NEW BLOOD

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 17964, 8 March 1930, Page 10 (Supplement)

NEW BLOOD

BUYING A COW. VITAL POINTS TO WATCH. The age of the cow is an important factor when the dairyman is seeking new blood. Indifferent milkers are usually sold before they arc five years of age, and if a buyer is in quest of a good cow at a market he is generally quite safe in taking one over six years, provided she is healthy, correct in the teats, and has moderately good teeth. However, it is not advisable to pay a big price for a cow that is past her prime. Describing a simple method of determining the age of a' cow, a writer in the Live Stock Journal (Eng.) stated recently that when a cow was over five years old her age could only be roughly guessed from the condition of the teeth (incisors) and the rings on the horns. But in the case of polled and dehorned stock there is only the teeth and the general appearance of the animals to indicate the a °A horned cow will be found to have a ring on her horns representing the birth of a calf yearly, and two years must generally be added to the number of rings, because heifers are generally two to two and a half or three Tears old at the birth of their first calf. Thus a cow with four rings on her horns may be reckoned as six or seven years old.

Worn Teeth

However, the condition of the teeth actually determines the potential life service of the cow. The cow’s molars may or may not be serviceable, but if her incisors are worn short or broken she may be accepted; as ageing. Some cows have really good teeth at 10 and 12 years old, but usually the teeth begin to show signs of wear at 6 or 7 years old. It depends largely on the character of the soil, the crops, and the general feeding of the cows. On short, closely-gnawed pastures, especially on stony ground, the teeth of grazing cows wear quickly.

Fed on whole turnips, in a stone or concrete trough, having a rough uneven bottom, the cow’s teeth wear down more quickly than when she is fed on sliced turnips. The feeding of treacle and soft mashes hastens the decay of the teeth. -The quality of the drinking water also affects the wearing qualities of the teethYield Declines at Nine Years. ■Only the best milkers are, of course, retained until their teeth wear short. Occasionally a superior milch cow will be found with but a few rusty stumps where white ivories once were. Many an aged cow is reluctantly parted with, if she has been superior at the pail, and at the production of young stock. Many a good cow will well maintain her milk yield beyond 12 years old, but as a general rule cows are at their best after the birth of their third or fourth calf, say, five or six years old, and when they arrive at the age of nine years the milk yield generally falls off gradually.