Price per pound of dairy cull cow

[BlackWillowFarm]

What's the going price in your area for a dairy cow going to the auction?

Around here I'm guessing it's around 55-60 cents. But it's been awhile.

Just wondering as I may be getting a cull cow in trade and want to know approx value.

[Cliff]

Depends on how she looks to some amount. If she looks really great maybe .45 - .50 around here.
She's worth more to you as hamburger if you could use it.

[gone-a-milkin]

Just saw a lot of them between .40 and.50 here last week.

[sammyd]

from less than .30 to .50 for culls around here depending on what she looks like,

[BlackWillowFarm]

Okay, thanks for the input. Here's what I've got. I'm possibly trading an old horse for a dairy cow from a local Jersey dairy. There isn't anything wrong with the cow except she's not making enough milk to pay her way. I was sent one picture of the cow and she looks quite thin. Can't see her udder or much other than the front of her looking down her spine toward her tail. She's 120 days in milk and 51 days bred back. I know the person who is getting this cow for me and she wants to trade for my horse. I place a value of 500 to 700 on the horse. This cow is smaller framed for a Jersey. No idea what she weighs yet.

Does being in milk, making 5 1/2gals a day and confirmed bred back make her worth more than $.50 cents a pound?

[gone-a-milkin]

I would want to know her SCC (somatic cell count). If she doesn't have mastitis then you would be getting a decent trade for your horse. If she DOES...not so much.

Although her calf, if a heifer, would be worth a few hundred at least.

[BlackWillowFarm]

Originally Posted by gone-a-milkin

I would want to know her SCC (somatic cell count). If she doesn't have mastitis then you would be getting a decent trade for your horse. If she DOES...not so much.

Although her calf, if a heifer, would be worth a few hundred at least.

SCC = 107

[Cliff]

Another thing to consider - if she quite thin 3 months after freshening she needs to be tested for Johnes. Look at her and see if she has manure caked on her tail. Does she have loose poo to the point of it shooting out?
Just after having a calf is the most common time for johnes to show up. The cow already has it in her system but the stress of calving brings it on full force. They'll eat and eat, but don't digest anything because of the ruined gut, then poop it all out in a foul smelling loose poo that comes out like it's jet propelled. They waste away till they die while contaminating your soil and infecting any other cows they have contact with.
I'd look her over and ask for a johnes test before she set foot on my property.

Unfortunately I have had several experiences with johnes positive cows. It's a heartbreaker, no known cure at this time.

[BlackWillowFarm]

Thanks Cliff for bringing that up. I will definitely test for Johnes before I bring one home. What other tests should I be considering? We don't pasteurize our milk. Michigan is brucellosis free, and the area I'm in is TB free.

This cow has a SCC of 107,000 which is okay, I guess. I think I could probably get that SCC down at my place.
She's 4 or 5 years old.

The cow I have at home is SCC= 34,000. Much better.

The farmer has another cow for me to consider. This one is fresh, but had a mild case of ketosis. That's all I know. I'll have to find out more about this one.

[65284]

BWF, don't rely on a Johnes blood test, too many false negative/positives, insist on a fecal sample culture test.

[sammyd]

Seen registered jerseys making less than that go for a couple thousand.
If she's preg checked and not just "yeah we bred her 51 days ago" I'd say she was not a cull cow.
3 months in and thin....wouldn't be worried, she's making milk not weight at that point.
5-700 easy

[Cliff]

Originally Posted by sammyd

Seen registered jerseys making less than that go for a couple thousand.
If she's preg checked and not just "yeah we bred her 51 days ago" I'd say she was not a cull cow.
3 months in and thin....wouldn't be worried, she's making milk not weight at that point.
5-700 easy

Everything you just said is a reason to suspect this cow could have johnes. You've obviously never dealt with it or you wouldn't be telling her not to be worried.
I'm not telling her to be worried, just to be careful and get the cow tested before bringing it on her property.

[sammyd]

So I can't tell her not to be worried but you can?
And no after 35 years I haven't had Johnes in any herd I've worked with.

[BlackWillowFarm]

The person I will be trading with is a young woman in her twenties who has grown up around the family dairy. At the tender age of 23 she is now in charge of three family owned dairy farms totaling almost 2500 head. This family is well known around here and possibly outside of the state as well. I feel proud to have made her acquaintance.

I feel fairly comfortable dealing with her since her mother and my sister have been friends since high school. I also know that the young lady is interested in helping me in the future with AI'ing and other cow questions. I'm new to this and she really likes helping me out. I just happened to luck out that I have a horse for sale that she is interested in trading for.

Johnes is a concern for me, especially since the cows are coming from such a large herd. Do you know if it's possible to find out if they've ever had a case of Johnes on the farm? I know they purchase herds of animals and bring them in from all over the country. It wouldn't be impossible to bring some diseases in along the way.

I don't know if the cows are registered, but they might be. I'll have to ask. Thanks for all the ideas and good advice. If I can get a picture or two I'll post them here.

[Cliff]

From what I've seen with the dairy herds in this area they're not routinely testing yet. Sort of a denial thing I guess. If there are no positive tested cows nobody can say they have johnes in their herd. If they suspect johnes they ship the cow immediately. It's usually a pretty easy thing to spot without testing, usually ff gets the nasty squirts and starts losing wt. fast. Unfortunately the calf looks fine, but has been exposed. So someone at the sale barn buys it and if a heifer she's raised, bred, then freshens and starts the cycle all over again.
Older cows can catch it too. One of my best Jerseys got it from being on land that a johnes cow had been on over a year before. Just about killed me.

[BlackWillowFarm]

Here's the only pic I have of this cow. I haven't seen her in person yet.

She's 4 1/2 years old, 120 days in milk, 51 days bred back, SCC= 107,000, milking 5.5 gals a day right now.

I'm trading a horse valued at $500-700 for the cow.

What other questions should I ask about her?

[RiverPines]

IMO that cow is dog food!!
There is nothing there. If it was any skinnier it wouldn't be alive.
I dont see where there would be any meat.

Theres no rump, no rib, no chops!

A lot of bone though....dog food.

[gone-a-milkin]

RiverPines, LOL. I have seen 'em skinnier! Dairy cows are not famous for their "rumps".

That is a pretty useless picture though. I can see that she is a jersey. Yep. Brown. Has at least 3 legs...

Who cares about the shape of her udder, conformation, or anything? Heck, I cant even read her eartag from here. It has a 7 & a 5 in it...LOL.

BWF, you are just going to need to go out there and look the place over. See what the herd looks like, talk to the farmer, see how tthey have it set up. Trust your gut.

[Cliff]

That cow is emaciated. Something seriously wrong there. I'd take a pass and wait for a healthy cow. I suspect the reason you don't have a side shot is to hide a tail caked with manure (johnes) and they're trying to hide the bones.

[Cliff]

I took another look and that is just criminal. She should have been put down by now if she can't be helped by the vet, you can see her NECK bones the length of her neck. She doesn't have long to live.