randiliana
Well-known member
So, we have 2 mature bulls that we are on the fence about keeping or selling. Both are rising 6 years old. Both have issues staying at home after the first cycle is over. Both have had issues with their feet, but always seem to be sound for breeding season.
One is a Simm/Angus bull. He's a big fellow and we get some darned good calves off him. We use him mostly on our poorer cows or cows with conformational faults, with the idea that we don't keep any of his calves. Which kinda works, we have only kept a small handful of his heifers, lol. Problems with him are that he had foot rot this past summer, but seems to be sound finally now. He likes to check out the girls on the other side of the fence, and I believe we will get some calves out of our heifers from him this year. OTOH, he has always been easy enough to handle (so far anyways, who knows he might get himself on the chopping block for sure if his attitude changes suddenly, been known to happen). He is probably one of our easiest calving cow bulls, and I'm not concerned about having heifers bred to him and he is structurally sound. If we canned him we'd probably get $1500-$1800 for him right now.
The second bull is a Red Angus bull we bought for the heifers. But he's gotten to big for them. Last summer we used him on the cows. Problems with him are that he has had lameness issues over the winter in the past. He's never been lame during breeding season, and it's never been foot rot. Guess his feet may not be the best, but they aren't really bad either. He has not been dangerous to handle in the past (as above that could change but who knows), but if you get him in the corral he tends to go over/through the fences. He doesn't like pressure, or to be by himself. He has not been a fence jumper other than that, and he's been an easy enough calver for the heifers. The other problem with him IS that he was bought for the heifers, i.e. not for the best production, but for calving ease, although we have been happy enough with his calves off the heifers for the most part. But, I am not sure that he has what it takes to be a good bull for the cows... I don't mind giving a little production up on the heifers for calving ease, but that isn't quite the same for the mature cows. And losing 20+ lbs on BW might cut into the bottom line a little more than necessary! Once again, he is structurally sound and I figure we'd get $1500-$1800 out of him if we culled him too.
Problem is, I figure it's gonna cost in that $3500-$4500 to replace them with anything I'd be interested in as far as quality and production goes. OTOH, I figure that we are going to have to bite the bullet sooner or later anyway, plus I figure that sooner or later they are going to do what most mature bulls seem to do and become to dangerous to handle sooner or later.
So go ahead and give me your opinions on what you'd do. Give them another summer or bite the bullet this spring....
One is a Simm/Angus bull. He's a big fellow and we get some darned good calves off him. We use him mostly on our poorer cows or cows with conformational faults, with the idea that we don't keep any of his calves. Which kinda works, we have only kept a small handful of his heifers, lol. Problems with him are that he had foot rot this past summer, but seems to be sound finally now. He likes to check out the girls on the other side of the fence, and I believe we will get some calves out of our heifers from him this year. OTOH, he has always been easy enough to handle (so far anyways, who knows he might get himself on the chopping block for sure if his attitude changes suddenly, been known to happen). He is probably one of our easiest calving cow bulls, and I'm not concerned about having heifers bred to him and he is structurally sound. If we canned him we'd probably get $1500-$1800 for him right now.
The second bull is a Red Angus bull we bought for the heifers. But he's gotten to big for them. Last summer we used him on the cows. Problems with him are that he has had lameness issues over the winter in the past. He's never been lame during breeding season, and it's never been foot rot. Guess his feet may not be the best, but they aren't really bad either. He has not been dangerous to handle in the past (as above that could change but who knows), but if you get him in the corral he tends to go over/through the fences. He doesn't like pressure, or to be by himself. He has not been a fence jumper other than that, and he's been an easy enough calver for the heifers. The other problem with him IS that he was bought for the heifers, i.e. not for the best production, but for calving ease, although we have been happy enough with his calves off the heifers for the most part. But, I am not sure that he has what it takes to be a good bull for the cows... I don't mind giving a little production up on the heifers for calving ease, but that isn't quite the same for the mature cows. And losing 20+ lbs on BW might cut into the bottom line a little more than necessary! Once again, he is structurally sound and I figure we'd get $1500-$1800 out of him if we culled him too.
Problem is, I figure it's gonna cost in that $3500-$4500 to replace them with anything I'd be interested in as far as quality and production goes. OTOH, I figure that we are going to have to bite the bullet sooner or later anyway, plus I figure that sooner or later they are going to do what most mature bulls seem to do and become to dangerous to handle sooner or later.
So go ahead and give me your opinions on what you'd do. Give them another summer or bite the bullet this spring....
