sale barn?

[ScottyB]

I have been to the sale barn many times but still have some questions to be sure I am learning the right things.

Does Short Solid refer to a cows teeth and what age are these cows usually?
When they say 0 mouth, what does that mean and why aren't these sold as weigh cows?
What age are the weigh cows that go through and how come they are never pregnancy tested?
Are replacement cows and weigh cows the same thing?



This is a little off topic, but at what average age do cows stop producing calves? The reason I ask is that my grandpa has a cow that has had a calf everyyear, this year the calf ended up dieing two weeks after birth, this cow is over 22 years old at least.


Sorry there a lot of questions, but I want to learn as much as possible, and this has been a great teaching tool and everyone gives great advice.
Thanks!! :tiphat:

 

[Caustic Burno]

I have been to the sale barn many times but still have some questions to be sure I am learning the right things.

Does Short Solid refer to a cows teeth and what age are these cows usually?
When they say 0 mouth, what does that mean and why aren't these sold as weigh cows?
What age are the weigh cows that go through and how come they are never pregnancy tested?
Are replacement cows and weigh cows the same thing?



This is a little off topic, but at what average age do cows stop producing calves? The reason I ask is that my grandpa has a cow that has had a calf everyyear, this year the calf ended up dieing two weeks after birth, this cow is over 22 years old at least.


Sorry there a lot of questions, but I want to learn as much as possible, and this has been a great teaching tool and everyone gives great advice.
Thanks!! :tiphat:

I have seen short and solids be 7 year old cows and I have seen them be 18 year old cows, this goes back to grass management good grass good teeth. Here in East Texas in our sandy soil short poor grass wears the teeth much faster. I have seen cows at the barn aged much older that have come off poor pasture and younger off good.
I have some girls in the pasture that are old enough to vote with good teeth.

The numbers you are seeing on the cows at the salebarn are age and month of pregnacy
If you see a girl 0/0 she is a ten year old that is open vesus one that is 0/8 a ten year old in her 8th month.

 

[ScottyB]

I know what the ages on the side mean and how many months bred, but what about those weigh cows that go through with a T on their side. Not really sure why they go through without being pregnancy tested. Are these just cows that are getting culled from the herd or haven't had a calf this year? Why don't they show the age of the cows on them? :tiphat:

 

[dun]

I know what the ages on the side mean and how many months bred, but what about those weigh cows that go through with a T on their side. Not really sure why they go through without being pregnancy tested. Are these just cows that are getting culled from the herd or haven't had a calf this year? Why don't they show the age of the cows on them? :tiphat:

Cows going through as weigh cows are done by the sellers discretion. Why pay to mouth and preg a cow that is supposed to go to slaughter

 

[ScottyB]

Ok thats what I was wondering. Thank you.

 

[dun]

Ok thats what I was wondering. Thank you.

They could be in the kill pen for a jillion different reasons. Came up open, prolapsed, bad feet, bad udder, bad dispostion, age, condition, etc. I can;t think of all of the others that would make up the jillion right now.

 

[Dave]

Things are different from salebarn to salebarn. And there are definately regional differences. Here if you don't ask for a cow to be preg tested they automatically send her to the weigh pen.

 

[Cowdirt]

When prices are good for weigh cows is the time that many ranchers adjust their herd. Many times the large old cows are some of the first to go for obvious reasons. Some times they are pregnant but the owner won't spend the money to age and preg check since they'll bring more by the lb. so they are sold as open.