Cull cows

Charolois 19

Evening all,

Looking for thoughts or your experiences as im still fairly new to farming, ive made the switch from suckling to bringing on heifers to bulling age or for finishing, but there's a spanner in the works, I have a chx cow who calved late last summer and took mastitis, and shes still in the yard, she lost the quarter in the end up, but she's still rared a good lump of a lm bull calf, the calf is ready to be weaned at this stage, im keeping him on as a steer for the summer but the question is what to do with the dam, I cant see myself turning a pound on her finishing myself, but how about the mart? Tell the mart she's a quater gone of course, I just don't want someone coming back at me in a years time saying she's only 3 quarters and causing hassle I dont want or need, would someone buy her for finishing or maybe chance a calf out of her again? Bottom line is what way can move on from it with the least financial hurt, as it stands no weight of a scales but id say she's a shade over 800kg,

Thanks for reading and your replys

tanko

There's nothing to worry about, just sell her in the cull cow ring. No one is going to be putting her back in calf. She'll be hanging up in no time.
You could tell the mart to announce her as having three spins if you want.

Albert Johnson

Charolois 19 wrote: »

Evening all,

Looking for thoughts or your experiences as im still fairly new to farming, ive made the switch from suckling to bringing on heifers to bulling age or for finishing, but there's a spanner in the works, I have a chx cow who calved late last summer and took mastitis, and shes still in the yard, she lost the quarter in the end up, but she's still rared a good lump of a lm bull calf, the calf is ready to be weaned at this stage, im keeping him on as a steer for the summer but the question is what to do with the dam, I cant see myself turning a pound on her finishing myself, but how about the mart? Tell the mart she's a quater gone of course, I just don't want someone coming back at me in a years time saying she's only 3 quarters and causing hassle I dont want or need, would someone buy her for finishing or maybe chance a calf out of her again? Bottom line is what way can move on from it with the least financial hurt, as it stands no weight of a scales but id say she's a shade over 800kg,

Thanks for reading and your replys

I'm assuming she's not back incalf again? All classes of cows are back probably €50-150 to what they were a fortnight ago. Having said that the mart would be still the best bet imo especially as I'd imagine she's only a store cow?

If you really wanted you could announce her as having only 3 quarters but most marts sell culls without any guarantees or comeback. If she was mine I'd book her into the culls and not open your mouth, it would be a different story if you were selling her as a breeder. Chances are whoever buys her will fatten her over the summer and hang her up in the backend. Granted you could run her with the heifers for the summer if you wanted and sell her as a heavy cow next August but I'd be afraid of summer mastitis especially as she's been prone to mastitis already.

Charolois 19

Thanks for the replies, shes only 4 this month some time, no shes empty, when she took the mastitus I said I'd let her off putting her back in calf, been honest id be as happy her away id run 2 heifers for what she'd eat in grass and will be awkward for weaning off the calf too, so load her into the back of the lorry with her for cull cow ring ye think ?

Albert Johnson

Charolois 19 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, shes only 4 this month some time, no shes empty, when she took the mastitus I said I'd let her off putting her back in calf, been honest id be as happy her away id run 2 heifers for what she'd eat in grass and will be awkward for weaning off the calf too, so load her into the back of the lorry with her for cull cow ring ye think ?

Yes I'd be booking her into the culls and sooner rather than later tbh. The grass is still a good bit off and she'll eat lots before she's finished. As you said you'd be better off with 2 heifers in the place of her.