When Cows are too good at their job....

[burnt]

I just learned a new "evaluation" technique.??

Never heard of it before.

Has it worked out for you?

[Blaithin]

Can’t say I’ve ever used it when purchasing. Any dairy animals I’ve bought I’ve known the production of and with the beef it’s not usually a matter of caring.

It is something I may pay attention to in the future, but more for curiosity. I can’t say I really look at it in any of my cows to compare it to how they produce or would purchase a heifer on it alone.

This is the cow in the first photo when she was in early labour this year. Originally I took it to see how much her udder fills during/after calving so it’s about the only photo I have of my cows showing the milk mirror. Although her winter hair makes it look somewhat mangy hah

To my understanding because it’s fairly wide and equal all the way up, she comes into her peak fast, is a high producer and has lasting power in her lactation, even when bred.

When I purchased her she was just peaking at 4-5 weeks so fairly quick, and was producing 12 gallons a day, so definitely high. I have no info on her production after being bred however I have carried her through a long lactation. I’d have to check dates to be sure but it was probably 14-15 months.



I should see what photos I can get now that they’re summer slick and compare them. With the beef girls as well.

[burnt]

Whoa, that's a lot of milk for any cow! (Edit - asked a needless question in reply) No wonder she can feed multiple calves.

Now that I know that, I will be watching it in the future.

It will be interesting to see if there's any correlation to type/muscling. Milk and muscle don't always coincide...

[Blaithin]

In a Beef context I think it would be interesting to see if their production lowers after breeding.

I think that’s shown by a narrowing of the estucheon as it goes up to the point that it might not even reach the vulva.

If a cow has a milk mirror that shows her production drops after breeding, it would be interesting to see what her calves have historically weaned as. Maybe these are the cows that have cracker calves right off the start but as the season goes on they fall behind and just start to blend in with the rest.

[Blaithin]

What about happy lines?

Horizontal lines visible along their barrel.

I’ve never seen them on my cattle but I don’t know if it’s because I just don’t remember to look or if they’ve never been there. Checked the other night and they’re faintly making an appearance on one of the heifers. Have to go check the cows for them.



Happy lines are apparently fat deposits from a high forage diet. They’re supposed to be a sign of a happy, healthy animal.

[burnt]

So straight rows of burrs stuck in their hair likely wouldn't count?

[Blaithin]

Here's another one of the Fleck's. I got Mango in February, a week before she calved, so this is her first summer off the dairy. She got a bit of grain in the winter when she was accepting her foster calf (Also seemed to have a touch of a deficiency at calving so that helped give her her vitamins!). But no grain since the grass came in, much to her dismay.

She's currently got two 7 month old calves on her and looks like this. That's not her calf behind her, it's the persistent nurser, still devoted to following that udder Hah I wouldn't really say that my yard has particularly good grazing either, although the rain this year has definitely helped it stay plentiful.



Don't have a current photo of the two calves, I should go get one. She's probably got close to 1000-1100 lbs of calf on her.

[Blaithin]

Here’s the two calves. They’re always mid siesta when I go out 🙄

Heifer on the left, Cow’s own steer in the middle, yearling bull on the right. They look much bigger when laying down so I guess they know what photo angle serves them best!

[Blaithin]

Here we go. Finally up from their afternoon nap!

[newguy]

Angus cow simmental cross calf.