8/14/2023 0 Comments Baby animal age for cattle![]() ![]() To sum up, most cows are too old to breed once they reach about 12 years old, although they rarely reach this age on a farm anyway. Heifers go through puberty when they reach a certain percentage of their adult bodyweight, so farmers can accelerate the process by feeding the calves lots of energy dense food to help them grow faster.įarmers tend to aim for a cow to give birth for the first time at around two years old, which means heifers need to be old enough to breed at around 14-16 months.Ĭalving at two years is positively correlated with fertility, longevity, and milk production rates over the rest of the cow’s life. ![]() Heifers are female cows who haven’t yet given birth to their first calf.įarmers pay close attention to their heifers fertility, because every month a heifer spends not pregnant is an extra month the farmer has to feed her with no milk production. The calf was creatively named “ Bertha Junior”. The oldest cow ever to have given birth was Big Bertha, a celebrity cow from Ireland known as being the longest lived cow in the world.īertha lived to the ripe old age of 48, and gave birth to her last calf in 1986, when she was 43 years old. The age differs for each individual animal based on their genetics, their environment, and their diet.Īs a very rough rule of thumb, a cow can give birth up until around age twelve, after which point their fertility decreases rapidly. There is no set age when a cow suddenly becomes unable to give birth. (The length of break required increases as the cows age) Until What Age Can Cows Still Give Birth? Read More: How Many Times can a Cow Give Birth? How Long Are Cows Pregnant For?Ĭows are pregnant for about nine and a half months.ĭairy cows are typically pregnant for most of the year, with a break of between two or three months after each pregnancy required before the cow can be impregnated again. Once dairy cows can no longer become pregnant, they are sent to slaughter. What Happens to Dairy Cows Once They Can No Longer Become Pregnant?ĭairy cows must be able to get pregnant, otherwise they can not produce milk. Instead, replacement calves are bought in or bred from specific cattle kept aside solely for replenishing the herd. In addition, many cows develop problems such as mastitis, or problems with the hooves which lead to problems with milking.īeef cattle are usually slaughtered at around three years old, so beef cows usually don’t live long enough to have calves. This can be explained by the fact that milk production drops as cows age, yet the feeding costs remain the same. Over the course of their natural lifespan of around 20 years, a cow could reasonably expect to give birth to around six to ten calves before their fertility started to decline.Ĭows begin to see a decline in their fertility at around age eight, with a marked drop off around age twelve.Īlthough cows could theoretically give birth eight to twelve times, the lifespan of an average US dairy cow is only 4-6 years, with most calves producing between two and four calves in their lifetime. This is because farm cows reach puberty at between 14 and 16 months of age and are usually bred straight away to maximize the profit per cow.įarmers aim for the first birth to occur as early as possible, because an early first birth is positively correlated with the expected number of successful subsequent calves. How Old Are Cows When They Can First Give Birth?Īccording to dairy expert Lindsay Ferlito from Cornell University, cows in the US typically give birth for the first time when they are around two years old. When Can Cows Breed?Ĭows can usually breed from when they hit puberty, up until they are around eight to twelve years old.įor most cows, puberty occurs at around two years, although it varies a lot by breed and according to how they have been raised. ![]() In another study by the University of Florida, it was found that there was a small decline after around eight years, and a more sharp decline in cow fertility after 12 years. In an article for Beef Magazine, Livestock expert Ron Torell explains that cows may see decline in their fertility after 11 years. Conclusion When Are Cows Too Old To Give Birth?Īlthough it varies according to each individual cow, most experts agree that cow fertility drops at around eight to twelve years old. ![]()
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