Hasbeen
Well-known member
One common theme I've noticed while reading all the posts is culling. A cow has a bad attitude, ship her. Poor mother? She's gone. Habitually finds a way out of the pasture, she grows wheels. Get's sick with something difficult to treat, gone. I agree wholeheartedly that problems need to be gotten rid off, but here is what I'm wondering. In my limited experiences at the sales barn, I've never heard the auctioneer disclose anything but the very obvious defects. Do these cows normally end up at the slaughter house or do they end up in some newbie's herd until the problem is discovered and then the whole process starts over again? If I cull a good looking cow because she doesn't produce enough milk or is aggressive toward me or some other not easy to spot flaw, should I disclose why I'm culling her? I mean, she would be fine for slaughter but not something you want on the farm. What is the ethical thing to do and how do you handle this?