# Why does the age matter in cow for slaughter?



## nchobbyfarm (Apr 10, 2011)

I spoke with the butcher 2 months ago about a cow for slaughter. I told him what I wanted to do to get her ready and that I wanted to bring her the end of April. He said that was not a problem just get come by the week before to schedule the delivery. Well, we scheduled the delivery and talked about the packaging details today. Just as I got ready to leave, he asked her age. I told him late 2 and pushing 3. He stated that any cow over 30 months was a problem and I needed to find out her age on my paper workat home. Turns out she is 38 months now. Can anyone give me the readers digest version of why this is a problem?


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## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

Something to do with Mad Cow disease - age of the animal and development of the disease over time...Not the reader's digest version, but what I recall from Cliff's Notes. 

I"m not sure if there would be any lee way if you can verify she was born on your place & isolated from contact with off farm animals.


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## sassafras manor (Dec 5, 2009)

If I understand it correctly, thirty months is the point where they cannot include any portion of the backbone in cuts for consumption.


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

I have never had a butcher ask such a question, I guess with what is going on in Califunnia with mad cow has changed things again. > Thanks Marc


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

Over 30 months is more at risk for BSE, aka mad cow. They have to handle the carcass specially so that no brain or spinal cord can contaminate the meat. But old cows and bulls get butchered every day, it can't be too big a deal. Maybe to a small processor it is, more so than the big packing plants.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

MO COWs i agree 

he might have to clean all of his equipment after using on your cow instead of waiting to the end of the day. since he will cut right down the backbone were the spinal cord is......but he could just do yours last of day


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## SCRancher (Jan 11, 2011)

With my cow that was pushing 8 years old they had to return the spinal column and head of the cow to me. They could not dispose of it themselves - I guess they take all the "leftovers" and sell them and the leftovers can not have any 30+ month old cow spinal/brain stuff.

They also could not make any cuts that included spinal column so no porter house or T-Bones for me. Instead I got strip steaks and fillets.


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

Maybe different processors handle this differently. We've been told if they do an animal over 30 months, they must clean all the equipment, etc., process that animal, then re-clean everything. Of course, there's an additional charge for it. This was from a USDA processor. A smaller business, non-USDA, didn't seem to care about the age.


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## SpaceCadet12364 (Apr 27, 2003)

I have had it done. They cannot dispose of head and Backbone as normal must incinerate.
And since everything must be clean after each animal over 30 months. prevent cross contamination they prefer to do at end of day. Clean only once. so most small butcher prefer only one a day.


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## nchobbyfarm (Apr 10, 2011)

Thanks all. It seems you are all right on the money. He has a small shop but he said he just needed to know to properly handle the animal. It just scared me that all the work and money may be lost to the sale barn if he would not have taken her.


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