Cow with 5 Teeth

farmer2018 · 18-07-2019 1:21pm #1

I have 10 year old cow with only 5 teeth left. She is has a calf at foot this year and is still very fertile, she is holding ok condition. She also breeds a fairly good calf. She had a mastitis when weaning her calf off last year and got a small touch this year in two quarters when the calf was a few weeks old.

Opinions welcome please, should I put her incalf again or just cull her.

Mehaffey1 · 18-07-2019 1:24pm

Back round again we go for one more go I'd say, hasn't let you down yet.

Westernrock · 18-07-2019 1:31pm

farmer2018 wrote: »

I have 10 year old cow with only 5 teeth left. She is has a calf at foot this year and is still very fertile, she is holding ok condition. She also breeds a fairly good calf. She had a mastitis when weaning her calf off last year and got a small touch this year in two quarters when the calf was a few weeks old.

Opinions welcome please, should I put her incalf again or just cull her.

The fact your asking the question makes me think you have a doubt about her.... so I’d be inclined to get gone before she gives you a problem! It’s always a fine line between grand and holding her flesh fine to having a case of mastitis etc which knock a lot of flesh of older cows and then they take a long time to recover and get gone. My opinion is always get rid of anything doubtful before it becomes a problem.

rivegauche · 18-07-2019 1:35pm

Westernrock wrote: »

The fact your asking the question makes me think you have a doubt about her.... so I’d be inclined to get gone before she gives you a problem! It’s always a fine line between grand and holding her flesh fine to having a case of mastitis etc which knock a lot of flesh of older cows and then they take a long time to recover and get gone. My opinion is always get rid of anything doubtful before it becomes a problem.

...and it is a living Creature. Views like yours undermine the reputation of the industry.

Westernrock · 18-07-2019 1:55pm

rivegauche wrote: »

...and it is a living Creature. Views like yours undermine the reputation of the industry.

I’m very well aware that it is a living creature, that’s why my advice would be to not take the chance again as this animal would be at higher risk of issues and suffering should these issues develop. I don’t see how this view in anyway undermines the industry, I consider it sound advice which the op can take or leave and make their own decision. Your comment doesn’t help anyone make a decision.

148multi · 18-07-2019 2:00pm

farmer2018 wrote: »

I have 10 year old cow with only 5 teeth left. She is has a calf at foot this year and is still very fertile, she is holding ok condition. She also breeds a fairly good calf. She had a mastitis when weaning her calf off last year and got a small touch this year in two quarters when the calf was a few weeks old.

Opinions welcome please, should I put her incalf again or just cull her.

An animal with teeth missing have to spend 30% —40% more time grazing to take in the same amount of grass, so that's 30% - 40% extra energy needed for grazing, would keep her dosed for hoose and fluke, give her a high energy meal until calf is reared, sounds like she's been good to you, now it's time for you to be extra kind to her, keeping her for another year might be too much for her. I know we get attached to our animals, especially older cows, but it's not easy to see any animal go to a knackery.

rivegauche · 18-07-2019 2:00pm

Westernrock wrote: »

I’m very well aware that it is a living creature, that’s why my advice would be to not take the chance again as this animal would be at higher risk of issues and suffering should these issues develop. I don’t see how this view in anyway undermines the industry, I consider it sound advice which the op can take or leave and make their own decision. Your comment doesn’t help anyone make a decision.

putting it in monetary terms which is the only way that it will register with a person like you: The vast majority of Consumers would consider your view on this as reprehensible and would adjust their purchasing behaviour if they formed the opinion that it was representative of the Industry in general in Ireland.

Buford T. Justice XIX · 18-07-2019 2:05pm

farmer2018 wrote: »

I have 10 year old cow with only 5 teeth left. She is has a calf at foot this year and is still very fertile, she is holding ok condition. She also breeds a fairly good calf. She had a mastitis when weaning her calf off last year and got a small touch this year in two quarters when the calf was a few weeks old.

Opinions welcome please, should I put her incalf again or just cull her.

I'd be leaning towards culling, tbh. If you're prepared to mind her separately this winter, house her early and feed her some ration if needed and be prepared to nurse her in spring if things start going downhill then OK, keep her on.

I have a 14yo cow here with poor teeth that calved down in good condition but just melted as she wasn't able to eat enough grass or break it down enough to keep her condition up. She's dry now and getting fed extra with the other cows during milking but, in truth, I should have sold her last Autumn.

Odelay · 18-07-2019 2:06pm

rivegauche wrote: »

putting it in monetary terms which is the only way that it will register with a person like you: The vast majority of Consumers would consider your view on this as reprehensible and would adjust their purchasing behaviour if they formed the opinion that it was representative of the Industry in general in Ireland.

So keep working them until something goes wrong and he looses both cow and possibly calf?

rivegauche · 18-07-2019 2:12pm

Your "working them" involves them living out the remainder of their natural life in pasture until their health fails.

Westernrock · 18-07-2019 2:13pm

rivegauche wrote: »

putting it in monetary terms which is the only way that it will register with a person like you: The vast majority of Consumers would consider your view on this as reprehensible and would adjust their purchasing behaviour if they formed the opinion that it was representative of the Industry in general in Ireland.

You have no idea what would register “with a person like me”

Danzy · 18-07-2019 2:15pm

Westernrock wrote: »

I’m very well aware that it is a living creature, that’s why my advice would be to not take the chance again as this animal would be at higher risk of issues and suffering should these issues develop. I don’t see how this view in anyway undermines the industry, I consider it sound advice which the op can take or leave and make their own decision. Your comment doesn’t help anyone make a decision.

The dead ones are a terror to keep condition on.

ðŸ˜‰

Danzy · 18-07-2019 2:18pm

rivegauche wrote: »

Your "working them" involves them living out the remainder of their natural life in pasture until their health fails.

Outside of your lordship's estate, how can this work.

rivegauche · 18-07-2019 2:19pm

A person like you is a person who makes no reference to the welfare of an animal when deciding whether to kill it or not. That's the sort of person you are. I'm dropping out of this topic as I find your callous nature disgusting.
show some respect for living creatures.

lalababa · 18-07-2019 2:25pm

To Rivegauche, you haven't a clue what you're talking about. Sucklers are used to rear weanlings, and when they can no longer do that they are killed for meat. That's the reality, and they are not making a profit as is.
If consumers don't understand this they would want a kick up the a**. What brain dead flute would think otherwise?

Ddad · 18-07-2019 2:34pm

rivegauche wrote: »

A person like you is a person who makes no reference to the welfare of an animal when deciding whether to kill it or not. That's the sort of person you are. I'm dropping out of this topic as I find your callous nature disgusting.
show some respect for living creatures.

I think unless you are vegan you're on a bit of a soapbox. The farming industry is full of harsh realities. Culling animals before they become unhealthy or unprofitable is the harsh reality of low margin farming. If more consumers educated themselves on farming practices they might drag a few more pence out of their pockets for farming products and put the industry on a more sustainable footing. With better welfare for the animals, the countryside and the farmers themselves.

But we don't. We want the cheapest of everything and we want to wail and pull out our hair when the inevitable realities of cheap food come home to roost.

The average consumer would no more milk a cow or kill a chicken than they would walk to the moon but their very quick to condemn those that will do where they will not.

farmer2018 · 18-07-2019 2:40pm

Alright lads I was only asking people's opinions/experiences not to start a fight on the thread.

kingdom fan · 18-07-2019 2:47pm

I've a lovely 5 yr old cow. Never sick, calves no issue.
She got mastitis this year, a great milker.
She is in a paddock with the cull cow's being fed ration and out d gate she goes in a few months.
I have enough hassle with worrying about her next year.
Same with any kind of problem likely to repeat itself ( milk fever, gone. Trouble calving 2 yrs in a row, gone. Mastitis , gone. 15 months is my limit on calving interval , but only best cow's are allowed that grace. ) I'm culling one CH cow. 13 yrs old. Never needed my attention , ever for anything, calves every year. Simply too old, gone out d gap soon.

tanko · 18-07-2019 2:50pm

The mastitis would worry me, she might calve down next year with it in all four quarters, be some mess if that happens. Have to be cruel to be kind sometimes, always try to keep plenty of replacement heifers here and not keep cows over ten years old, they often become troublesome at that stage i find.

grassroot1 · 18-07-2019 3:08pm

tanko wrote:

The mastitis would worry me, she might calve down next year with it in all four quarters, be some mess if that happens. Have to be cruel to be kind sometimes, always try to keep plenty of replacement heifers here and not keep cows over ten years old, they often become troublesome at that stage i find.

Dont make hardship for yourself I am withTanko on this

Westernrock · 18-07-2019 5:08pm

rivegauche wrote: »

A person like you is a person who makes no reference to the welfare of an animal when deciding whether to kill it or not. That's the sort of person you are. I'm dropping out of this topic as I find your callous nature disgusting.
show some respect for living creatures.

Everything I mentioned was to do with the welfare of the animal and I see and deal with the welfare of the animal every day. The owner asked weather to cull his animal or chance breeding it again, turning it out to pasture until it’s health failed wasn’t mentioned, I gave him advice for this particular situation. Your assumption about what kind of person I am or my nature is way off and disrespectful when you don’t even know the first thing about me.

blue5000 · 18-07-2019 5:55pm

rivegauche wrote: »

A person like you is a person who makes no reference to the welfare of an animal when deciding whether to kill it or not. That's the sort of person you are. I'm dropping out of this topic as I find your callous nature disgusting.
show some respect for living creatures.

Mod note I think everybody else here respects your decision to do that. Suckler cows are not pets.

sonnybill · 18-07-2019 11:19pm

I’ve a 14 year old cow that I see lost a tooth during the Winter, she bulled again never misses a beat but I might hold her in from mountain this Winter.

I’ve an older char cow (2003) and teeth on her perfect

Lady Haywire · 19-07-2019 12:05am

Had a cow here too which got hit by a motorbike & lost a few teeth. Would lose condition in summer but pile it on again in winter on silage.
The mastitis issue would concern me more than the teeth tbh.
I'd be of the opinion that everything deserves one chance anyway so I'd serve & see if she holds first time.

Cow with 5 Teeth

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