Should I cull?

[Richnm]

15 year old Leachman Right Time daughter. Was in decent shape last summer/fall then had caught some lice. I took care of the lice but she had lost a lot of condition. Nerveless she calved fine and calf was healthy, 6 weeks ago. She gained some weight back but obviously is not where she was and her bag seems not full in all quarters. Here are some pics first pic was before the lice. https://postimg.cc/gallery/2qwih3mso/. Best cow I have , slaughter weight would only be about $700. I was gonna ai her one more time. Now unsure

 

[snoopdog]

Your link doesn't work for me, but if she calved on time I'd definitely let her raise the calf. You don't give a location which really helps those that want to help. Being lousy is definitely not a reason to cull, maybe something else is going on, maybe pull a blood sample.

 

[Richnm]

Try link again. South of Albuquerque. Bottom pic was before lice. Was thinking since I am gonna let her raise the calf, I should ai her along with the rest.

 

[snoopdog]

Her bag looks fine to me, feed her, she'll be fine IMO.

 

[Richnm]

Never had a cow get lice as bad as she did. I have her with a few older ones in a pen now. 10 pounds of grain each a day, 10 pounds of leafy alfalfa 2 times a day , and unlimited hay in feeders.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I'd let this be her last calf if she were mine.

 

[Nesikep]

I have some that are more prone to lice than others.. She's a fine looking cow when she's in good shape..
If you're going to AI her for another calf and the one she has this year doesn't perform as hoped, I'd wean it early and try and let her get some condition before winter.. make the call to keep her or not in the fall

 

[Richnm]

Ever had a cow lose serious condition from lice ?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

No, I have never had a cow lose condition due to lice. But, I treat for lice.
Have you checked her teeth?
Bag looks like she is milking fine.

 

[Nesikep]

My fleabags seem to stay in fine condition, but it's possible she also has internal parasites that are far more taxing

 

[Richnm]

I wormed her twice she seemed to put most the weight back on. Teeth are 15 years old and not the best. So now she is 100% hay fed. Her calf is much smaller than all my other calves. Maybe it was worms/parasites .

 

[bird dog]

She is becoming one of those that cost you money even though still functioning as a working cow should. Her calves will become poorer as she goes. I would consider shipping her and replacing with a newer model.

Most of these older type cows get to where they won't breed back on time but I guess you can get away from that with AI.

All seemingly small problems like lice, worms and fly's are a lot harder on these old girls.

I would let her raise that one out and ship her. At 15 you more than got your moneys worth.

 

[farmerjan]

How about trying to flush her or get some embryos out of her. Let her raise this calf, don't breed back yet, then let her get some condition back, and then if she is that good of a cow, get some embryos, or ovacytes, and freeze or implant them in a couple of recip cows. Then you can make a decision, and she will be in better shape. Frankly, she is at the end of her "best years", but still might be able to rebreed after doing some "et" work. She will have had a break from continual calving. She has a pretty good udder for her age.....
How many of her heifer calves are in the herd? Have they preformed as good as her? If so then a round or two of harvesting eggs might be the best way to go and the easiest for her too.

 

[Richnm]

She has had 3 bull calves in a row. I thought about embryos. That would be cheaper than buying registered cows. I have a few Jerseys I could use for receipts. No heifers

 

[Son of Butch]

I wormed her twice she seemed to put most the weight back on. Teeth are 15 years old and not the best. So now she is 100% hay fed. Her calf is much smaller than all my other calves. Maybe it was worms/parasites .

SHIP 'EM ALL TO SOUTH SAINT PAUL.

O.K. looks like my age is showing... but seriously don't make excuses, cash her out in September
or sooner if you think the calf will bring a premium as cow/calf pair. She ain't gonna improve with
more age, reinvest the money in one that will.

 

[Richnm]

I sold the pair $1900. The calf seemed to have a crooked jaw when I looked at him closely. I don't know if worms or age or the calf brought her/them down.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

$1900 is pretty good for a 15 year old cow/pair.

 

[JackAngus]

Craigslist. I started at $2500 . I found some heavy breds for $2000 each. Figured I sell her while I can. The heavy breds reg#s are #18601572 ,18601572 and #18599090. Opinions ? Thanks

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Pretty good? I would say that was GREAT in this market.

 

[Richnm]

All the pairs or bred cows were $2500-$3500 on Craigslist. $1900 is cheap to start your own registered herd.