# How old is too old to breed a dairy cow?



## FlipFlopFarmer (Nov 20, 2003)

I have a 15 or 16 year old yr old jersey that I used to breed and milk. I haven't breed her back in a few years due to life just being too busy and I'm thinking of doing so. 

She's in good health but did I'm a little concerned about her getting up there in years. She did come down with milk fever last time, but I gave her calcium paste until the vet came out and could evaluate and give her calcium via IV. 

Anyone have experience with breeding an older cow and if so, did all go well? 

Thanks for your input.

Carla


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

The oldest we ever did was 12.
Personally I'd sell her and get one a bit younger.


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## JHinCA (Sep 20, 2003)

I don't know, but my dad says that grandpa had a Jersey that lived into her 20s and gave them 18 calves over the years.


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## darbyfamily (Mar 16, 2005)

there was a new family here on the board that posted not long ago about a jersey of theirs that had a calf at around 18-20 yrs old, I cant remember exactly.. but at her age, if you could get her bred, you'd at least have a calf of hers to carry on... and hopefully a heifer


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## 65284 (Sep 17, 2003)

Not exactly dairy cows but Sunny Gal one of my Dexter cows was born July 27, 1992, and another one Val was born Feb 27, 1993. They both have calved regularly, and both are due later this fall.


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

18 is too old to breed a cow, IMO.


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## floramum (Jul 20, 2005)

If They Are Not Overly Huge At That Age It Would Be Better. We Had An Older Cow That Was "overly Huge"....thought She Never Would Deliver That Last Calf...but Two Days Later She Came Out Of The Woods W/that Somewhat Smaller Bull Calf Proud As If It Were Her First..... We Sold Them In Three Months As "cow/calf" Pair. My Nerves Couldnt Handle Another, As I Had Found Her In The Woods Sev. Times With A Strained Look On Her Jaw Trying To Get Thru It.
Mum


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## JKB07 (Mar 6, 2008)

15 or 16 is not bad. We arent talking about a cow that has spent her life working on a dairy. A family cow can calf into her 20s. I would try to breed her back. If shes healthy you should have a healthy calf, and if its a heifer, she can be a replacment heifer. 

JKB


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

Carla, I think this is a decision that only you can make as you are the only one here that knows the cow. I assume she isn't an ex-dairy and had the life milked out of her, and even if she is, she's had it sweet since? One of my biggest concerns with a cow that old would be her teeth and consequent ability to obtain sufficient food. If you like her why not get the vet out to give her the once over. If she gets a clean bill of health, well, give it a go.

The oldest cow I've ever had was 13 but I have a friend with an 18 year old Angus stud cow and another with a 17 year old Jersey house cow so it's far from being unheard of.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

If she's quality stock and in good health I'd risk it in order to try and get a progeny heifer to carry on. I think it's starting to push it though. That's a little old for breeding stock and the risk of losing the calf AND cow is getting higher.


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## Madsaw (Feb 26, 2008)

We have a old swiss cross we are milking now that is 14. We had one holstein milked and calfed till she was 24. We do not push the cows and keep a good eye on them. The problem with older jerseys is they develop hip and hind leg rpoblems. If she is not showing any signs of lmeness and you are going to get her AI it should be ok. Also with a case of milkfever in the past might be wise to give her a tube of calcium before she calfs and keep a close eye on her.
Bob


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## Madsaw (Feb 26, 2008)

Also forgot to add. A friend who raises beef only culls out problem cows or cows that do not have many teeth left. They raise some of the top beef around here. Some of the old girls get to be in the mid 20's
Bob


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## ozark_jewels (Oct 7, 2005)

Our oldest Jersey, Blossom, just had her last calf at age 17. She will not be bred again. She had no problems carrying or delivering but she has had a slight limp for years and it was noticably worse when she was heavy with calf. I don't want to risk losing her this winter if we get another bad ice storm like the two we had last winter, so she will be butchered this fall while she is still hale and hearty.
Blossom was bred to produce a calf about every 15 months. Your cow has had a few years break and that can either make breeding/delivering easier on them or harder depending on the cow.
For me it would totally depend on the condition she is in and only you can tell that.
If you decide to breed her, I would certainly breed to a small birthweight-type bull and watch closely for signs of milk fever. Blossom never had problems with milk fever until she reached the age of 14-15. After that we had to watch her for her last two freshenings and take precautionary steps.


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## FlipFlopFarmer (Nov 20, 2003)

Thanks for the input. Yes, she was a dairy cow but very well taken care of. She's been with us for the past 4 years or so and she'd lived the high life here at our place. IMO, teeth are good, she's healthy and strong. I think I'll have the vet check her out and see what he thinks. Going with a smaller bull would be a good idea as due to MF prior to calving she was weak and we had to pull the calf. My biggest concern is regarding milk fever as it came on before she calved and in the middle of the night no less so I would want to get a close eye on her. She's just such a sweet girl - so well behaved and a good milker. I would really like to get a replacement heifer from her and retire her. My luck...we'd get another bull. =)


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## JKB07 (Mar 6, 2008)

You should order some sexed semen right now, then catch her in a standing heat and have her AIed with the sexed semen. Its not 100%, but it will increase your chances in getting a replacment heifer!


JKB


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## FlipFlopFarmer (Nov 20, 2003)

I thought about doing that. I asked my AI tech and he didn't make it sound as though the odds were all that great but in this case it might be my last chance.


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## doodles (Sep 27, 2002)

Sexed semen is recommended for virgin heifers for the best results.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

I have bred cows older than the Jersey in question but I bred yearly. I've been told that if an older cow has skipped a few years, it is hard to get them bred. I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule. When I bred older cows, I tended to consider the reality of the whole thing. I wanted to know she seemed healthy enough to believe that she had a strong chance of living long enough to deliver a healthy calf and I always had a solid plan B in place. I would breed in such a way that the old cow would calve in the middle to later part of calving season so I had options for a nurse cow if the need should arise.


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## MARYDVM (Jun 7, 2004)

With a Jersey that age, who had milk fever on her last calving, and then was dry for several years, it would pretty much be a miracle if she freshened without another bout (or 2)of milk fever. The internal system that draws calcium from her bones for milk production has been shut down for years - getting it running smoothly again at her age will not be easy.


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## nathan harris sr (May 28, 2003)

We have a Guinea cow that calved in April @ 21 years old and bred back today.


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