Bull Question

[Cuttin_up]

You very likely will have one or two that don't breed back on schedule, especially if the first calf is pulling them down any at all. If you want to keep your calving season tight, Dun's got a good plan.
Avg gestation period for cattle is 283 days. So if first calf is born Nov 1 2010, and the cow has first heat 30 to 45 days later and is bred then, she will calve in early-mid Sept of 2011.

Rotational grazing is a good practice as Jim recommends, but I can also understand your reluctance to put in the labor and money of fencing on property you don't own. Any chance owner would cut you a deal based on your 'improvement' to the land?

Jim’s plan would work I just need to decided what type of fencing would work and that would be cost effective considering I don’t own the land.

I already have an ideal agreement with the landowner, in that I maintain the land and fences and there will be no lease/rent payments on the pasture.

[Brute 23]

I already have an ideal agreement with the landowner, in that I maintain the land and fences and there will be no lease/rent payments on the pasture.

I hope you have written down what "maintain" intels. You could lose on that deal in a hurry.

[Cuttin_up]

I hope you have written down what "maintain" intels. You could lose on that deal in a hurry.

All paperwork has been drawn up just like a typical lease would be.

[snickers]

our little operation only consists of 43 acres. The problem we had when we didn't get the bull out was he was trying to ride the cow who just had her calf, so we now put him in a lot and feed him just alittle grain and all the hay he wants and then when were ready he goes back out with his girls.

[SRBeef]

… When subdividing a pasture would you use high tensile wire, barb wire, or other considering this land is leased land?

I think the best interior divider fence (the one down the middle) depends on your terrain. Since it is not your land and I don't know how long the agreement runs, and assuming you have electricity available somewhere, I would put in 6ft steel Tee posts (you can do that fairly easily by yourself) about 25 ft apart and run two 14 ga steel wires one at about 24" one at about 42" above the ground using the Gallagher strap on type T post insulators. You can use speed braces for the ends or bends and put this up pretty easily by yourself - minimal cost.

This is also your weaning fence. Once you have that up with a good 6 joule fencer you can subdivide each half into smaller sections using just a single aluminum electric wire on a reel with stepins (I like the Gallagher pigtails - expensive but they last forever and quick to move) and these can all be fed off of the center divider fence with a gate handle.

First thing to look at is access to water and do you need to make a couple lanes. I would keep it simple though at first and if water is at one end or spot in each half, gradually move a cross wire farther and farther exposing new grass every couple days with no back fence so they can still get to water. Not ideal (cattle can go back and nibble on new growth in areas that should be resting) but it will work for a start.

You will find you can get an amazing amount and good quality of grazing out of 100 acres compared to just turning them out on it. Good luck.

Jim

[alisonb]

Before you start planning fencing etc you need to ask yourself if it is really necessary to buy a bull right now-have you considered AI this round? Perhaps once you have settled in (lease etc) and the operation warrants a bull then you buy one?
I don't know if you know of anyone that Ai's or are close enough to a vet etc- it may just not be possible?

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I think you have figured out that you need to seperate the bull. We rotational graze, it is absolutely the best way to graze land.
But, If nothing else, you can build a seperate lot just for the bull. Two strands of hot wire (really hot) will keep your bull contained. They will NOT respect just a barb wire fence at all, no matter how many strands.
No matter how fertile or in good health (vaccination program) your females are - there is always that occasional obsorbed or aborted calf. Then, the bull will rebreed her & she will be totally off sinc. That's fine, if you make up your mind that you will ship any cow that calves later than you want. But, every year, the group of cows will calve a little earlier & earlier if the bull runs year-long with them. Cattle in good condition CAN get bred 30-40 days after birth. Ideally, YOU decide when you want to START calving and when you want to END calving, by pulling the bull.
If you decide to divide the 100 acres (best), think through your water situation.

[SRBeef]

I think you have figured out that you need to seperate the bull. We rotational graze, it is absolutely the best way to graze land.
But, If nothing else, you can build a seperate lot just for the bull. Two strands of hot wire (really hot) will keep your bull contained. They will NOT respect just a barb wire fence at all, no matter how many strands.
No matter how fertile or in good health (vaccination program) your females are - there is always that occasional obsorbed or aborted calf. Then, the bull will rebreed her & she will be totally off sinc. That's fine, if you make up your mind that you will ship any cow that calves later than you want. But, every year, the group of cows will calve a little earlier & earlier if the bull runs year-long with them. Cattle in good condition CAN get bred 30-40 days after birth. Ideally, YOU decide when you want to START calving and when you want to END calving, by pulling the bull.
If you decide to divide the 100 acres (best), think through your water situation.

Jeanne, with the guidance of a couple other contributors here, I do separate the bull and steers from the cows and heifers about 90 days after weaning and 30 days or more ahead of calving. I then put the two groups back together at whatever bull in date starts calving on April 1. This keeps a tight calving period. All it takes is one good hot divider fence. Everyone stays calm, they can see each other, as in fenceline weaning. I think this is better than trying to pen up a bull somewhere. And your calving date does not creep forward. Calving period gets tighter.

Another option for the original poster would be to just rent a bull for the period needed and then he can concentrate on the rest of a new operation rather than worrying about a bull. jmho.

Jim

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Jim, I understand how your system is working for you. The only thing you can run into, is an obsorbed or aborted fetus - in that case, your cow would get bred at a time you didn't want her to - but, I understand you ship anything that doesn't calve in your "calving season". It is working for you and that's all that matters.
Just, when you put the bull in & pull him on specific dates - NOTHING can possibly get bred that you don't want to. There are tons of systems that will work for individual breeders - just depends on their tolerance.
When our bull Macho was around, he rarely was ever with cows. We never had a problem with him. He was kept in 1 strand of electric fence - but, we always made sure there was a "buffer" zone of 4' between him & the potential cows in heat. If one had backed up to the fence, you can bet your "bippee" he would have been on top of her!