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OT, A mixed feeling selling a cow

B

Brown Swiss

Well-known Member
Well the time had come for "Holly" the blue roan dairy cow to go to the sale barn. She was the oldest cow in the herd at the ripe old age of 24 years, I stopped milking her this spring and let her be in the pasture as she wanted.
She is survived by many daughters, granddaughters, and great grand daughters. Plus the yearling steer she had last fall.
I walked her to the barn this morning thinking of all the times I had brought her to the barn to be milked. When cleaning the barn out she would usually come up and rub her head on us to get petted.
I had the thought to just let her pass away on the farm here, she was born here, but the thought of her suffering made me think this was better.
The next time you go to your local choke and puke and get a burger that is a little tough, it might be from Holly. LOL
What would you have done sell or keep her?
 
I'm sure I'd have sold her,but with as much regret as you had. When I was a kid,we had a pet like that by the name of Tiny. She stood in the first stanchion when we walked in the barn door. When we'd go out in the pasture to get them in the evening,we could jump on her back and ride her up to the barn. She'd plod along just like an old horse.
 
I have had the same problem,even after nearly 34 years ,of milking. Some old cows are just hard to say good-bye to. But I have always found that the check the sales barn sends me helps to ease the pain. Ship her !!!
 
We had a polled Shorthorn cow that I spoiled when she was still a calf. She grew up to be herd boss and made my job with the cattle easier.

She died out in the pasture at age 29; we never thought of selling her. Every one of her calves was a heifer; most of them stayed in the herd but they didn't quite measure up to their mother.
 
Was there some compelling reason you shouldn't/couldn't let the cow live out her days there?

I'm reminded of the story about a guy who was traveling through a rural area when he had a flat. While pondering his plight, a pig with a missing hindquarter limped up, got the jack out of the back of the man's car and proceeded to put on the spare. He then stowed the flat tire and the tools in the trunk and disappeared over a ridge.

A farmer appeared from the same direction and the traveler said, "I just witnessed the most unbelievable thing! A three-legged pig just changed a flat on my car! The farmer said, "Yeah, that's Wilbur. He's real good to do stuff like that. He does chores around the house and helps me keep up my equipment too."

The stranger said, "I couldn't help wondering why he has a hindquarter missing. That's very unusual."

The farmer said,"No, not really. You don't eat a valuable pig like that all at one time."
 
A smart man ships her. I've got an old cow that was in the last string that my Dad showed. She still has a calf every year but unless I feed it it never amounts to much. I'll keep her until I bury her. Not smart but satisfying.
 
Kept many a cow (Registered Guernseys) for one more calf or two after they had passed their prime. Some got shipped as old cows. A very few really special ones died on the farm and were buried off in the woods. When they have been around 20+ years and have an affectionate personality, it is too difficult to ship them. -sentimental Rand
 
I had to let my old horse go this summer. His teeth got so he could not eat enough grass to keep him happy. It was better to let him go than to watch him starve.
 
The cow that raised us kids was a Guernsey named Pet. She was probably about the same age. Dad hauled her to the market, but it was a sad day.
 
You did the humane thing. Several years ago I went with my grandpa to go feed the cattle. We got in the power wagon went to the barn, loaded it with square bales and fed the cows. When we got done we found a calf that had been born in the night. I remember that spot yet today. It was so cold that morning, the heifer calf lost the tips of her ears and her tail from frost bite. We got her in the cab of the power wagon and off to the house we went. That calf should have died. Year and a half later I had decided I wanted to buy a group of heifers from my grandpa. I was sortin and pickin and came down to one with short ears and no tail. I told grandpa I didn't think I wanted her and he says, there ain't nothin wrong with her other than her looks. She would be a good momma. I took her with the others. Bob probably outlasted the others. Gentle, good milker, awesome momma cow. I watched her calve once from a distance and could tell she was having some trouble. After trying a while, she got up, and turned about 2 rounds and slung that calf out of her. I had never seen that before and not since. I hated the day I put her on the trailer.
 
Spunky, red x white holstien. We bought her as a mature cow. She had 14 calves for us. We let her pass on our farm. We figured she earned it.
 
Sold my pet. Better than finding her covered with buzzards & feeding the coyotes. No need to attract all the vermin in the county. They may not leave.
 
I had to send my favorite one a year ago today. Best milker but every other one shoved her out of they're way to eat. Her last calf is due to freshen in a couple weeks, acts just like her mother, hopefully milks as good to. I guess you send them and just kinda look the other way when they step out off the trailer!
 
Bottle fed a Black Angus bull. Banded him to make a steer.

Raised him to over 850+ lbs. His name was 'Norman" (City Slickers movie).

He was the family pet. We could go out to the pasture and he would come running at you to be petted. He didn't know how how much strength he had. He would knock you for a few yards. It actually got to be kind of dangerous around him. He wanted to play but it was too much for us.

Took him to the sales. While trying to unload him from the trailer the handlers were beating him with sticks. He just stood there and did not move.

I went in the trailer and told the handlers to leave him be. I rubbed Norman on the head and said 'come on boy'. He followed me off the trailer and into the yard.

As I approached the auctioneer, he said "Wow. he does what you tell him?". I said ...Yup, I can tell him to sit right here, right now, if you want me to! And he will do it.

The look on the auctioneers face was priceless! Heck No, that steer wouldn't sit, all he wanted to do was play and head butt you.

We left and got the check a week later.

DANG! I still miss that bugger.
 
I have an old sow that is about the same. Valerie has earned her keep here. She just had a litter a couple of days ago - three piglets. That doesn't really earn her keep, but it was a breed back from a litter of 12. She will stay here until her time is done. She deserves to live the rest of her life on the outside of the stock trailer.

I will say that part of the reason I cut her slack is that she's smarter than any dog on this farm. She's so easy to deal with and a great mother. Heck, she'll even raise others' cast offs and runts. I am about to breed out some of her daughters. I hope they inherited her personality.
 
I Learned back in my early 4-H days to never make friends with something somebodies going to eat. I cried my eyes out at 9 years old when I sold my first 4-H steer and they loaded him up to go to slaughter. I raised 3 steers a year after that until I was eighteen that were sold at the 4-H auction to go to slaughter. I still don't name anyone, just give them a number. I guess that hardened me. When I do feel bad the check usually makes me feel a little better.
Although a cow that you've had around forever I'm sure is a little different. I still remember some of the cows we had when I was growing up well over 50 years ago.
 
I had a bull calf that turned out like that. When it was two days old, mama cow was hiding him in the equip barn. I took the boys to see the new calf so he got petted and messed with and didn't know any different. He turned out real gentle and the problem that whenever I was working on something he would come up and not go away. If you pushed and poked on him he liked it that much better.

Sold him as a bull to a man that was real happy to get him.
 
Thanks for all the replys guys! I guess a dog and cat are not the only pets. LOL I was 7 when she was born so it feels like we grew up together. Imagine if you will a herd of Holsteins and this blue calf gets born, my father bought her mother as a Holstein springing heifer and Holly was inside. Never thought she would change the makeup of the whole herd. Had the thought of taxidermy, then stand her in front of the barn next to the road, wouldn't that be a sight. LOL
 
I don't know if you have a traveling custom butcher in your area but if you do--killing her on the farm would allow you to ensure it's done quickly and without the stress of transport and the slaughter house. You still get the meat and or money and you still prevent her from a possible slow death in the field. Perhaps this is more humane? Euthanasia is a common practice for pets and perhaps has merit for humans as a right to physician assisted suicide and the common DNR orders people sign.
 
IF your a business man you never look back and sell her. I guess I will never be a very good business man.

I have a few cows around that most would have sold years ago. They live out their days while they can get around in the pasture. IF they can still get around OK but just can't keep weight on grass then they get a smaller place and some mixed feed. If they get to suffering and have troubles I then "help" them pass on to a better place. There are 12 of those old girls buried out in the pasture looking out over a valley to the south.

There is much more to life than money or business. To me that is the joy of farming. It all is not just about making money.
 
In cow calf business here and have been for years. Could tell alot of simular story's. Bottom line is, about 8 years old is when most people send them down the road. I for one will keep them longer if they are staying in shape. Have had a bunch live to be farely old over the years. Ussually try to send them down the road before their final day comes or before they end up skin and bones. A few have died on the place but not to many. Most of those have died real sudden from being old, but not from being out of shape. I hate to say goodbye, but getting paid for someone else to shoot em in the head, is better I guess than me having to do it for nothing. Plus, the dead animal truck charges to pick them up now days. They don't pay ya for the carcuss like they did years ago. Try to dodge that whenever possible.
 
I've seen my mom, and oldest brother suffer for years with cancer. My dad suffered in a coma for 6 months. It's definitely the human thing to send a cow to the salter house. We do the human thing and put sick and suffering animals down. The next time you see a loved one suffer, ask yourself are we really doing the human thing?
 
I'd have kept her until it was obvious that she was going downhill, then I would have had her butchered and ground into burger and ate her myself. Would be like scrapping an old tractor that still ran.
 
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