Is she too thin?

[Stubbornhillfarm]

What do you guys think about this?

http://nh.craigslist.org/grd/4020205726.html

Another ad just for the cow says that she may be bred. In my opinion she is WAY too thin. But I am wondering if we could get some meat back on her or if it looks like there may be other underlying issues. I am just wondering where she may be bred if that would be an issue for the fetus since she is so thin.

Just don't want to make a purchase I regret!

Thanks for your help!

 

[jhm47]

Cow is pretty thin. Calf looks good. Without seeing her in person, it's impossible to tell if the cow has something physically wrong with her that caused her to lose weight. I'd go and inspect her and see what she's being fed. If fed well, she might have worms, foot problems, or many other things that would cause weight loss. If she's just malnourished, you can feed her well and have a nice cow/calf for a good price. The heifer calf should be worth $600 - $700 alone.

 

[bcnewe2]

if you compare her to the other cow in the third picture she looks quite thin. I don't know much about cows but I do know if you let a young animal nurse to long it will draw the momma down to nothing. If the calf is still nursing I can't imagine she would be bred and if it's not nursing then why so thin?

I would want to put my hands on her and see what she is really like. The calf looks great.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

jhm47 and bcnewe2, yeah...pictures can be deceiving either way I suppose. Our cow that has a calf roughly the same age (based on size) looks amazing but I know she came from great stock. We were thinking that maybe we can just get the calf. Not that we need one more animal to feed, but they are getting harder and harder to find around here and they are getting $$$$ when they are listed.

I'll let ya'll know if we investigate.

Thanks!

 

[WildRoseBeef]

This is just me and my opinion, but either that calf is pulling that cow down and needs to be weaned ASAP, or the cow isn't getting enough nutrients to sustain herself and her calf. Or both. She's in really poor body condition (guesstimate BCS of 2 to even 1.5 out of a 1 to 9 scale) and should be a lot more filled out than that. I wouldn't even pay that much for a thin cow either. JMHO.

 

[CritterZone]

All three of those cows look really thin which would lead me to think they are not getting enough quality food to eat. The calves all look pretty good. If that is what I wanted I would probably go over and look at them. She may just need more food, and to wean that calf.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

I am happy to say that we did go and see them in person yesterday afternoon. They are now on pasture and although the cow in question still is a bit thin, she is not looking like that any more. Seems as though the owner thinks that she is letting both of the calves in the picture nurse from her. The calf on the right is almost a year old. The one on the right that belongs to that cow was born in April.

In person both of the calves look real nice. The mother on the right looks decent, but has tipped udders. The cow on the left and her calf are both for sale as well along with a charlais x semintal heifer calf.

I'm thinking we are going to pass on them, because frankly we don't have enough room for anymore.