A Bulls Progress

[M-5]

I give all credit to the people of cattle today for the improvement in my small herd. I realize that this bull is not an ideal specimen in the scheme of a lot of herds but as I continue to progress and achieve my goals I owe a great deal of gratitude to the folks that critique and tell you the truth. I purchased this bull in the late summer of 2013 for 1600.00 He is a non papered pure bred angus. Although I never liked his head he has given me the best calves I've ever had , To date He has sired 33 calves and of the ones I have sold he has generated over 17k in the 2.5 yrs he has been here. He will be 4 in late june.

 

[M-5]

 

[M-5]

For the questions on what my goals are. I am expecting my first AI calf on one of his daughters very soon. I had planned on selling his this spring but he throws a lot of heifers and I have decided to take him thru another breeding season to try and get a few more heifers from him. He seems to be a gentleman and carries his weight very well. I have a couple of 1000# cows that I have seen him breed and they stand well for him. I plan on transitioning to all AI in the next year or so.

 

[Alan]

That's a great example of why not to write of a young bull/heifer too soon! I wasn't really impressed by the pics of him as a youngster, but he developed into a pretty decent meaty bull. A bull that I think would improve a lot of herds I've seen. Going AI will certainly help improve the herd the fastest. When I was AIing, I would AI one cycle and throw them out with a clean up bull, it really improved my herd quickly. The one unexpected problem I found with AI was finding the bull that produced a calf that did well in my environment. I used a lot of bulls that were very popular and had a very good reputation for producing keepers but their calves just never made the cut. I did come across a couple of lines produced by the same breeder that worked great in my area. Easy keepers, good growth, lots of width and depth..... But a lot of other Hereford breeders here didn't have to same opinion as me, I'm sure it was because of the environment, mine get nothing other than grass and minerals and wormers. Enjoy the herd development.

Oh and not bad for a guy who has only been on CT since 2015! :mrgreen:

 

[Bestoutwest]

Nice bull M-5.

 

[jscunn]

M-5,
He did turn out really well. I didnt mind the head as much as I disliked the rump slope especially as a younger bull. As long as the calves dont have it I would keep breeding to him.. Alan is right about the AI Deal. one time and turn the bull out. He is also right about finding a bull to work in your environment.. Great advice.. Find something that works in your environment with your management.. I have suggestions... LOL.. :lol:

 

[gizmom]

M-5

I sure didn't care for him in the first photos you posted just more slope from hooks to pins than I like to see. He sure has grown into a dang nice bull. Good job my friend, he is going to make you a good bull. You done good!

gizmom

 

[Nesikep]

I can echo that sentiment.. My herd and my eye for a good animal has improved greatly since I've been on CT... I would like more criticism in fact so I can continue on the right path.

 

[JWBrahman]

Glad he did good for you M-5. Probably in the upper percentile for what you see in black bulls along I-10

 

[M-5]

Thanks, I posted these pics to show just like alan said that sometimes we get hung up on finding the perfect bull. I labored over buying him for several days. I looked at his siblings and all were very nice animals , I looked at his sire and dam and he had a 3yr old half brother to him on site. every single one of them all grew into the same type bull , This bulls sire was sold as a 7yr old and weighed 2400# iirc . If I had to go back today and pick another bull out of the exact same bunch I would most likely pic a different one. WHY??? because as we grow and learn we start to see things differently that's why I give credit to everyone here that points out the flaws and critiques because most of us are barn blind when picking our animals. There are no hard feelings if you don't like him we all do the best we can with what we have to work with. One thing I notice in my cattleman's mag every month in the spotlight or obits is when the give the accomplishments of an industry leader it always references 30, 40, or 50 yrs of improving and growing a herd into what it is today. Every single one of us is on the same journey in our goals to be the best at what we do for our specific area. I read another comment from a respected poster here that said "before a person gets into the cattle business they need to become educated on it" while I agree partly with that but the real education comes from owning and managing . You can have a host of letters behind your name but if you don't have any "stock" or skin in the game your education is paper only.