[Roxy]

One of the two remaining cows from the TB problem we had, calved at 2am yesterday morning .....she is 20!!  I am pretty sure she has calved every year, so this will be her 18th calf.  Molly is a black and white hereford,  and the farmers childrens pet as they grew up.  They are now adults with families of their own, but still hold a soft spot for the old cow, and she will let you go in the field and hug her, still.  How strange that the old girl was resilient to the TB.  She always had a bull calf one year, then a heifer, so has a heifer this year by a Simmental.

I said to the farmer, thats it, no more calves?  He laughed and said, he would see if she came in bulling

[little blue]

bless her, thats a grand age!
wonder what the oldest cow to successfully calve is?

[faith0504]

oh bless

[Rosemary]

Well done, old girl 

[Sandy]

Thats great, never thought how long cows live, I can see she is a major part of the family and she well deserves to be.

 

[Maggie]

That's so nice.  Warmed my heart so it did, reading that. 

[Bioman]

Black and White Hereford? I think you mean Black Baldy (Hereford x Angus.) Amazing though that a cow of 20 calved her udder must be HUGE!

[darkbrowneggs]

Well done that cow, she sounds wonderful 

bless her, thats a grand age!
wonder what the oldest cow to successfully calve is?

Thought you might like this

From "The Book Of The Jersey", 1947, by L. Gordon Tubbs:

"Eminence 7124" bred and milked well after she had passed her 20th birthday (Isle of Jersey).
Similarly the English cow "Broom", calved 17 times in 17 years and lived to be 21.
Mr E. J. Boston's herd sire was still active at 15 years of age, his dam being slaughtered at 23 years old.
Until 1932 the world's record for Jersey longevity was held by an American cow called "Financial King's Interest", who died at 24 years 7 months, having produced 20 heifer calves and 1 bull calf (authenticated by AJCA).
In 1932 this record was broken by "Merry Maiden's Brown Lady" of Iowa who complete a record of 6507 lbs of milk at 26 years of age, and is said to have secured the additional distinction of being the oldest cow of any breed to have finished an official record.
A grade Jersey in New Zealand named "Grannie" produced 22 calves, and gave 50 lbs of milk at 25 years old; at this age it is reported that "she was sound in all her quarters, but without a tooth in her head."
In British Colombia there is reported to have been a Jersey who had had 27 calves and gave birth to her 28th in June, 1930, at 30 years of age.
A Jersey in Gloucestershire lived to be 27 and bred regularly every year up to 25.
From Tasmania comes the report of a Jersey cow 30 years of age and the dam of 27 calves, her first at 18 months of age.

It can be truthfully said that the average Jersey is not really in her prime until her 5th or possibly her 6th lactation, in spite of the fact that she produces her first calf at 2.

There are numerous cases on record of bulls . . . .
"General Cowslip" lived to the age of 17-1/2, and the well-known bull "Eminent", who died in 1916, was 19-1/2 years of age.
"Goldfinder" died in Australia at age 19.
"Mourier King" lived on the Isle until nearly 20 years of age and was used almost up until his death.
The famous American bull "Pedro" is reported to have sired calves when he was over 20 years old.

A record for regular breeding was put up by a Jersey in Texas who produced, and reared, 14 calves in 7 years, having had 7 pairs of twins, all heifers except the first pair.
In February 1935 the "Jersey Bulletin" reported the case of a Jersey cow who gave birth to quintuplets, all of whom survived.
There is a peculiar case on record of a Jersey cow who was in-milk for 17 years, giving 2-3 gallons a day, without having had a calf during that period; as the owner was under the impression that she woudn't breed, she was never sent to the bull.

All the best
Sue

 

[Roxy]

Thank you darkbrowneggs - thats very interesting!!

Bioman - we have red and white herefords and black and white herefords round here - not many nowadays admittedly, but thats what everyone calls them!!

Will try and find a pic on my computer of the old lady with one of her calves from a couple of years ago.

[SallyintNorth]

Black and White Hereford? I think you mean Black Baldy (Hereford x Angus.)

Pretty much anything black or black-and-white crossed with a Hereford will give a 'black-and-white Hereford' : the white face is a dominant gene and appears on all first generation offspring.

In these parts there are plenty of 'black-and-white Herefords' - there are 11 on this farm! plus 3 red-and-white ones - and they are almost without exception the result of a Hereford bull on a dairy cow, usually a Friesian / Holstein.  The dairy farmers like the Hereford on their heifers as he gives an easy calving for her first time, and the calves are easy to sell; the heifers being popular as suckler cows and the bullocks easy to rear and sell for store or fat.

[Bioman]

Aah I understand. Down here they are referred to as Black Baldy or Hereford X

[lill]

ah, bless her 20 and still going strong

[Roxy]

I bought some hay from the cows owner, and went over to the field to say hello to the two cows who lived with us during the summer for many years - it was lovely to see them again, and to see the calf too.

Took some pics, but I do find it hard to upload them on here, as they have to be reduced in size, and turn out diddy (yet most other forums, I can put pics on no bother, so not sure why I struggle on here.

[Roxy]

Went over to collect some hay, and took my camera.

[cairnhill]

Love it