The Sunday News
A FARMER who does beef production relies on selling some of his/her animals to generate revenue for the day to day operations of the farm. The number of animals sold by the farmer in a year is called the annual offtake.
However there is a deliberate decision made in terms of choice of which animal(s) to sell. We therefore look at some of the factors that a farmer takes into consideration when deciding to cull cows off the farm.
One of the greatest determinants of profitability in a beef production operation is reproductive rate.
Open (non-pregnant) cows are a drain on resources. They consume feed, forage, and other resources without producing a marketable calf to contribute to expense payments.
Cows that are open at the end of the breeding season should be at the top of the cull list. Poor performance is also another factor to consider. Poor calf performance is usually the result of inferior genetics, poor dam milk production, calf illness, or a combination of these factors. Cow passing on inferior genetics to their calves for economically important performance traits and cows with unacceptably low milk production are potential culls.
If poor calf performance is due in large part to calf sickness and not associated with the dam, then the dam may still have a productive future in the herd.
While herd genetic improvement is largely dependent on sire selection, the dam contributes half of the genetics to the calf hence if the dam has unfavourable or inferior traits it should be culled.
Age is another very important factor. The productive lifetime of a beef cow is variable. As long as teeth, udders, feet, and legs are sound, many older cows are often still able to perform well. Breed composition and production environment can play a role in longevity. The longevity among cows varies depending on breed type as well as environmental factors.
Brahman breeds for example will start declining in performance from eight years while other breeds may decline after 12 years.
Ideally, cows should be culled for advancing age prior to a sharp decline in reproductive or maternal performance.
In addition, with an emphasis on herd genetic improvement, younger beef females are often genetically superior to older cows. This is where most smallholder communal farmers are found wanting because it is very common to find farmers keeping a cow until it has completely won out teeth due to age.
Such old cows are very susceptible to harsh conditions such as drought. They are the first to succumb.
Teeth wear with normal use over time. Gritty feeds and forages accelerate tooth wear. Soil type can affect how long teeth remain sound, with sandy soils typically being harder on teeth. Cows can eventually wear their teeth down to a stage where grazing effectiveness is severely impacted. This results in poor body condition despite adequate available nutrients.
“Smooth-mouthed” cows have teeth worn down to the gums. Cows may also lose teeth at any age from being knocked out by blunt force or from gum disease or infection resulting in a “broken-mouthed” condition. These cattle may dribble feed and have a hard time consuming adequate quantities of feed or forage. Annual inspection of the teeth and mouth is recommended.
Udder condition may also influence decision on whether to cull or not. Udder soundness affects milk production, milk consumption by the calf, and ultimately calf weaning weights. Proper udder attachment in a beef female is important for a long, efficient, productive life.
A sound udder should be firmly attached with a strong, level floor and four properly formed teats proportional to body size. Weak udder suspension results in pendulous udders that are difficult for a sucking calf. Balloon or funnel-shaped teats are also difficult for calf milk consumption and hence weaning weights. Balloon teats are also sometimes an indication of past mastitis. The udder should be healthy and free of mastitis in all four quarters for good milk production.
Additionally cows need to be sound enough for effective grazing and successful pasture breeding.
Obvious structural defects can decrease the market appeal of an animal as well. Lameness is a major reason for culling cattle. Lameness leads to decreased performance, decreased reproductive efficiency, weight loss, and increased treatment costs.
Cows may also be culled if they develop health problems such as eye problems. It is very common to find a cow with one dead eye. These are good candidates for culling. Prolapse is another potential health concern that may necessitate culling. Uterine prolapse is a condition in which the uterus is pulled through the birth canal with the calf or afterbirth. Cows suffering from this condition should be marked for the cull list.
Temperament is also another important aspect when considering culling. Cows of excitable temperament are difficult to work with and in some cases they can cause injury or death of handlers. Also for smallholder farmers a lactating cow provides milk for the household and you do not want to have a cow which you cannot milk because of its shot fuse. Because calves inherit a genetic component of temperament and also pick up habits from their dams during the suckling phase, bad attitudes can be propagated within the herd without selection pressure for acceptable disposition.
The decision on when to cull will depend on the reasons behind the culling. In cases where cows have developed severe health problems, removal from the herd may need to be immediate.
In situations where cows are being culled for low performance or other less urgent factors, it often makes sense to wait until after calves are weaned.
Production conditions such as drought can also influence the best time to remove cows from the herd. Culling is an important management principle which smallholder farmers need to embrace so as to improve efficiencies of their production units.
