# When is a cow "old"



## Sabrina67 (Mar 24, 2008)

I know this is a stupid question . When is a cow too old, we have had a couple of people with milk cows for sale , but they are like 12 years old. That seems old to me. I am not in the position really to buy one yet, but I would like to be prepared when I am. Thanks so much for any help anyone can give :cow:


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## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

A rancher friend of mine has had several cows over the years that continued to produce nice calves yearly into their early 20's, so I wouldn't necessarily dismiss a 12 or 13 year old milker.


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## sungirl (Jan 23, 2008)

Age is not an issue I would put first. I would put health and udder attachment first. DH's family had a 27 year old cow, she was retired from milking at 25 because of a hard calving at 21. They just couldn't sell her after 19 nice calves from her.

Patty.


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## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

When her teeth are gone or wore down to nothing.


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## Madsaw (Feb 26, 2008)

Sabrina,
We do not push our cows here on our farm. One thing I have noticed about jerseys with age is they tend to have hip and rear leg issues. They get real creaky hips and tend to roll back on their rear hocks when gettting older. But, a cow with a good steep hoof angle and a real posty leg will last real good.
Bob


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## newminifarmer (Jun 22, 2008)

I just bought a thirteen year old bred Dexter. She looks like she's four! Has had a calf every year with no problem and I expect to get at least three more calves before I need to worry. These girls seem to live a loooong time with a productive life. So 12 isn't necessarily too old. Karla


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Welcome aboard: Newminifarmer....TJ


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## nduetime (Dec 15, 2005)

There is a big difference in how long a cow will stay healthy on a dairty farm at age 12 vs a family cow at age 12. I bought Lucy when she was 12 (just this year) and the whole point of them selling her was that as she gets older the younger cow will push her around more and more. This way she has it a lot easier, no fighting for food and lots of love and attention. We are keeping her heifer too and when old enough she will replace Lucy as the milker and Lucy will become the companion. They get lonely all alone!


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## Sabrina67 (Mar 24, 2008)

I am just so confused , lol The Jersey, who is 12, just freshened, she is on a dairy and looks to be sound and looks bright eyed and healthy. I am also going to look at her again today. He wants 800 for her and I have no idea if that is even a good price. 
I think I may have a nervous breakdown before the day is over,LOL Who in the world gets in such a tither over a cow..


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

Lots of us do.

Genebo
Paradise Farm


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## nduetime (Dec 15, 2005)

Sabrina67 said:


> I am just so confused , lol The Jersey, who is 12, just freshened, she is on a dairy and looks to be sound and looks bright eyed and healthy. I am also going to look at her again today. He wants 800 for her and I have no idea if that is even a good price.
> I think I may have a nervous breakdown before the day is over,LOL Who in the world gets in such a tither over a cow..



Me! I do or I did! The price depends upon your area. Around here...people would be lining up to buy that jersey. Do not forget to find out if she can only be milked by machine. Especially if you plan on hand milking! A frustrated kicking cow can be more than a handful.


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

Here in NE Okla, I would suspect, if one found a milker that old, she would be around 1/2 that. Milk cows are rather hard to find here just anywhere, even holsteins. AND, people dont let them get real old either,


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

I'm going to go against the consensus of opinion here and say that I wouldn't even look at buying a cow that old. I have cows in my herd that old but I reared them from calves which is slightly different from buying in somebody elses old cow. They have already given me 10 calves, 1,000's of litres of milk, I know them and know what problems to look for and deal with.

While cows can and do live into their 20's, the average lifespan of a cow is between 13 and 15 years of age. By that stage they are often showing foot, leg, hip, spinal and udder problems and the costs of keeping them in good health outweigh the value of the cow and her production. Emotionally is can be hard too - you buy in this lovely old cow and 2-3 years later she's had it.

My advice would be to spend your hard earned dollars doing one of two things - or both. Buy a calf and rear her yourself. This way your going to get a friend who does you well for the rest of her life. Sure, it means waiting 2 years before you can milk her but believe me, the waiting is worth it. Or, buy in an in-calf heifer and spend time with her so that by the time she calves the pair of you have a rapport and again, she will do you well for a long time to come. 

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## Sabrina67 (Mar 24, 2008)

Well, we are going to get the Jersey, The Swiss were just too big and really not as tame as I needed. I know she is older, but she is in very good shape and has had a very good health and calving record. Wish me luck and I am so grateful for all the help and advice.You guys are so helpful, its like having an interactive information center at your fingertips. 
We go get her on Monday so I will be getting the barn ready for her today, I am so nervous  Thanks again.


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

Ronney said:


> I'm going to go against the consensus of opinion here and say that I wouldn't even look at buying a cow that old. I have cows in my herd that old but I reared them from calves which is slightly different from buying in somebody elses old cow. They have already given me 10 calves, 1,000's of litres of milk, I know them and know what problems to look for and deal with.
> 
> While cows can and do live into their 20's, the average lifespan of a cow is between 13 and 15 years of age. By that stage they are often showing foot, leg, hip, spinal and udder problems and the costs of keeping them in good health outweigh the value of the cow and her production. Emotionally is can be hard too - you buy in this lovely old cow and 2-3 years later she's had it.
> 
> ...


Well spoken, Ronney.
"A heifer has a future." 
Well worth the higher initial investment.


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## Sabrina67 (Mar 24, 2008)

Well we can hope to get a heifer calf to put on her, as of now this is what we can find in our price range,  WIsh me luck, and hopefully she will do well for us.


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## copperhead46 (Jan 25, 2008)

If she's good and healthy, you got a bargain........


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## Sabrina67 (Mar 24, 2008)

Brought her home today, she is so sweet. She gave 2 gallons of milk..I was so surprised because she had really ben through alot. The Dairy we bought her from is a small family one and they awere happy she was going to ao family. She was their favorite cow. They are going to come and AI her when she comes in, so that is nice . I will try to post pics tomorrow.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Congrats, bring on the pics...


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

Sabrina, I really do have to ask this. If she was their "favourite" cow, why were they selling her? 

While I recognise that there are going to be price variances between the States and NZ coupled with the availability of cows, I would think $800 was a lot of money to pay for a cow of that age. Cows that age are commercially well past their use-by-date and most end up at the works as boner cows where they may fetch $400.00, if a Jersey, probably less. I'm sure she is a lovely cow and I can only hope that she gives you a good run for your money. But everybody has to start somewhere and if this is it for you, I sincerely hope it all turns out well.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## Tad (Apr 2, 2003)

Go by how she looks, we ask the vet how old is that cow, he looks her over and says, 6 maybe 7. She turned 14 in aug, due to calve in feb. As long as she has good feet and legs still and her udder isn't on the floor I wouldn't worry about it so much.


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

Tad, why would you ask a vet how old a cow is? Like most animals, once they have their full set of teeth, nobody can tell how old they are except that they are at least as old as their teeth. Even the wear on teeth is no indication and depends on the animal itself and the country they're grazing.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## Jay (Feb 5, 2008)

Many cows don't look their biological age, just like people. Health, proper nutrition and care all those years pays off, barring any accidents or things like that. 

I think the house cow/family milkers tend to live longer, less stress and more individualized attention.

I know people who like to ask the vet for chuckles to see if they can guess a cows' age. It's one of those "trick questions"...but what is it really gonig to hurt? I'm sure the vet has been asked all sort of strange things....and aging a cow isn't abnormal, especially in a larger herd situation, or for verification.


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## Madsaw (Feb 26, 2008)

Tad said:


> Go by how she looks, we ask the vet how old is that cow, he looks her over and says, 6 maybe 7. She turned 14 in aug, due to calve in feb. As long as she has good feet and legs still and her udder isn't on the floor I wouldn't worry about it so much.


 I agree with you Tad. If they are good straight legged jersey with a steep hoof they will last along time. My oldest jersey was close to 20 when she died. So given teh age of 12 that atleast 7 if not 8 calves out of a 800 cow. Toss in a chance of 4 heifers out of the number. Cheap cow. If they are not pushed around and a single cow they will last a long time.
I know I am strange but my pet is a jersey steer. He turned 18 this past summer. His mother was bomb proof. Her only down fall was she had huge calves. Split her pelvis on the last calf. Worked with her and got her back up and going only to loose her 6 months later.



Ronney said:


> Tad, why would you ask a vet how old a cow is? Like most animals, once they have their full set of teeth, nobody can tell how old they are except that they are at least as old as their teeth. Even the wear on teeth is no indication and depends on the animal itself and the country they're grazing.
> 
> Cheers,
> Ronnie


 Local beef farmer only sells culls when the vet sees teeth loose. A couple teeth gone they still stay. One cow was 20 they sold last yr. Still had a full set of teeth. They looke dup her tag number and figured it was time to go. They run 80 cows.
Bob


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