Culling Old Cows

Black Smoke

Hello,

Just looking for a bit of advice here.

I'm weaning most of my calves in the next week or so due to the bad weather and wanting to preserve as much good grass as possible for the weanlings as opposed to throwing it into the cows. Don't know if that makes good sense or not, but it's my plan in any case. Calves are Feb / March born and a bit behind most other years performance wise. I will be holding them over the winter.

I have four old empty cows to dry off. 14 / 16 years old, charolais x shorthorns. Smallish cows, with bags of milk in their day. Trouble is they look like clapped out holstein animals at this stage in their carreer All bone and no flesh.
Would it be a waste of time trying to put a bit of condition on them, by grassing and feeding nuts for say 6 weeks or so??
Two have long horns also so mart is not really an option for me, so I need to send them to the factory.
What do ye think ................ just send them to the factory immedietely or feed on for a bit.

epfff

Black Smoke wrote: »

Hello,

Just looking for a bit of advice here.

I'm weaning most of my calves in the next week or so due to the bad weather and wanting to preserve as much good grass as possible for the weanlings as opposed to throwing it into the cows. Don't know if that makes good sense or not, but it's my plan in any case. Calves are Feb / March born and a bit behind most other years performance wise. I will be holding them over the winter.

I have four old empty cows to dry off. 14 / 16 years old, charolais x shorthorns. Smallish cows, with bags of milk in their day. Trouble is they look like clapped out holstein animals at this stage in their carreer All bone and no flesh.
Would it be a waste of time trying to put a bit of condition on them, by grassing and feeding nuts for say 6 weeks or so??
Two have long horns also so mart is not really an option for me, so I need to send them to the factory.
What do ye think ................ just send them to the factory immedietely or feed on for a bit.

From my limited experiance of feeding cows once the get into age/worenout its next to inpossiable to put flesh on them.
Also hard to find a factory that wants them hungry cows
my advice is store over winter and try the meal with grass next yr after the cow had time to relax
or
cash at bad price your as far on

Black Smoke

epfff wrote: »

From my limited experiance of feeding cows once the get into age/worenout its next to inpossiable to put flesh on them.
Also hard to find a factory that wants them hungry cows
my advice is store over winter and try the meal with grass next yr after the cow had time to relax
or
cash at bad price your as far on

Don't want to keep them over the winter to be frank. Suppose I will have to ring a few factory agents, and see what they can do. Not expecting much for them in any case. It's just a matter of figuring out the best way to get them out the gate in the quickest time possible.

whelan1

where are you apparently dunbia in slane are giving great prices for cows like that

Farmer Pudsey

Grass is too vaulable and meal is too dear to be feeding to this type of animal. You have to dose them as well and if they are going to the mart test them as well. This is the issue with holding cows untill they are that age they have no cull value..... also if you feed and cull prices are 20-30 cent lower....then again they might be 20-30 cent higher.

TBH with the price of meal it not even a gamble and overwintering is the same. Maybe there is a dealer out there willing to chance them where is Bob when you need him.