Short mouthed cow

[goat]

I was at the cattle auction the otherday and the auctioneer would occasionally say something about a short mouthed cow.
What is it exactly and is it a good thing or a bad thing?

[ThistleKop]

They are referring to the condition of the cows teeth. Prior to the sale the cow's mouth is examined. Judging by the wear on the cow's teeth, age will be estimated from about 18mos. to 7 yrs. Cows older than 6-7 yrs. are not categorized by yrs. but by terms like: Full Mouth ( a good set of teeth), Short Mouth (has their teeth but lots of wear), Smooth Mouth or Aged (teeth are worn out). The appropriate age information along with whether the cow is pregnant ( how far along she is) is recorded on a tag and stuck on the back of the cow. Hope this is not more than you wanted to know. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

TK

[Pat]

You might as well hear about broke mouth cows too. Indicative of broken or missing teeth, not a fractured jaw from a brawl.

All this interest in teeth is twofold: they have to chew a lot of food to do OK and it is a fair indicator of age which relates to probable remaining productive years as momma cows.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[goat]

Thanks to both of you.