banding 300-500 lb. bull calves

[Isomade]

I noticed at the sale the other day alot of 800 lbs had bands on and still had the sacks,how long does it take for them to fall off? didnt seem to discourage the buyers,years ago it would have made them worth less

4-6 weeks

 

[Stocker Steve]

I noticed at the sale the other day alot of 800 lbs had bands on and still had the sacks,how long does it take for them to fall off? didnt seem to discourage the buyers,years ago it would have made them worth less

4-6 weeks

Can be months...

Best thing with da big boys is to run them back through after a week, cut it all off, and let it drain if needed. This also gives you the option of tanning the sack for a special gift :banana:

 

[cowwrangler]

do you see that much extra growth to make it worthwhile? i have been banding at calving,or cutting at weaning if i miss some

 

[Dixieangus]

do you see that much extra growth to make it worthwhile? i have been banding at calving,or cutting at weaning if i miss some

Its not all about the extra weight. Yes with my experience they do gain better but they also have a better temper, and you dont get docked +/- 10cwt at sale. On a 500lb bull thats 50 bucks. I dont know why you wouldnt band

 

[Farmerjon]

The loss of feed conversion due to banding or cutting is realized later? I feed mine out and slaughter as bulls. I have horses on my farm and farm with my horses so tetanus is a big issue for me. Consequently I quit castrating once the girls finished 4H.

The 10-12 buck cwt dock could make it a wash

Ahhhh, none of mine go through the sale barn. I freezer beef all 11 of my calves each year.

 

[djinwa]

The loss of feed conversion due to banding or cutting is realized later? I feed mine out and slaughter as bulls. I have horses on my farm and farm with my horses so tetanus is a big issue for me. Consequently I quit castrating once the girls finished 4H.

Are you saying you are concerned about your horses gettin tetanus from castrated cattle?

The tetanus organism is a natural inhabitant of the soil. More so in warmer climates. It enters an animal through a wound like a puncture which cannot get oxygen. In that environment, it produces a toxin that is what causes tetanus. There are no organisms expelled from the animal. So, again, the soil is the original source.

Castrating or not won't affect the chance of horses getting tetanus.

 

[dun]

The loss of feed conversion due to banding or cutting is realized later? I feed mine out and slaughter as bulls. I have horses on my farm and farm with my horses so tetanus is a big issue for me. Consequently I quit castrating once the girls finished 4H.

Are you saying you are concerned about your horses gettin tetanus from castrated cattle?

The tetanus organism is a natural inhabitant of the soil. More so in warmer climates. It enters an animal through a wound like a puncture which cannot get oxygen. In that environment, it produces a toxin that is what causes tetanus. There are no organisms expelled from the animal. So, again, the soil is the original source.

Castrating or not won't affect the chance of horses getting tetanus.

Conventional wisdom is that if there are or have been horses present the chances of tetanus for the cattle is higher. Doesn;t have anything to do with the horses getting it!