JHH
Well-known member
I am talking problem free cows that work. They may b cow hocked, bad udder but functional, ect.
I have had several into there teens and some 20 plus.
I have had several into there teens and some 20 plus.
to what age do you keep your cows?
- Thread starter JHH
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I keep them until they have been going down hill for a couple of years, BCS and raising calves downhill.
Or until they just simple make the top of the cull list.
Or if cattle prices are so high at the yard I get greedy $$$$
Or until they just simple make the top of the cull list.
Or if cattle prices are so high at the yard I get greedy $$$$
Nesikep
Well-known member
I keep them as long as they produce.. I have one that's a mean witch at calving and has a pretty bad udder, but she raises awesome heifers and bull, and her daughters have all been better than her.. I won't mind a getting a couple more. I have a few cows that just never make a worthwhile replacement heifer, and I will never keep anything from... they're 11 years old, I might get rid of some of them this year.
I'd say about 25% of them make it to 10 years, and I've had two get to 18 so far.
I'd say about 25% of them make it to 10 years, and I've had two get to 18 so far.
Aaron
Well-known member
Before they lose too much condition, when it will affect their cull value. Most I have seen at the yards over 15 are racks of bones and not worth much. Friend regularly keeps his well into teens until they are 'used up'. But he gets into a lot of issues with weakness, sickness and no milk in those old girls. I continually tell him to sell those girls a year or two earlier and he could save himself a considerable amount of work and more money for the better-conditioned cows.
Oldest ever got was 16 and that was a Holstein. Guys make a big thing about how old some of their cows are, but if they only wean a 300 lb calf, I don't want her. Now a 20 year old that can raise an average to above average calf - those genetics are worth good money.
Oldest ever got was 16 and that was a Holstein. Guys make a big thing about how old some of their cows are, but if they only wean a 300 lb calf, I don't want her. Now a 20 year old that can raise an average to above average calf - those genetics are worth good money.
as long as they are productive and structurally sound. 1 bad teet-culled, bad feet-culled, cant hold condition-culled. Its not on age so much as sound genetics for me, the may be 2 or 47 the criteria is the same...
skyhightree1
Well-known member
Isomade said:
That's the way we do it too. Or until someone offers me a crazy amount of money for her. That happened a couple of years ago. 2 weeks after they got her she got struck by lightning and killed.Isomade":1gx0a6tq said:
I keep them as long as they stay healthy, fertile and productive. Usually the condition of the latest calf tells me if she is worth keeping another year. Some are into their teens, this is normal here, teeth are no issue in my country, usually. Twenties - never had even one.
I really like old cows from a breeding perspective, because these older cows have already "jumped through all the necessary hoops", but when they show some faults like a bad leg or whatever, it is time for a younger cow to prove herself instead.
I would never keep a "pensioned" cow here, if I want to be sentimental it is better to remember them in full strength, and possibly keep their skulls around if they have beautiful horns.
I really like old cows from a breeding perspective, because these older cows have already "jumped through all the necessary hoops", but when they show some faults like a bad leg or whatever, it is time for a younger cow to prove herself instead.
I would never keep a "pensioned" cow here, if I want to be sentimental it is better to remember them in full strength, and possibly keep their skulls around if they have beautiful horns.
Somebody always peels my head like an onion when I say this, but I think it's good to let them grow wheels at about age 10. She is still worth a fair amount at the yard, or even to an individual at that age. Keep plenty of heifers as replacements and your good to go.
depending on your management style, and what you are trying to achieve, it makes sense. For me personally, I know how many cows I can successfully run. I don't want to go over that, and I certainly don't want to be under that. I can hold my "total gross" sales at the same level by aging out cows with value, and keeping several heifers, so that's what I do.
I wouldn't argue with somebody that keeps cows longer, because I can see the benefit of it as well.
depending on your management style, and what you are trying to achieve, it makes sense. For me personally, I know how many cows I can successfully run. I don't want to go over that, and I certainly don't want to be under that. I can hold my "total gross" sales at the same level by aging out cows with value, and keeping several heifers, so that's what I do.
I wouldn't argue with somebody that keeps cows longer, because I can see the benefit of it as well.
Taurus
Well-known member
Isomade is right! As long as the cows are still productive and still raising a calf. If her calf is lighter than other calves, time for her to go.
Rafter S
Well-known member
My primary reasons for culling, in no particular order:
1. Bad bag. Some people will keep a cow with a bad udder, and I won't criticize them for it, but I've sold otherwise good cows after weaning their first calf if I didn't like the way their udder looked. I just don't want to mess with it. Also, I'm selling replacement heifers, and I don't want a potential buyer to see a cow with a bad bag in my herd and wonder if one of the heifers I'm selling is her daughter.
2. Bad attitude. There are too many good cows in the country to put up with the crazy ones.
3. Failing to have a calf every year, although if a cow has done well in the past, I'll give her a chance if she's 30 - 60 days late. But she better make up ground and get back on schedule pretty quick, and she only gets that chance once.
4. Bad feet, though I rarely have issues with that.
As long as neither of the above hits a cow, she's raising at least an average quality calf, and I have plenty of grass, she can stay. If I lose a rent pasture, or need to thin my herd because of drought, then I'll look at age when deciding what to sell.
1. Bad bag. Some people will keep a cow with a bad udder, and I won't criticize them for it, but I've sold otherwise good cows after weaning their first calf if I didn't like the way their udder looked. I just don't want to mess with it. Also, I'm selling replacement heifers, and I don't want a potential buyer to see a cow with a bad bag in my herd and wonder if one of the heifers I'm selling is her daughter.
2. Bad attitude. There are too many good cows in the country to put up with the crazy ones.
3. Failing to have a calf every year, although if a cow has done well in the past, I'll give her a chance if she's 30 - 60 days late. But she better make up ground and get back on schedule pretty quick, and she only gets that chance once.
4. Bad feet, though I rarely have issues with that.
As long as neither of the above hits a cow, she's raising at least an average quality calf, and I have plenty of grass, she can stay. If I lose a rent pasture, or need to thin my herd because of drought, then I'll look at age when deciding what to sell.
Bigfoot":2qu2umo9 said:
I was chewing up James Coffelt about it, he claims to be a seedstock producer, in a maternal breed at that.
A commercial producer has my blessing to do what he likes, raising replacements is cheaper if you sell cows at 10 years compared to 7 years for example. At 10 she has a substatial salvage value, that usually decreases later on. And paperless crossbred cows do not need to be "tested by time" either.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
Till I come up with a more profitable one.
Bud' cowboy math used to use $100 per year of projected calf production difference when comparing young and old cows. So if you sold a 10 year old for $1250 and bought a 5 year old for $1650 you made a paper trading profit of (1250-1650)+(10-5)*100=$200
or sell a bred heifer for $2150 and buy back a 5 year old for $1650 so (2150-1650)-(5-2)*100=$200
You just made the same trade money by selling the high risk heifer and by selling the old cow ???
NPV aside, I think the real issue is that most of these older less than perfect cows just often don't have good resale - - so I tend to keep them. The younger two and three year olds have much better resale - - so they get culled hard.
The question for me is to what age do I keep my heifers?
Bud' cowboy math used to use $100 per year of projected calf production difference when comparing young and old cows. So if you sold a 10 year old for $1250 and bought a 5 year old for $1650 you made a paper trading profit of (1250-1650)+(10-5)*100=$200
or sell a bred heifer for $2150 and buy back a 5 year old for $1650 so (2150-1650)-(5-2)*100=$200
You just made the same trade money by selling the high risk heifer and by selling the old cow ??? NPV aside, I think the real issue is that most of these older less than perfect cows just often don't have good resale - - so I tend to keep them. The younger two and three year olds have much better resale - - so they get culled hard.
The question for me is to what age do I keep my heifers?
Nesikep
Well-known member
I don't pension any cows here either.. but when I look at the last one I put down, I had been keeping a replacement for her since she was 10.. there were always bigger screwups in the herd that had to go to town, so she stayed around. If I had sold her at 10, she would have had 9 calves.. Instead I put her down here after 16.. sure, I didn't get any resale value, but I got 7 more calves, and her last 3 were all great heifers that did every bit as good as the rest of the herd.. I may not be money ahead if you try and do simple math with it, but I think I'm genetics ahead, and hopefully that'll pay off in years to come. If her last daughter gets as old as she did I'll be in my mid 50's, and her mother was born when I was 16. That's a pretty good stretch of time for 2 generations of cows.
As some saying goes.. sometimes you have to let go of something before you can get something better. I find a lot of breeding today doesn't look at long term gains because they can't be penciled out, thus they're ignored and only direct production is looked at.
As some saying goes.. sometimes you have to let go of something before you can get something better. I find a lot of breeding today doesn't look at long term gains because they can't be penciled out, thus they're ignored and only direct production is looked at.
cow pollinater
Well-known member
A lot of my cows were bought so I have to guess on age but I'm like bigfoot in that I like to sell them as pairs or bred cows when there is still some life in there. Ten years is about right for most cows here unless they have ears which makes them last a little longer. I don't get to see my cows on a regular basis and it's rough enough country that if they go downhill they won't come back so I'm money ahead keeping my cows young.
FlyingLSimmentals
Well-known member
Our stay until they break the contract we arrange with them the day we decided to keep them as heifers. If they stay healthy and do their job, they'll always have a place here.
hillbilly beef man
Well-known member
I keep them till their weaning weights start dropping. As long as she is weaning a 550lb or better calf on grass only that old cow is still making me money. Some will start dropping off around 12 years, some will last into the late teens. When they wean a small calf they grow wheels.
Named'em Tamed'em
Well-known member
Lucy, our 1st cow (holstein/hereford ) had to be put down at 17yo due to cancer eye. She was a bottle raised family member had 14 calves and raised 6 that weren't hers.
Mocha a Limi had to be put down at age 14 due to a bad foot. She started my lim-flex move.
Mocha a Limi had to be put down at age 14 due to a bad foot. She started my lim-flex move.
bigbull338
Well-known member
i look at culling them when they are 10.i culled 2 that missed calving this year.they was 12 and 13.ive got 1 that will be 12 this year.she will go this fall when we wean her calf.
Get bred and raise a calf every year and they stay as long as the calf is profitable/saleable. This year even the 13 yr old that raises the 400lb calf is profitable as that calf x $2.50 is still $1000 and that's more profitable than retaining that heifer calf to replace her now. Sure if they're getting gimpy or slow it's time to,go, would rather get canner price than dig a hole.
