How old is a cow when it gets slaughtered

Veal — Calves which are around six to eight months old at the point of slaughter. Rose veal — Calves which are between eight and twelve months old at the point of slaughter. Dairy cows are more profitable to the farmer for producing dairy than they are being sold for meat, so dairy cows are only sent for meat once they can no longer produce milk. As dairy cows get older, they can no longer reliably become pregnant and their milk production decreases. When the dwindling milk production means it is no longer economically viable for the farmer to keep feeding them, dairy cows are sent for slaughter.

Dairy cows are typically sent for slaughter when their milk production and fertility starts to drop off at around six to eight years old. Read more: When are cows too old to give birth? Like dairy cows, bulls are more profitable to the farmer when they are carrying out their specific task, rather than being raised for meat.

In the case of bulls, this is reproducing and increasing the herd size. Bulls help create new cattle, which may be used for either dairy or beef depending on the bull breed. The value of a bull comes from their genetics and their ability to create new cattle. When a bull can no longer reliably reproduce, they are sent for slaughter. Many bulls develop leg or hoof problems long before they start to see a decline in fertility, which makes breeding difficult or impossible for them and results in them being sent for slaughter sooner.

Meanwhile Limousin cattle had a peak carcass value between and days, making them most profitable between and days months. Ms Moran said the data did not indicate any considerable difference in body confirmation or condition between those animals slaughtered at 12 months and those slaughtered several months later. Slaughtering cattle earlier also meant that farmers could increase the number of animals they brought on to farm, helping drive profits further, she added.

Sign in. When a heifer is just over a year old, she has reached puberty and can be bred. Typically, a heifer is bred when she is around 15 months old, which means she will have a baby when she is around 24 months old. By this time, she has grown to full size and is capable of giving birth and taking care of a calf. Calves that are being raised for meat can be raised in one of two ways, grain-fed or grass-fed. This can be done organically or non-organically.

For the most part, these farms house their calves outside, sometimes on pasture and sometimes on concrete, with plenty of access to hay, water, and grain. The calves are not force-fed, but are allowed to eat just about as much as they want. Remember, the goal here is to grow and put on muscle.

They have free access to grass pasture and hay, but are not fed any grain. This can also be done organically or non-organically. Any methods used to handle and kill the animals mustbe approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association and included in the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. We can help! Shared on:. My great uncle had a farm, it was not a specific type per say, he was into a little bit of everything. He always had a few beef cattle wandering around as well as dairy.

At the time, I never understood why he only had a couple, at that point in my life, I thought usually if you raise cattle you do so on a larger basis. He explained to me he had arrangements with other farmers in the area. He took a couple of the beef cattle, let them graze on his land, then when of size they had arrangements with a local butcher.

And then all three would share the results in some predetermined ratio. When I was a kid and helping out that year, it was neat to see how they all traded services to help each other out rather then relying on monetary transactions.

There has been a big movement back to bartering in recent years, especially in light of the recession. I also do a little bartering myself. As a web developer I have been known to do work in trade for other local businesses. For example, I built a website for a local vet, and was paid with credit at the office.