# Do cows lose their teeth??



## allenslabs (Feb 6, 2005)

Probably a dumb question but I have never thought of it before. I went to look in Evie Lee's feed to make sure she had cleaned it up (she doesn't ever finish it with me there) and to see if she'd eaten it or the guineas had cleaned it up. I guess my question was answered as there was what appeared to be a molar in there. So....do cows normally lose their teeth???


----------



## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Yep. It pretty much determines the upper end of a productive life for a cow.


----------



## allenslabs (Feb 6, 2005)

But she is only 3?


----------



## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

allenslabs said:


> But she is only 3?


I think they have "baby teeth" also.

Dang it, now I'm going to have to do a search and see how it works....LOL


----------



## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

OK, from what I can find is that cows normally do not loose molars but can lose them due to infection or accident. They do lose incisors.


----------



## scholtefamily (Feb 25, 2010)

We also had a cow that was between 3 and 4 years old lose teeth. 

We saved them. Still waiting for the tooth fairy.


----------



## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

A cow is born with one set lower front teeth, none upper. Each year she will add one new tooth to the jaw until she has six on both sides, top and bottom (still none in top front. After that you get wear. 1-6 years old are marketed as such. From say 6-8 it is known as a 'full mouth'. From 8 on (depending on cow) she would be marketed as full/slash, which means she has all of her teeth, but they are starting to show signs of wear. Next two stages are peggerss and gummers. Now a gummer can live on pasture grass but has trouble digesting hay.

Up to 6-years-old, pretty well universal. After that it depends on the cow and its enviroment. I had a 16-or so year old Holstein which would have been marked as a full-mouth.


----------



## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

When I was a kid, my siblings and I would hunt for the molars in the barn feed mangers. It use to be fun seeing who could find the first one, we never did find front teeth, they must have lost them outside. > Thanks Marc


----------



## allenslabs (Feb 6, 2005)

LOL! I have no idea which kind it is but it is about an inch square at the top if that helps. LOL!


----------



## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

springvalley said:


> When I was a kid, my siblings and I would hunt for the molars in the barn feed mangers. It use to be fun seeing who could find the first one, we never did find front teeth, they must have lost them outside. > Thanks Marc


I remember finding them in the pasture quite often.


----------



## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

tinknal said:


> I remember finding them in the pasture quite often.


Yes Tink, we have found them out in the pasture also, but not very often. Fond memories, I feel so lucky to have grown up where I now live. > Thanks Marc


----------



## ksfarmer (Apr 28, 2007)

Ken Scharabok said:


> A cow is born with one set lower front teeth, none upper. Each year she will add one new tooth to the jaw until she has six on both sides, top and bottom (still none in top front. After that you get wear. 1-6 years old are marketed as such. From say 6-8 it is known as a 'full mouth'. From 8 on (depending on cow) she would be marketed as full/slash, which means she has all of her teeth, but they are starting to show signs of wear. Next two stages are peggerss and gummers. Now a gummer can live on pasture grass but has trouble digesting hay.
> 
> Up to 6-years-old, pretty well universal. After that it depends on the cow and its enviroment. I had a 16-or so year old Holstein which would have been marked as a full-mouth.


Ken has it right, except that around here a cow goes from full (all her teeth) to Broken (missing a few) to gummers (no teeth).


----------

