To process 10 y,o. dairy cow?

JulieLou42 · #1 07/12/11, 01:29 AM

Whadaya think, gang? She's twice failed to impregnate, and we cannot keep her another winter, for economic reasons...she'd just be one HUGE pet, when what we need is beef on our table.

I'm sure my pioneer ancestors would have few qualms about doin' what's necessary. But, I'm wondering how I'd handle it, as she's been a family milk cow.

I'm thinking of selling part of her and using the proceeds to get another heifer. There are two of them available nearby, Jersey-Dexter crosses, but I don't know what the owner's asking for them. What might be a fair price for one of those?

francismilker · #2 07/12/11, 03:20 AM

Not a bad idea in my opinion. However, you might consider lots of hamburger and maybe a few roasts to cook really, really slow. At ten years old, she's not going to make the best steaks in the world. Most culled milkers probably end up as hamburger from the dairys anyway.

springvalley · #3 07/12/11, 08:50 AM

I agree with Francis, and if you do sell some of the hamburger, don`t sell it for less than store baught, it`s just as good if not better than what most people buy uptown. > Thanks Marc

willow_girl · #4 07/12/11, 12:43 PM

I think it would be kinder to process her yourself than to ship her. The trailer ride, auction and slaughterhouse have gotta be pretty traumatic.

springvalley · #5 07/12/11, 01:56 PM

I also agree with Willow girl, not good to be an old cow in the slaughterhouse. > Marc

Madsaw · #6 07/12/11, 03:45 PM

HHHHMMM, only twice you tried too get her breed and your giving up on her? Do you have her AI'd or with a bull? I would tend to give her another chance or 2. Also if it was AI then maybe a bull would do the trick.
Bob

ozark_jewels · #7 07/12/11, 05:42 PM

Last 14 year old cow we butchered was delicious. We went with roasts and burger and the roasts were very tender. Probably not that good for steaks. The hamburger was fabulous.
Do you know if any of the local processors have anyone that they send out to do on-the-farm slaughtering? We have one here and he is wonderful. He comes out to the farm, shoots the cow while it is peacefully grazing(no stress), skins, guts, and halves it, then hauls it in with a cooler truck.
My only issue with slaughtering an old milk cow is that I think they deserve to go as peacefully as possible and there is nothing peaceful about a trailer ride to a slaughter house, especially for a family milk cow that is not accustomed to travel.

CarolT · #8 07/12/11, 07:36 PM

Our local processors have signs stating if a bovine to be found to be over 3 years old, you will be coming back to get it, alive. Laws here do not allow them to process anything that old apparently.

ozark_jewels · #9 07/12/11, 08:28 PM

Not a problem with age here. We have had 14, 15 and 17 year old bovines butchered in the last five years. Just last week we butchered two non-breeder heifers that were over three years old, and a 5 year old bull.
What is their reason for the age restrictions?

JulieLou42 · #10 07/12/11, 08:33 PM

We have a processor about an hour's drive from us, and I have fence rails I can put onto the the PU truck. She's not travelled in quite a number of years, tho'. This processor does come out to the ranches with his fridge truck and I've watched him do his work with two of our steers, but have trouble watching the shooting, tho' I know he hasn't done it with the steer in the pasture as I requested, as neither steer was in a good place to go retrieve it from there. The cow would probably not be out in her pasture, unless I ask him to shoot her from the road before he comes up the driveway. She can easily be seen from there. [She's a friendly girl, and always comes to the fence when we have people come over, or when we're working in our yard.] He has to be able to retrieve her with his truck, and we live on a hill.

I'll have to see about that age thing; I sorta doubt that'll be a problem. If it is, I have neighbors who do bison every so often.

We just cannot afford the expense right now of feeding her another year, and I don't know if there's a bull I could take her to for a month.

Oh, what to do!

CarolT · #11 07/12/11, 11:50 PM

I believe it's due to Mad Cow worries. That's my understanding anyway.

Madsaw · #12 07/13/11, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JulieLou42

We have a processor about an hour's drive from us, and I have fence rails I can put onto the the PU truck. She's not travelled in quite a number of years, tho'. This processor does come out to the ranches with his fridge truck and I've watched him do his work with two of our steers, but have trouble watching the shooting, tho' I know he hasn't done it with the steer in the pasture as I requested, as neither steer was in a good place to go retrieve it from there. The cow would probably not be out in her pasture, unless I ask him to shoot her from the road before he comes up the driveway. She can easily be seen from there. [She's a friendly girl, and always comes to the fence when we have people come over, or when we're working in our yard.] He has to be able to retrieve her with his truck, and we live on a hill.

I'll have to see about that age thing; I sorta doubt that'll be a problem. If it is, I have neighbors who do bison every so often.

We just cannot afford the expense right now of feeding her another year, and I don't know if there's a bull I could take her to for a month.

Oh, what to do!

If you only tried AI twice then. Ask around and find a bull. It seems a cow this gentle needs to be given another chance or 2. We used to have lots of trouble getting cows to settle with AI. Thats why we have bulls now. Worse case is figure what your cow weights. Then firgure the yield will be on a old milk cow will be something like 45%. Figure process expense and all. Come up with a per pound price. Then list her on CL as a open cow for more then what she is worth as burger. This way she has another chance and you get your burger. Fully disclose her issues and that she may be fine with a bull.
You may not have any problems selling her as a open tame young house cow. Yeah she can have another 10 yrs in her as a house cow.
Bob

JulieLou42 · #13 07/13/11, 08:37 PM

Ginger used to always be very loud whenever she came into season, so I was always certain...until three years ago. AI was 100% those first five years, and she took on the first attempt. Her last calf was '08, but in that year, her seasons became very undetectable to me, so I didn't even try. [She had a late June calf.] In '09 she was intermittent with announcing it, but I went ahead with AI in Oct. of that year, to no effect. In '10, she became pretty loud and clear about it again, so I had the AI tech come the end of Sept. and he thought she would take, especially for the fact that she has some condition with her vagina, which name I don't recall, that helps with conception, he said. So, I was hopeful. However, there were many months during this supposed gestation that I thought she was in season, so I wasn't really sure she was pregnant. I'm not wanting her to calve but during the summer months, because I cannot deal with snow and rain, the former for the cold and slipperiness around here, and the latter for the MUD, wet, and cold, which is what we had this spring. I don't have a barn, only a small loafing shed, which she rarely uses even in the coldest, snowiest time of year. I saw her in it a few times during our spring rains.

How long will sperm remain alive and viable inside a cow? I'm thinking that if she's not calved by the 20th, she's not going to and I should come to some decision after that date.

mozarkian · #14 07/13/11, 09:04 PM

One of our three cows will not settle with AI- she has to have the full bull treatment. Live cover might work with your cow.

Allen W · #15 07/13/11, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarolT

Our local processors have signs stating if a bovine to be found to be over 3 years old, you will be coming back to get it, alive. Laws here do not allow them to process anything that old apparently.

Any thing over 30 months has to have the spinal column removed, and has to be processed seperatly from under 30 month old animals, more mad cow over reaction. I don't know why your processor would cut of at 3 years old.

Madsaw · #16 07/13/11, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mozarkian

One of our three cows will not settle with AI- she has to have the full bull treatment. Live cover might work with your cow.

I believe Ginger has becoem sneaky about things with age. In this case a month or so with a bull would be the right approach. If you can't find a bull. Put her n CL and explain her issue and hopefully someone will give her a chance with a bull and she can continue on as a great house cow. Just consider yourself lucky she never got the idea to mount you when she was around.
Bob

CarolT · #17 07/17/11, 11:56 AM

I don't know either, but there are only 2 processors anywhere near here, so maybe it's to keep them from having to worry about the facilites to separate and process special? That way they don't have to worry about it.

I know they stay very busy.

Pops2 · #18 07/17/11, 12:37 PM

is it really cost effective to go get her a bull and wait another year to see IF she takes. i think the OP knows the answer. frankly i don't see how people can afford to keep a pet cow for a year just for hope's sake.

Cannon_Farms · #19 07/17/11, 03:43 PM

Im not opposed to butchering but just wondering if some one might like a pet? some people just like having critters around and it might work, dunno wouldnt hurt to put an add out if you really didnt have the heart to butcher her.

JulieLou42 · #20 08/02/11, 08:05 PM

She came into heat 12 days ago, so I'm reconsidering trying to breed her with a local bull and putting her up for sale. I'd love to get a Guernsey and CL had 5 of them in No. Idaho a coupla weeks ago.