehydrate and die of dehydration.
It's much the same as a person who dies from drowning with the "cause" of death being listed as "suffocation" due to the inhalation of water.
What some of you are suggesting is fine for hobby farmers. But it is not for an operation for profit, as the risk and cost you propose are far too high.
MW
andrews29
Well-known member
update cow had a nice little heifer yesterday that i would like to keep. So when i put cows out on summer ground im going to put this cow cow on a 3 acre piece of land at the house thats got good grass and maybe give her a little grain as needed. then ship her this fall. Thanks for all the replys. Curtis
