Would you keep an 11 year old suckler cow or not

cacs · 07-08-2016 06:15PM #1

I have great 11 year old sim cow. Breeds a great calf every year great on her feet massive milker. This year i notice the calf is shredding her teats. I guess its age aswell. Shes gone in calf should i inject her and factory her or Should i keep her

Grueller · 07-08-2016 06:34PM

I have a 13 yr old here back in calf. Has had eleven calves, 10 have shipped and so will number eleven. If the cow is good enough and able enough I would keep her.

FeelTheBern · 07-08-2016 06:37PM

I'd keep as well. Noticed few cows over last few weeks with cuts on teat myself - young and old.

Kovu · 07-08-2016 06:40PM

A calf will shred teats at this time of year regardless of the cows age. I'd keep her on, some of our best producing cows are 9/10 years of age and will be here a few more years with a bit of luck.
Just be advised that an older cow doesn't have as much 'fight' to her, if she gets sick it will knock her very quick. Her colostrum also won't be as good as a younger model so just keep an eye on the calf for the first few days.

cacs · 07-08-2016 06:40PM

FeelTheBern wrote: »

I'd keep as well. Noticed few cows over last few weeks with cuts on teat myself - young and old.

I am softy at heart hate culling the good ones

dh1985 · 07-08-2016 06:40PM

Found Bio oil is good for hacks on teats. I am sure there are other treatments. Maybe dairy lads would have some more. 11 is not terribly old. If she is breeding well and in good shape I would keep her

farmerjj · 07-08-2016 06:45PM

dh1985 wrote: »

Found Bio oil is good for hacks on teats. I am sure there are other treatments. Maybe dairy lads would have some more. 11 is not terribly old. If she is breeding well and in good shape I would keep her

I started putting sudocrem on the cows teats when they've cut, its great stuff 3\4 days and its healed.

TPF2012 · 07-08-2016 07:03PM

Have an 11 year old here with a persistent scour since she calved. What would ye do with her, have tried a few different drenches, thought the last one worked but notice her back scouring.

Kovu · 07-08-2016 07:10PM

TPF2012 wrote: »

Have an 11 year old here with a persistent scour since she calved. What would ye do with her, have tried a few different drenches, thought the last one worked but notice her back scouring.

You could take a sample and get it tested maybe?

whelan2 · 07-08-2016 07:40PM

TPF2012 wrote: »

Have an 11 year old here with a persistent scour since she calved. What would ye do with her, have tried a few different drenches, thought the last one worked but notice her back scouring.

can overdosing cause a problem

TPF2012 · 07-08-2016 07:49PM

Kovu wrote: »

You could take a sample and get it tested maybe?

Have never taken a dung sample. Do you send it to the vet or a lab? Have thought about doing a dung sample, but had the vet here and was told to dose. Thought that would sort it. Only had a one cow here in my memory with scour, it killed her though.

blue5000 · 07-08-2016 08:00PM

OP all my older cows were cleared out with TB the past couple of years. The herd is a lot healthier now, in future I will be culling at 10 yrs regardless of how healthy they are before problems start.

It depends on how big a herd you have, if your numbers are smaller it might be easier to look after a few older cows, less bullying etc. Once calving is over and they're out to grass they are usually over the hump for another year.

patsy_mccabe · 07-08-2016 08:30PM

I've 3 12 year olds here. Two good ones, both 5 star and one hit and miss with calf quality. She's only 2 stars. The only downside with older cows is gets more likely to find them dead in the field as the years go by.

cacs · 07-08-2016 08:31PM

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I've 3 12 year olds here. Two good ones, both 5 star and one hit and miss with calf quality. She's only 2 stars. The only downside with older cows is gets more likely to find them dead in the field as the years go buy.

I have neighbors who would shoot anything too

cacs · 07-08-2016 08:36PM

TPF2012 wrote: »

Have an 11 year old here with a persistent scour since she calved. What would ye do with her, have tried a few different drenches, thought the last one worked but notice her back scouring.

Had a cow with a really bad scour she was fading away. One vet didn't entertain there was anything wrong . Got another vet he spent a half an hour examining her. Took away blood and dung sample found she had Cronin infestation of stomach fluke . Dosed her I would say she gained 150 kg since start of summer no calf on her mind you.

TPF2012 · 07-08-2016 09:07PM

whelan2 wrote: »

can overdosing cause a problem

She has had two doses, one 2 months ago and again a month ago. Was going to give her another dose this week.She is very thin now, thought she was drying up after the last one but notice she is scouring again.
Want to try the dung sample, do you send it to a lab, like farmlab or is it through the vet. Vet has not mentioned dung sample even though asked him twice about her?

Kovu · 07-08-2016 09:08PM

TPF2012 wrote: »

Have never taken a dung sample. Do you send it to the vet or a lab? Have thought about doing a dung sample, but had the vet here and was told to dose. Thought that would sort it. Only had a one cow here in my memory with scour, it killed her though.

I've no idea actually

But have heard it mentioned here numerous times so perhaps someone can put you on the right path.

Bass Reeves · 07-08-2016 09:30PM

OP if you are inclined to let her calf down again so be it but I would cull next year. This allows you time to find a replacement. I consider this the main weakness in Irish suckler herds no replacement policy. A suckler farmer I know works on the policy calves down replacements at 22-24 month. He finds that he has a good few culls with first and second calvers but after than cows in general have a clear run until 10 years of age. He then culls at this age regardless of issues. He culls any cow without a calf or where the calf dies.

I think his culling rate is up around 20%. He works on the theory that acull cow is worth as more than a heifer when you are selling good cull cows finished.

cathal irwin wrote: »

Had a cow with a really bad scour she was fading away. One vet didn't entertain there was anything wrong . Got another vet he spent a half an hour examining her. Took away blood and dung sample found she had Cronin infestation of stomach fluke . Dosed her I would say she gained 150 kg since start of summer no calf on her mind you.

If she has no calf are you finishing her to send her to the factory.

Mooooo · 07-08-2016 09:43PM

TPF2012 wrote: »

whelan2 wrote: »

can overdosing cause a problem

She has had two doses, one 2 months ago and again a month ago. Was going to give her another dose this week.She is very thin now, thought she was drying up after the last one but notice she is scouring again.
Want to try the dung sample, do you send it to a lab, like farmlab or is it through the vet. Vet has not mentioned dung sample even though asked him twice about her?

If you haven't had a herd test in the last 6 months I would test the scouring cow for johnes as well as doing a dung sample.

Never wrestle with pigs · 07-08-2016 10:00PM

TPF2012 wrote: »

She has had two doses, one 2 months ago and again a month ago. Was going to give her another dose this week.She is very thin now, thought she was drying up after the last one but notice she is scouring again.
Want to try the dung sample, do you send it to a lab, like farmlab or is it through the vet. Vet has not mentioned dung sample even though asked him twice about her?

What did you dose her for? Go into your vet and ask for a dung sample pot. Bring it back to him and he will send it off.

If it's liver fluke and it gets bad her liver will give up and she'll fall over.

If it's rumen fluke and it gets very bad she will die from dehydration, she'll scour herself to death.

whelan2 · 07-08-2016 10:28PM

Mooooo wrote: »

If you haven't had a herd test in the last 6 months I would test the scouring cow for johnes as well as doing a dung sample.

would an 11 year old cow survive this long with no symptoms of johnes?

TPF2012 · 07-08-2016 10:35PM

Never wrestle with pigs wrote: »

What did you dose her for? Go into your vet and ask for a dung sample pot. Bring it back to him and he will send it off.

If it's liver fluke and it gets bad her liver will give up and she'll fall over.

If it's rumen fluke and it gets very bad she will die from dehydration, she'll scour herself to death.

Gave her Albex10 first then Levafas diamond. Does Levafas diamond treat rumen fluke? I was under impression it did, but not sure now. Thinking she might have rumen fluke.

Never wrestle with pigs · 07-08-2016 10:50PM

TPF2012 wrote: »

Gave her Albex10 first then Levafas diamond. Does Levafas diamond treat rumen fluke? I was under impression it did, but not sure now. Thinking she might have rumen fluke.

I find zanil very good. You have to go agin after 10 weeks to hit the immature fluke that the dose won't kill.

The Levafas diamond still covers the rumen fluke but you have to cover them twice the same as zanil I think.

grassroot1 · 07-08-2016 11:07PM

Kovu wrote: »

You could take a sample and get it tested maybe?

Johnes? you would have to be concerned

TPF2012 · 07-08-2016 11:15PM

grassroot1 wrote: »

Johnes? you would have to be concerned

Have a closed herd here, is it possible to be Johnes, never seen on the farm previous?

whelan2 · 07-08-2016 11:17PM

TPF2012 wrote: »

Have a closed herd here, is it possible to be Johnes, never seen on the farm previous?

Very doubtful. But would test her anyway

Limestone Cowboy · 07-08-2016 11:17PM

Have a 16 year old cow and she's as fit as some of the cows half her age. I have being saying with a few years that I'll get rid of her but she keeps on going back in calf early and is left around.

Noveight · 08-08-2016 02:36AM

16yo cow here. Was bought 13 or so years ago along with 3 more from the same herd. A year later and she was the only one of the 4 left thanks to red water and TB. She wont be put in calf for next year, her work for us is done

whelan2 · 08-08-2016 05:48AM

TPF2012 wrote: »

Have a closed herd here, is it possible to be Johnes, never seen on the farm previous?

Does she have a swelling under her jaw?

Buford T. Justice XIX · 08-08-2016 10:36AM

blue5000 wrote: »

OP all my older cows were cleared out with TB the past couple of years. The herd is a lot healthier now, in future I will be culling at 10 yrs regardless of how healthy they are before problems start.

It depends on how big a herd you have, if your numbers are smaller it might be easier to look after a few older cows, less bullying etc. Once calving is over and they're out to grass they are usually over the hump for another year.

An older farmer near me reckons April is the killer month.

You have time over winter to feed them a bit better or mind them in a separate pen and over spring to a lesser extent.

But the pressure mounts in April and you won't have time to mind them then so it's then that they start getting put under pressure and fade quickly.

OP, if the cow is in good condition and still producing good calves, I would keep her but the first time of her looking under pressure I would move her on straight away.

Mooooo · 08-08-2016 10:52AM

whelan2 wrote: »

Mooooo wrote: »

If you haven't had a herd test in the last 6 months I would test the scouring cow for johnes as well as doing a dung sample.

would an 11 year old cow survive this long with no symptoms of johnes?

I dunno really, if she has had calves every year I doubt it but if she has rolled over a few times I think they may reach that age esp if they are not under pressure being milked or rearing a calf, could be wrong haven't seen it here at least I hope I haven't anyway

Would you keep an 11 year old suckler cow or not

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