ss, sh, and f

[jrdyer42]

I tried searching for a while about this but I couldn't find anything so excuse me if there is already discussions about this topic. I'm new to cattle and have been at the last few sales at the stockyard and I'm curious as to what the tag on the cows backs that say ss sh and f mean? I know f is full mouth but does anyone care to elaborate or point me to a prior discussion about this? Thanks. (I realize this is a newbie question) ha

 

[cmay]

full mouth would mean they have a full set of teeth - younger cow.
ss - short solid - they have all their teeth but they are worn down - middle age cow.
sh -short mouth - older cow.
If they don't have any mark, they are probably broken mouthed.

 

[jrdyer42]

Thanks! Very helpful. One more thing..I know that there are many factors in determining if a particular cow is sh ss and f but generally how old are the cows in each of those three categories?

 

[Caustic Burno]

Thanks! Very helpful. One more thing..I know that there are many factors in determining if a particular cow is sh ss and f but generally how old are the cows in each of those three categories?

A lot of that depends on grass management, good grass= good teeth.
I had some in the mid to late teens that aged out six or seven through the salebarn last year in the drought
With that said I have seen 5 yr old cows age out as SS.
Neighbor and I checked the teeth on a bunch of Brimmer cross girls during the drought for culling and everyone of them had good teeth that would have aged them maybe 7 or 8 through the barn. Everyone of those cows were in there twenties.
There are several factor's that play into teeth wear, poor grass with sandy or rocky soil lack of mineral's bad hay.
What I trying to tell you is it only tells you the condition of the teeth it is a guess to age when aging by teeth.
You have no clue to the management of where they come from.

Now the salebarn is no place for rookies as it takes a cattleman with a discerning eye.
If you are going to buy through the barn you need a mentor until you learn.
There is more to buying one through the barn than ploping your ass down in the chair 5 minutes before the sale and start biding.

When I am in the market I get there when they are unloading, I see who is selling. I get the numbers of the cows I am interested in. Check out the cows off of the catwalk, and talk to the seller a lot of times. I have looked these cows over several times before I bid. Have I ever got burned yep a couple of times over the years.