another bottle calf question...??

[BlondeD]

........Well, things go sideways sometimes.....I had a small AI project last spring....chose seman from a good source with small BW calves for 2 heifers.....both deliveries were stressful....both nice bull calves.....one the young mama rejected.....so now I'm down the road with a "large" bottle baby.....(btw..my wife's favorite ever)....and a really good candidate to replace the current herd sire resident..(still a youngster himself)...He's a good little "pest".....with some great confirmation and breeding I could really live with. Just trying to figure out his near future.....as he will be here close to "forever"......btw...his name is Buddy.......help....plz

 

[SBMF 2015]

Hmm, kind of a vague question. The one thing I did take out of it, is that you say he is a little "pest" already . If you are thinking about making him a herd bull some day, by all means don't make a pet out of him. One thing you can count on is that he will get bigger and he will still want to be a "pest" .

 

[BlondeD]

Thanks.....for telling me the exact things I've told the wife. Just needing to develope him along and treat him well....but not too well. I'm usually watching him with all eyes on high alert......just his friendly head butts are becoming stronger....and at only 3 1/2 months of age. Any thoughts on halter breaking..??? and the long term value of that???

 

[TCRanch]

I wouldn't halter break a herd bull - or any bull. Docility is extremely important but if he's already head butting in a "friendly" way, you can't undo behavior that's already been established.

 

[SBMF 2015]

Others on here can give you better advice on having your herd bull halter broke.
I don't have spooky or aggressive bulls ( we have 9 on hand right now), but once they are yearlings they get a nose ring. It's just to hard to carry a bucket of corn to the cows with a bulls head buried in the bucket. A little tap with your hand is enough for them to back off and have manners.

 

[Dsth]

It seems like a dangerous situation to me. When you have a bull that you think is tame and not concerned about him being aggressive, you become complacent around him. It only takes one day when the bull is feeling uncomfortable with you around a cow that is in heat for his whole attitude toward you to take a drastic turn. If you decide to keep him as a breeder, Please be careful.

 

[CG1]

Our bull is that easy. Halters no problem. He was actually bought at auction but I noticed quickly how friendly he was. Not sure his background.

Anyways. I don't halter him. We actually avoid the field in general when he's in a mood. Because as the others have said he's so friendly it's dangerous. But when the girls are cycling and he thinks I'm trying to move them he would not hesitate to try and take me out.

I have a pet steer I bottle fed. I debated if I should have kept him intact at the time. He's so friendly I can ride him. Not sure how he would have made out had I left his balls on. But from about age 1-3 when I entered the field he woudl try and mount me...

The guy that helps us transport our cattle told me the friendly ones are the ones you have to watch out for most. I've seen my pets get so excited they headbutt the mirrors right off the truck trying to load them.

I call him King Ricky. His sad story earned him his keep. I took his balls off at around 7 months old.

 

[gcreekrch]

Genetics that would abandon a calf and was an assisted birth to begin with have no need of duplicating.

Better to castrate and eat.

Get a dog or a parakeet if you want a pet.

 

[CG1]

Genetics that would abandon a calf and was an assisted birth to begin with have no need of duplicating.

Better to castrate and eat.

Get a dog or a parakeet if you want a pet.

Twins tho. Wouldn't that be a female trait the bull wouldn't inherit?

 

[Ky hills]

I would not be in favor of keeping a hand raised calf for a bull. They have no fear and thus no flight zone. Years ago I raised a Charolais bull calf on a bottle that the heifer didn't claim. Left him intact and Put him with the others bulls calves once they were weaned. At a year old he was extremely aggressive. As were a Jersey and Holstein that I left intact with the intention of using to breed nurse cows at the time. In all three of those bulls by the time they were a year old they were rank and I took them to market quick before nice that started. I won't even consider leaving a bottle calf a bull now. I also agree with GCreek if a calf required assistance and the mother didn't claim it that's two strikes against it already as far as reproductive potential.

 

[gcreekrch]

Genetics that would abandon a calf and was an assisted birth to begin with have no need of duplicating.

Better to castrate and eat.

Get a dog or a parakeet if you want a pet.

Twins tho. Wouldn't that be a female trait the bull wouldn't inherit?

Like begets like, male or female.

 

[greggy]

Our bull is that easy. Halters no problem. He was actually bought at auction but I noticed quickly how friendly he was. Not sure his background.

Anyways. I don't halter him. We actually avoid the field in general when he's in a mood. Because as the others have said he's so friendly it's dangerous. But when the girls are cycling and he thinks I'm trying to move them he would not hesitate to try and take me out.

I have a pet steer I bottle fed. I debated if I should have kept him intact at the time. He's so friendly I can ride him. Not sure how he would have made out had I left his balls on. But from about age 1-3 when I entered the field he woudl try and mount me...

The guy that helps us transport our cattle told me the friendly ones are the ones you have to watch out for most. I've seen my pets get so excited they headbutt the mirrors right off the truck trying to load them.

I call him King Ricky. His sad story earned him his keep. I took his balls off at around 7 months old.

Bull....nice legs and rear end there.....can you say then when looking at a bull ?

Look in his eyes Cowgal, I would not even do that with my tamest heifer, I cannot afford to lose my legs or rear end ! Just feeding is dangerous enough.

I have a very calm ram, he is prob 250 or so lbs, but I keep my eye on him, when he decides too, he will charge any one of his GFs, not in a full on way, but, if he decided to do it to me and I was not watching, even a half charge would prob do good damage. And my only advantage possibly is food, but he could decide to go me, I have had them do it before at random.

I have had a ram drag me about 15m by pure accident, he was a wimpy ram.

Just be careful, and, pet rams are pests too OP ! Do not bother getting intact male sheep or cattle used to being comfortable dominating you, big mistake IMO.

 

[greggy]

Honestly, why bother ? Unless it has prize winning genetics and will bring money ?

The one that is a pest now, well, if it is on milk, course it will be a pest.

Males, even steers, can be a pain when hormones are flowing, but so can heifers and cows I suppose, but you need to look for what may be an issue health wise for you, do not teach them to be dominant with you or have zero fear, or you will prob have to take them away, 100lb head butter is ok, 200, not so much, when they get to 600 it will be no joke if your lower in the pecking order and getting near them.

I had a very friendly young heifer, would come over to me all the time, did not push or anything, but I saw her starting to dominate others, she would not move away from me when I needed her too etc, she was becoming a pest, but could see she would likely do things I did not want later, so she had to go, it can be hard to work out, but you do not want to wait till your mashed or pushed over or stomped or kicked.

See how they are after weaning if still on milk, and all you need is for them to come or move when you need them too, so limit the interaction so it is just in your favour, unless showing I guess.

 

[CG1]

Our bull is that easy. Halters no problem. He was actually bought at auction but I noticed quickly how friendly he was. Not sure his background.

Anyways. I don't halter him. We actually avoid the field in general when he's in a mood. Because as the others have said he's so friendly it's dangerous. But when the girls are cycling and he thinks I'm trying to move them he would not hesitate to try and take me out.

I have a pet steer I bottle fed. I debated if I should have kept him intact at the time. He's so friendly I can ride him. Not sure how he would have made out had I left his balls on. But from about age 1-3 when I entered the field he woudl try and mount me...

The guy that helps us transport our cattle told me the friendly ones are the ones you have to watch out for most. I've seen my pets get so excited they headbutt the mirrors right off the truck trying to load them.

I call him King Ricky. His sad story earned him his keep. I took his balls off at around 7 months old.

Bull....nice legs and rear end there.....can you say then when looking at a bull ?

Look in his eyes Cowgal, I would not even do that with my tamest heifer, I cannot afford to lose my legs or rear end ! Just feeding is dangerous enough.

I have a very calm ram, he is prob 250 or so lbs, but I keep my eye on him, when he decides too, he will charge any one of his GFs, not in a full on way, but, if he decided to do it to me and I was not watching, even a half charge would prob do good damage. And my only advantage possibly is food, but he could decide to go me, I have had them do it before at random.

I have had a ram drag me about 15m by pure accident, he was a wimpy ram.

Just be careful, and, pet rams are pests too OP ! Do not bother getting intact male sheep or cattle used to being comfortable dominating you, big mistake IMO.

This steer is so fat it would take him so long to get up id have more than enough time to move out of the way. I am actually having to move him in a week here to another farm bcs he's so obese. I need to better manage his feed haha.

I have been trying to ride him but its physically hard to even straddle him to do so. He is like a family dog and he looks hilarious in the field.

I have one of my breeding girls who is just as friendly as this. Maybe more. She was also a bottle calf.

 

[greggy]

Maybe the look is....oh gawd....she is gonna climb on me again