Bringing in a bull newbie

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bren444

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Mar 20, 2025
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13
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Northern, CA
Hello,
I have 4 cows to breed. AI'd thus far, but thought I would try a bull for the first time. I just finished re-fencing my entire property with field fence and hot wire across the top, so that makes it about 5 feet tall. Half of it has existing barbed wire behind the field fence.

My neighbors who share a fence line recently brought home two pairs. One cow is bred and the other open. About a half mile down both north and east, there are about 20 cows in each pasture. I worry about liability if he decides to jump out for a few visits. Any tips for keeping him in? I have good grass coming in and will also keep plenty of big bales out there.
 
A good hot wire is probably the best deterrent to keep the bull from visiting the neighbors. I have been AIing also for the last 30+ years and decided to get a bull last year for cleanup. didn't take long for him to find out that when the neighbor had a cow in heat, he could just push on the 5 barb wire fence until the post would break and he could just walk over. when I got him home, I had a small lot with just a single hot wire about 3 feet off the ground. he was sure anxious to get back to the neighbors cows but that wire kept him in until I moved him to a different pasture with a hot wire around it.
 
Dsth said:
A good hot wire is probably the best deterrent to keep the bull from visiting the neighbors. I have been AIing also for the last 30+ years and decided to get a bull last year for cleanup. didn't take long for him to find out that when the neighbor had a cow in heat, he could just push on the 5 barb wire fence until the post would break and he could just walk over. when I got him home, I had a small lot with just a single hot wire about 3 feet off the ground. he was sure anxious to get back to the neighbors cows but that wire kept him in until I moved him to a different pasture with a hot wire around it.
Click to expand...
Great... I will put a second strand across the center for a little extra insurance!
 
If they are thinking of visiting going over the top is the preferred method so your top wire will help there. If there is another bull next door then a middle wire is essential to stop them from getting their heads together. If two bulls can get their heads together the fence will cease to exist in quick time. Do you know what the pregnancy status of the neighbours cows is? It makes a big difference to a bull staying home.

Ken
 
wbvs58 said:
If they are thinking of visiting going over the top is the preferred method so your top wire will help there. If there is another bull next door then a middle wire is essential to stop them from getting their heads together. If two bulls can get their heads together the fence will cease to exist in quick time. Do you know what the pregnancy status of the neighbours cows is? It makes a big difference to a bull staying home.

Ken
Click to expand...
No other bulls between the fenceline next door. They said one cow settled, the other did not. So the open one is what I worry about. If he goes just there, it won't be as big a problem. I worry about the ones a half mile down the road. They should have a bull in with them either now or shortly...
 
bren444 said:
Hello,
I have 4 cows to breed. AI'd thus far, but thought I would try a bull for the first time. I just finished re-fencing my entire property with field fence and hot wire across the top, so that makes it about 5 feet tall. Half of it has existing barbed wire behind the field fence.

My neighbors who share a fence line recently brought home two pairs. One cow is bred and the other open. About a half mile down both north and east, there are about 20 cows in each pasture. I worry about liability if he decides to jump out for a few visits. Any tips for keeping him in? I have good grass coming in and will also keep plenty of big bales out there.
Click to expand...
If you have just 4 cows to breed, and don't want to AI this time, just borrow or lease a bull for a couple months. Or buy one and sell him after the cows are bred. Even if you lose a hundred or so, it is still as cheap as AI. And a hell of a lot cheaper than keeping a bull for a year, til time to breed them again.
 
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Lease a bull or AI. There is nothing that can stop a bull that wants a cow other than 6'+ of solid pipe.

A year or two ago I had a bull jump out of a pasture with cows and grass, cross a county road, jump in to a trap in the neighbor's and then in to his pasture to get to heifers. Neither one of us could even find a loose wire where he crossed and all the fences are more than 5' tall. We loaded him and he went straight to the auction barn.
 
Warren Allison said:
If you have just 4 cows to breed, and don't want to AI this time, just borrow or lease a bull for a couple months. Or buy one and sell him after the cows are bred. Even if you lose a hundred or so, it is still as cheap as AI. And a hell of a lot cheaper than keeping a bull for a year, til time to breed them again.
Click to expand...
This is just a lease bull. He goes home after two months, unless he decides to visit the neighbors... then he will go home asap!
 
Warren Allison said:
If you have just 4 cows to breed, and don't want to AI this time, just borrow or lease a bull for a couple months. Or buy one and sell him after the cows are bred. Even if you lose a hundred or so, it is still as cheap as AI. And a hell of a lot cheaper than keeping a bull for a year, til time to breed them again.
Click to expand...
This is a lease bull... two months and back he goes.
 
bren444 said:
This is just a lease bull. He goes home after two months, unless he decides to visit the neighbors... then he will go home asap!
Click to expand...
Maybe the neighbors need their open cow bred? If you don't have a problem with their bio-security maybe invite them over to breed their cow? There are bulls that will stay home with a good fence and no temptations over the fence, and those that will smell a cow 20 miles away and find a way. But most will stay home with good fences in my experience. Hopefully you have a stay at home bull.
 

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