Bull Calf

[Ralphy6177]

Been reading this forum for about a week now and have gotten hooked. I have a question regarding the new bull calf I just purchased. He is a 6 month old registered Black Angus. I'm going to use him as my herd sire eventually. My question is will he do OK on pasture if there is enough grass and adequate nutrition? Should I keep him separate from the rest of the herd. I have a small operation with 16 Hereford cows and a Hereford cross bull that he will be replacing. I usually can only make it out on the week ends so I would not be able to feed every day. Any advise on the best way to raise him without having to be there every day would be much appreciated. FYI, I can't afford the cost of an 18 month old bull so that is why I bought this one. Thanks

 

[Keren]

when are you planning for this guy to mate your cows? He wont be ready until he's older . . . 16 cows I would wait until he is around 16 months.

As far as his development goes, it all depends on how good your pasture is. I personally would slip him a little 16% protein feed evry second day or so to just keep him ticking over quite happily. I'd give him more if the grass isnt adequate.

If he needs feeding and you can only get out once a week, its probably best to get him in a paddock by himself and give him free choice legume hay or silage, with a small grain ration weekly. Or better yet would be an electronic feeder that will dish him out a pre-set amount of food each day when it reads his electronic ear tag . . . but there arent many of us that can afford those! :lol:

Good luck, post a picture of him for us to see!

 

[Ralphy6177]

Thanks for the reply Keren. I figure I need him to be ready in another year, I'll hold on to my Hereford bull until he is ready. The electronic feeder would be nice, course if I had the money for that I would have just bought a bull that was ready to go 8) Is it necessary to keep him separated from the herd? I guess I could put him in the pen and feed free choice hay and give grain when I can but I'm not sure about confining him to a small area like a pen. I appreciate all the knowledge on this forum as my knowledge of the cattle industry is limited. I grew up in the city and dreamed of having my own land and cattle. I was finally able to afford a small "ranch" so I went for it. Unfortunately I still have to keep my day job for now.

 

[angie1]

Most all of us have day jobs to finance this crazy habit!
Six months ~ he's got a lot of grow in him yet. Would be a shame to see him go without protien supplement. The grain that you could give him once a week would not benefit too much. If you give him too much at once, it will make him sick. Grain once a week is used as a treat, so they come to you, as opposed to a meal. Have you considered offereing free choice mineral to your whole herd? He would get the benefit of that, and it would be good for your other cattle as well. Your local feed store would know what was best for your area.

Good for you for jumping in ~ best of luck!

 

[Keren]

You know, I dont know why on earth I didnt think of it before, chalk it up to being tired. You may want to get him a high percentage protein lick block, in place of the grain. HOWEVER, the protein in these is usually made up with urea, which can be a bit hard on the stomachs of young cattle. So just monitor him closely for scours. If he cant cope with the urea, you can try a lupid-based block (harder to get and more expensive) or just keep him on the hay a few more months and get him on the blocks when he's a bit older. Use in conjunction with the good hay, and he should be quite happy. As far as where you keep him, it depends on the situation with your pasture and other cattle. If you are feeding everyone else, I would run him with them (but keep in mind, it IS possible that he can impregnate something, and its always something you DONT want pregnant). But, if there is adequate pasture for the cows, or if you are feeding them restricted hay, then I would put him seperate to the main mob BUT -- I would give him a mate or two, such as a couple of steers, or a bred or lactating cow (just watch he doesnt hassle her when she starts cycling again, and watch he doesnt try to suckle). I also wouldnt put him in a pen -- he needs to move around to develop muscle -- a slightly hilly paddock is really good for muscle development. And the other thing is he should have access to whatever grass is available also -- no matter how complete WE THINK our feeding regimen (ie hay and grain) is, nothing puts bloom on them like grass (with the possible exception of mum's milk).

Hope that helps!

 

[Ralphy6177]

Thanks, it helps a lot just to get information from people that have more knowledge than me. I'll get the protein block in addition to the grass and hay. I'm guessing the protein block will be good for all the cattle.

No hills here, I'm in South Texas. My land is near a small town called Orange Grove. There are no orange groves there though.

Thank you very much for your advice.

 

[Frankie]

I'd be leery of running him with a mature bull and cows. He's going to want to breed the cows. Whether he's able or not, he'll probably try to mount them. If the big bull objects, he might injure the young one. Something else to think about.....

 

[MikeC]

I can't afford the cost of an 18 month old bull so that is why I bought this one. Thanks

Making sure he has adequate nutrition, is developed properly, and stays healthy will probably cost you more than buying the older bull. :roll:

People who develop bulls are set up for it. You're obviously not.

I won't sell a younger bull to anyone for breeding purposes. Been burnt too may times in that game.

They will pick them up, put them in the pasture with cows and bulls, then expect a refund when he doesn't pan out as well as they expected for one reason or another.

 

[angus9259]

I can't afford the cost of an 18 month old bull so that is why I bought this one. Thanks

Making sure he has adequate nutrition, is developed properly, and stays healthy will probably cost you more than buying the older bull. :roll:

Yup. Unless you have cheap feed and good facilities and really want that particular bull.

 

[Ralphy6177]

I figured someone would say that I shouldn't be raising him but that's not really the kind of advise I'm looking for. He should be able to develope properly without spending a fortune, just looking for a little advice. So if it will cost more to raise him than buying an older bull how does anyone make money at selling bulls? Honest question because I really do not know. Seems that they will still have to buy feed, etc.

 

[angus9259]

I can't afford the cost of an 18 month old bull so that is why I bought this one. Thanks

I won't sell a younger bull to anyone for breeding purposes. Been burnt too may times in that game.

They will pick them up, put them in the pasture with cows and bulls, then expect a refund when he doesn't pan out as well as they expected for one reason or another.

Never thought of that either. Good advice for a bull supplier. Not that anyone in this conversation would ever do that, but how many people out there would do just that!! Too many - probably even if you warn them.

 

[angus9259]

I figured someone would say that I shouldn't be raising him but that's not really the kind of advise I'm looking for. He should be able to develope properly without spending a fortune, just looking for a little advice. So if it will cost more to raise him than buying an older bull how does anyone make money at selling bulls? Honest question because I really do not know. Seems that they will still have to buy feed, etc.

I've been wondering for years how I'm going to make money raising bulls!! Still working that one out!

Good point for staying on the question though - sorry. You have the bull now, what should you do. It seems I would agree with the general consensus that the young lad will need some extra groceries of some sort or extra time to grow.

To get him the extra groceries without getting your cows fat (and to keep him from getting hurt), you'd probably do best to separate him. That's what we do with all our growing bulls - they have very different nutritional needs than the herd cows. The problem will come when the cows see the young bull getting better groceries than they are or the young bull smells the ol girls coming in heat. Better be a good separation system.

Ultimately, however, you can certainly always run him with the cows, let him take his time growing up on pasture and he will most likely be able to breed your cows in due time if he doesn't get hurt trying to do things he's not old or big enough to do yet.

 

[Ralphy6177]

Finally got a picture of him this week end.

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[Ralphy6177]

Here it is. Figured it out.

 

[alabama]

Keep the calf seperat from the other bull and cows. Put him in a patch with a bred cow of heifer. this patch should not have common fence with the other cattle. If he has "GOOD" grass he should be OK but still feed him every chance you get. Even if you have to give him somthing like a salt limited feed. Forage Pro comes to mind. It is made by Vigertone. It may be just what you need. He should eat about a pound a day if you keep it in front of him.

 

[Ralphy6177]

Thanks, I did separate him after the photo was taken. Fed him creep feed Saturday and Sunday and he also has a protein lick block. Plenty of grass and free choice hay as well. Thanks for all the advice.

 

[3waycross]

He looks like a nice calf. A little feed and a little time you should have a pretty good bull on your hands.

Don't get too discouraged by some of the comments here about buying mature bulls. It may end up costing as much in the long run but by feeding him out this way you get to spend the money on the installment plan, and have the satisfaction of having raised him yourself.

One thing tho; a lot of prople get hurt real bad by bulls raised that way cause they end up with no fear or respect of man. Always remember a bull is a bull and don't turn your back on them. I got knocked down last summer by a bull who feared me pretty good but wanted a hay cube and just nudged me about 15 feet trying to get one.

Good luck with your Bull. Lets see some pictures in about 6 months

 

[Keren]

3way is right. Those fellas get a lot of weight behind them and the biggest problem is that they often dont know they are so big and heavy. When I am showing our bull, all he has to do is turn his head round and look at something, and I just about go flying :lol:

 

[Earl Thigpen]

Good luck with your bull calf. I don't mean to be discouraging but I know the Orange Grove, Alice, Mathas, Aqua Dulce area and have a hard time picturing where the good grass might be. Lots of Mesquite, prickly pear and rattle snakes though and miles and miles of open range farm land.

I like the idea of raising your own herd bull - kinda like buying a bull on installment as mentioned above. Again, I don't mean to say anything discouraging but you will still need to find out if he will "work" and that will take several months before he is able to demonstrate his prowness around the girls. What I'm saying is he may shoot blanks or may not like girls which wouldn't be the case if you were buying a mature bull with proven results. But what's done is done. You could try the AI route to get the genetics you want.

Nice folks around O.G. Spent many nights burning up 624 getting from Calallen to OG to see a couple of very special young ladies.

Wish you the best and keep us posted with his progress.