11 month old bull

[hillsdown]

OK, so I only kept two PB's from all the PB bulls that were born this year and have been keeping an eye on this guy as I think he is the best of the two thus far.He is muscling well and becoming quite long.He has been on grass and hay only but am am thinking of maybe giving him some grain also..........Haven't decided yet.So here is his pics he will be 12 months Feb 11, WW was 685 at 217 days and BW was 78lbs.

Would grain help at this stage or should I emphasize on all grass fed?For some reason guys around here like fat pigs but they usually only last a year or two at the most.

 

[Frankie]

What breed are we talking about? When was this picture taken? What does he weigh now, at 11 months? What are you planning to do with him? Sell him or use him yourself?

Feeding grain to growing bulls doesn't ruin them. Some commercial cattlemen see well fed yearling bulls as an indicator of what their calves will look like as yearlings in the feedlot.

 

[greenwillowhereford II]

I don't recognize the abbreviation "PB" either. Weaning weight was adequate.
Whether you feed him grain or not depends on how you intend to market your product. If you are going to do it on grass and hay, you had better find some high quality grass and hay, and plenty of it. Most seasoned breeders that I know of feed some type of growing ration. That doesn't mean that they have to be fat. Many use an alfalfa pellet based product, such as creep or cubes, fed in moderation.

 

[Frankie]

PB is probably Pure Bred. Maybe Braunvieh or Gelbvieh?

 

[greenwillowhereford II]

PB is probably Pure Bred. Maybe Braunvieh or Gelbvieh?

I'm guessing Braunveigh then..

 

[hillsdown]

PB always means pure bred . BTW NO ONE who knows Braunvieh or Gelbvieh (oh wait, vieh means herd in German) would ever mistake the two.He has FB(gold) and red in his background and weighs aprox I would say 900lbs but he will not be weighed until next month. Now the pic was yesterday and is from a very deep pedigree family and show winners.He is polled and his @ss shot is very impressive.He is going to someone else and was some what spoken for before he was born.But I want to get the best price and and deliver the best animal.

Also FB means full blood which means there is gold in the lineage {gelbvieh}.........

 

[MikeC]

Would grain help at this stage or should I emphasize on all grass fed?For some reason guys around here like fat pigs but they usually only last a year or two at the most.

Please clarify this statement. If a bull is fed grain adequately/properly and not overfed he will last just as long as a breeder or maybe longer than a strictly grassfed bull. Been there, done that.

A bull should be fed enough of the proper nutrition to express his genetic merit whatever the source. If you don't......... you don't know what you have "genetically".

 

[KNERSIE]

If you don't......... you don't know what you have "genetically".

If you always feed according to optimum conditions you'll never know what you DON"T have genetically.

If the goal of the operation is grassfed beef, it would just make sense to develope the bull on forage only, after all that is what his calves needs to perform on. And yes, I do know a young bull require higher proteien feed to realise his potential than a mature cow does for maintenance, but not all cattle do equally well on forage only. Try and give the best available forage there is to develope the bull, but for sustained minimum input production on grass you've got to apply some form of selection pressure.

 

[Roadapple]

PB always means pure bred . BTW NO ONE who knows Braunvieh or Gelbvieh (oh wait, vieh means herd in German) would ever mistake the two.He has FB(gold) and red in his background and weighs aprox I would say 900lbs but he will not be weighed until next month. Now the pic was yesterday and is from a very deep pedigree family and show winners.He is polled and his @ss shot is very impressive.He is going to someone else and was some what spoken for before he was born.But I want to get the best price and and deliver the best animal.

Also FB means full blood which means there is gold in the lineage {gelbvieh}.........

You say he comes from deep pedigree family and show winners. What's some of his ancestors names and maybe someone can help with the breed. I don't think Braunvieh, because Braunvieh have a black muzzle.

 

[Beefy]

he has to be a gelbvieh just going on his hindquarter. he looks pretty average to me, but i can tell he is in his awkward stage. the first pic isnt very flattering of him. nice calf though. keep in mind i've never cared much for gelbviehs.

i dont think PB means Polled Braunvieh in this case nor PeanutButter, although "PeanutButter" might be a good name for him.

 

[Flacowman]

I'm not tryng to be mean for most people around here, he would have been castrated and through the sale barn. Seems like his head is too big, how fast has he been growing? Don't know a lot about gelbvieh but if you're right about him weighing 900, that seems small and might account for the big head.

 

[MikeC]

If you don't......... you don't know what you have "genetically".

If you always feed according to optimum conditions you'll never know what you DON"T have genetically.

If the goal of the operation is grassfed beef, it would just make sense to develope the bull on forage only, after all that is what his calves needs to perform on. And yes, I do know a young bull require higher proteien feed to realise his potential than a mature cow does for maintenance, but not all cattle do equally well on forage only. Try and give the best available forage there is to develope the bull, but for sustained minimum input production on grass you've got to apply some form of selection pressure.

I didn't read where she said the calves from this bull would be grassfed only. Plus, she did say that the bull buyers there like them fat. (Which THIS calf is NOT)

My main question was that she said that grain fed bulls don't make it but a year or two, and if that is the case, I will argue the point.

Again, a grainfed-fed bull that is fed properly will last just as long (maybe longer) than a grassfed breeder. It's up to the individual,,,, but grain doesn't mean that a bull will be short-lived.

 

[Wild Cattle]

Just because a bull comes from "good lines" or has good numbers, does not mean he is a good bull canadate. He would be a steer on this outfit. Has everyone forgot how to evaluate a herd bull on his own merits?

Paul T

 

[dun]

Just because a bull comes from "good lines" or has good numbers, does not mean he is a good bull canadate. He would be a steer on this outfit. Has everyone forgot how to evaluate a herd bull on his own merits?

Paul T

Excellent point. Way to many bulls that are sold for breeding are sold/used based on the possible quality rather then actual quality. Same applys to heifers. Not every calf born, no matter how good the pedigree is in theory, should be kept for breeding.

 

[JMichal]

I raise Gelbvieh and I think his feet need to be bigger, larger bone in the leg, Thicker through the Rib. Hard to tell as pictures can be very deceiving.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Hillsdown - are you spoofing us??
By the pics posted - he's a cull. But, I'm a poor analizer of thin cattle. I sure wouldn't put my name on him & sell him as a breeder. Feed him & than decide.

 

[KMacGinley]

I think he is joking?? That calf needs to be cut, first of all, secondly, he looks like a Braunvieh not a Gelbvieh, and Vieh means cattle, not herd.

 

[ROB]

hillsdown- at first i thought it might be braunvieh with simmental influence. the pink nose eliminates it being strictly braunvieh, and it is lacking white hair outline around the ears. i really cant tell what it is! but if were mine it would have been cut a long time ago. even though it had a decent weaning and birth wt. - it lacks a lot of desireable traits including thickness, muscle expression, and conformation. if you would - fill us in on the breed. inquiring minds want to know.

ROB

 

[js2743]

i think he would make a good steer...enough said

 

[chippie]

He appears to have what my daughter calls "The Noassatall Syndrome". ;-)

He needs some groceries so that he can grow to his potential. We know several breeders who send their yearling bulls to the feed yard before offering them to the public.