We finally shipped an 18 year old Simmental cow, that had 17 natural calves (12 heifers!) because she quit cycling. Always calved during first 30 days of calving season. We have lots of daughters, granddaughters -- to great-great granddaughters. If they're good, they're hard to replace. Jeanne <A HREF="http://www.SimmeValley.com" TARGET="_blank">http://www.SimmeValley.com</A>
> I agree with Dun. There are
> several examples of cattle
> breeding successfully into their
> twenties. One old Simmental cow
> entered a flush program when she
> was about 18 or 19--and was
> successfully flushed several
> times! I was called out to a farm
> a few years back to see a cow who
> was "choking" with feed
> stuck in her esophagus. She was a
> 28 year old Hereford with few/no
> teeth left. The farmer didn't want
> to cull her because she was
> pregnant. So as long as her udder,
> feet and teeth are holding up, her
> age shouldn't be the only deciding
> factor in culling, unless you're
> pressed for space and have some
> good heifers coming up!
[email protected]