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MB, Canada | I've got one that defies most of my good sense as I've had to help the calf suck every year for the last 4 years. Half the udder is done but the other half has plenty of milk. Problem is that the tits are like triangles but as I've learned from a few years of experience the calves catch on pretty quick and then they're off, and she knows the drill so she's pretty easy to get a calf started on. She's been re-tagged but when I went back in the books I found her in there with the re-tag as of 2007, so I'm pretty sure she's pushing at least 20. Moderate framed cow that doesn't look much like anything else I have in the herd. Her colouring and frame would suggest a shorthorn/hereford mix, neither of which we've had in the herd as bulls for three decades. This year the weaning weight of her calf was down by another 50 lbs or so, so I think she might finally be on her way out. She's not in prime body condition but I'd say she's still held a borderline moderate condition rather than the steady moderate condition she held for years. I've kept some heifers from her that I'm hoping will last 3/4 as long as she has. When it comes to longevity, my biggest suspicion is that it just comes down to good teeth--a cow can have all the right parts to last a long time but when her teeth go on her then she just falls apart in a matter of months. | |
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Cheers to the oldies
